FAQs

If you are looking for a publisher in Wales, authors usually approach Wales-based publishers directly rather than via an agent. If you are looking to publish in the UK, but outside Wales, you will probably need an agent. Agents generally take on fiction or non-fiction, rather than poetry, short stories and novellas, but there are always exceptions. If you are publishing your work in magazines, online or locally, you probably don’t need an agent.

As far as we are aware, there are very few literary agents in Wales in the conventional sense. In Wales, authors usually approach Wales-based publishers directly. Agents outside Wales might seek to place work with a Welsh publisher if it seems appropriate.

Literary Agents manage the business of publishing for a writer. Agents act as a link between author and publisher. They seek to place a book with the best publisher for the best deal, and look after the commercial and legal aspects for the writer. Agents can also advise on whether your work might be marketable and should represent your best interests.

Rates and deals vary. There may be no initial fee for reading your work, but an agent will expect a commission if they successfully place your work with a publisher.

Research carefully. Check that the agents deal with the kind of work you are writing, how successful they are, how much work they want to see in order to consider your approach, and how much work you need to complete before submitting.

There is a comprehensive list of UK agents in The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (Bloomsbury), which is published annually. Visit the Writers’ and Artists’ website.

For detailed information see the Society of Authors’ Guide to Authors’ Agents.

You can also contact the Association of Authors’ Agents, (AAA) a trade association comprising the majority of authors’ agents in the UK.

It is best to work with one agent at a time – an agent may not be happy about working with you for only some of your work, unless the other work that you do is of a very different genre that the first agent does not deal with. You will need to check your contract carefully.

That depends on what you agree. A publisher may organise some marketing. Other marketing may be down to you, e.g. through social media and getting involved in local and national events.

No. Literature Wales is the national company for the development of literature in Wales and cannot act as an agent for individual writers.

For information about publishing in Wales, visit the Books Council of Wales website.

If you are starting out in your literary career, you are advised to refer to The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (Bloomsbury). This annual publication contains a comprehensive list of UK agents and publishers, as well as detailed information on how to send your work to a publisher.

Visit the Writers & Artists website for detailed advice:

The Welsh Book Trade Info website is being developed by the Books Council of Wales as a comprehensive source of information about the book industry.

The Welsh Book Trade Info website contains a database of the main publishers in Wales, and their contact details.

Contact details for the main publishers in Wales are listed on the Welsh Book Trade Info website, which is administered by the Books Council of Wales.

For details of UK publishers, consult the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (Bloomsbury), which is published annually.

First check a publisher’s website for any submission guidelines. These may be quite specific. Remember that publishers receive many manuscripts to read, so make sure you keep your submission relevant and to the point. Check whether submissions may be made online or hard copy.

At the very least, you will need:

• a covering letter setting out very briefly what your work is about, who the target audience is; why that publisher would be the right place (e.g. they have published similar works or authors or genres – give examples) and include your contact details
• a sample of a work, as noted in the publisher’s submission requirements e.g.
  longer prose work (check – they may have word limits or chapter counts – a chapter is sufficient for a novel)
• OR shorter prose work – a couple of short stories will be sufficient
• OR a selection of poems
• OR a full synopsis of non-fiction work that has not yet been completed.

For information on how to present your manuscript, please see the information sheet Submitting your Work to a Publisher, which can be found in the Resources section of our site.

You will probably need to wait some weeks or even months for a response. Don’t send the work to more than one publisher at a time.

For detailed information on publishing contracts, visit the following websites:

• Welsh Book Trade Info
• Society of Authors

We want the literary culture of Wales to truly represent the variety and diversity of our population. We will continue our focus on developing and platforming people who are under-represented and who have experienced historical and structural inequalities, racism, ableism, and discrimination.

We have adopted a proactive approach to creating change within the sector. During 2020 we revised and remodelled our Bursaries and Mentoring Scheme to develop Representing Wales, our new 12-month writer development programme which includes a financial award and mentoring sessions. The first edition of the programme focused on writers of colour. The second edition is focusing on writers from low-income backgrounds, of which many will face intersecting challenges due to, but not limited to, their ethnicity, disability, sexuality, gender identity, age, and religious beliefs. There is an annual deadline for applications.

Our Representing Wales programme is an important development for Literature Wales, as we aim to diversify Wales’ literary landscape and help ensure fair and equal access to the sector.

Achieving equality and a better ecosystem of under-represented voices who will inspire others is a long-term process, but we’re focusing our efforts on making systemic change and our commitment to this work as a priority will be ongoing.

Representing Wales development programme for writers is funded by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Wales.

For further details about the programme click here.

Literature Wales does not provide financial support or publishing grants to publishers in Wales. Publishing grants are administered by the Books Council of Wales.

Individuals cannot apply to the Books Council of Wales to help fund books, whether these are self-published creative works or specialist titles partly funded by the author. Applications for publishing grants may only be submitted to the Books Council of Wales by publishers.

