ABOUT THE AGENCY

WHO WE ARE

WHERE WE ARE

OUR TERMS FOR AUTHORS

12 GOOD REASONS TO CHOOSE US

HOW TO SUBMIT BOOK PROPOSALS

GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

OUR AUTHORS

FORTHCOMING BOOKS

EVANS SKINNER CRIME ARCHIVE

12 Good Reasons To Choose Us

  1. The agency specialises almost entirely in non-fiction.
  2. We use our considerable editorial experience, gained from working at senior levels in British publishing, to guide our authors in shaping their books for maximum appeal to publishers.
  3. We have an excellent record of placing our authors’ projects with the most effective publishers – all the major companies and quite a few independents, too. Using our in-depth knowledge of the interests of commissioning editors within the publishing companies, we identify those editors most likely to be attracted to your book.
  4. We draw on several decades of experience in negotiating publishing agreements to achieve the highest possible advances and the most advantageous terms for our authors.
  5. We limit ourselves to a relatively small number of authors, so that we can dedicate the time to being successful for every client.
  6. We only take on projects, which interest us personally, in the conviction that if we don’t love them, we can’t expect to enthuse publishers into commissioning them.
  7. You will have confidential and direct access at all times to the agency’s principal, Robert Smith. You don’t always get such a high level of personal service from the larger agencies, where you may be allocated to one of their less experienced agents.
  8. We make no charge for reading manuscripts or for administrative costs. Our commission is all-inclusive.
  9. Should you require a ghostwriter to lighten your load, we have access to some of the best in the business.
  10. We don’t just do the deals and walk away, but remain active on your behalf throughout your book’s life, closely monitoring its editing, production, marketing, promotion, sales and royalty accounting.
  11. We capitalise on our close and extensive relationships with all national newspapers and magazines and broadcasting media to sell not only book serialisations and extracts, but also – and unusually for literary agencies – major news and feature stories that are not book-related. We urge you not to sell your story directly to a newspaper, but to appoint an agency with the necessary expertise to protect your interests and secure the best deal for you. These are shark-infested waters for the unwary and inexperienced.
  12. In an increasingly litigious world, we have developed the expertise to help our authors avoid legal problems and to ensure they have watertight contracts with publishers, newspapers, TV and film producers, and other media companies. We also have a long-established relationship with one of the UK’s most respected London law firms, Harbottle & Lewis, if we require additional specialist advice.