For further information on publishing grants in Wales visit the Books Council of Wales website.

Literature Wales is not aware of any grants available to assist those authors seeking to self-publish, or authors who are required to contribute to the publishing costs.

You can apply for help from the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) if you are suffering financial hardship and have had several works published in the UK for a general readership, without publication being subsidised by you or others. Self-published authors are not eligible.

For further details and eligibility criteria visit the Royal Literary Fund’s website or contact Eileen Gunn: eileen.gunn@rlf.org.uk

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The Authors’ Contingency fund offers hardship grants to authors in financial difficulty and is administered by the Society of Authors.

It helps writers, illustrators, literary translators, scriptwriters, poets, journalists and others, whose author-related activities make up a substantial amount of their annual income.

Grants range in value from £500 to £2,000 and are designed to meet immediate need. You do not have to be a member of the SoA to apply.

For further details and eligibility criteria, visit the Society of Authors website or contact grants@societyofauthors.org

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The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain

WGGB has a Welfare Fund held in trust for helping members who suffer urgent financial difficulties.

For further details and eligibility criteria visit WGGB’s website or contact welfare@writersguild.org.uk

Copyright is the right to copy. Copyright law automatically applies as soon as you write your work and record it in an appropriate medium. It includes unfinished work, notes, sketches etc. You do not need to claim it. It protects the writing, but not the ideas, images or sense contained in it; i.e. it protects the tangible form of words rather than what they say or mean. It lasts for as long as you live plus 70 years afterwards when the right is held by your estate. After that, your work is in the public domain.

Copyright creates moral rights as well; if you assert copyright by making an appropriate statement as being entitled to be identified as the author of the work then they cannot appear anywhere else in print unless the words are attributed to you. The statement can be as simple as saying “The moral right of the author has been asserted.”

Copyright is the property of the author and such rights can be sold, rented or given away. You should normally retain copyright of poems or stories in anthologies whether or not you have been paid for your work. You have to sign a document to give up your copyright, so check contracts carefully and seek legal advice if in doubt.

There is useful guidance on estates and permissions on the Society of Authors website.

For further detailed information see the following sources:

• Welsh Book Trade Info – advice section. Copyright.
• Society of Authors Guide to Copyright and Permissions.

You may need Public Liability Insurance if you work regularly at public events, schools or other institutions. It is designed to protect you from claims of accidental bodily injury of third parties or damage to property for which compensation may be sought. Many public events will already have PPI in place – you should check beforehand that you are automatically covered if you are contributing to the event in some way.

Literature Wales is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults who attend or participate in its events.

Clear guidance will be provided for people delivering its events and activities. Literature Wales’ own Child and Vulnerable Adults Protection Policy is available on request and provided to new contributors to activities. Literature Wales does not take responsibility for events funded by grants or Bursaries or other support.

A Disclosure and Barring Service check is a legal requirement for all individuals who have ‘regular or sustained’ contact with children or vulnerable adults. It is the individual’s responsibility to ensure they have been checked if that is a necessary requirement for activity.

Only employers and licensing bodies may conduct the checks and they are bound by confidentiality as regards any information disclosed on such a report, and required to ensure that any person with a criminal record is not treated unfairly. Click here for further information.

For information on manuscript assessment, proofreading and copy editing, we recommend that you consult the following sources:
For listings of commercial manuscript critique services in the UK, consult:
The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, published annually by Bloomsbury.
Writers & Artists website

The Books Council of Wales maintains a list of freelance editors in Wales, on its Welsh Book Trade Info website  You can view editors’ profiles, which note areas of expertise, and contact details are provided. You would need to contact an editor directly to enquire about fees and availability.

Tŷ Newydd is Literature Wales’ creative writing centre, specialising in residential and day-courses in a variety of genres. Our aim is to provide high-quality and affordable courses to develop writers of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. We offer courses, both in Welsh and English, to support individuals at every stage of their writing journey.

The programme at Tŷ Newydd provides progression to writers by offering encouragement for beginners; a range of courses for intermediate level writers; and masterclasses for experienced writers. We also run non-tutored Retreats where writers can spend time on their work-in-progress in a friendly and creative atmosphere.

To view our course programme, FAQs and to book a place, visit the Tŷ Newydd website.
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Gladstone’s Library – a residential library and meeting place which is dedicated to dialogue, debate and learning for open-minded individuals and groups, who are looking to explore pressing questions and to pursue study and research in an age of distraction and easy solutions.

The library pays tribute to William Gladstone. It is Britain’s finest residential library, and its only Prime Ministerial library. It was founded by the great Victorian statesman himself and, following his death in 1898, became the national memorial to his life and work as well as one of the few Grade I-listed buildings in north Wales. Gladstone’s Library is located in Hawarden, Flintshire. Click here for further information.

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