Philip Kavvadias - Dealing with an Agent
A hopefully very-satisfied author giving a reading from his book.
Philip took everyone through a five year timeline of writing and submitting children’s books to agents and eventually securing a three-book publishing deal with Chicken House Books.
He said that pretty much everything he learnt was from Google, The Writers and Artists Yearbook and writers groups, including Slough Writers.
He explained how the process starts with a query letter to agents – not a cover letter – which is a very short pitch showing how the book will appeal. Writers need to have studied the most recent children’s market and not refer to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
He said that attending a conference by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators was very helpful. He found out about competitions to win 20 minutes with an agent and heard that publishers were looking for books with a child and an animal, so Philip quickly wrote the first chapter of his book, which led to him meeting famous agent Becky Bagnell, who turned out to be a massive help.
He was invited to send her his complete book. He took a few months to write 40,000 words. (He writes for at least an hour – usually in the evenings – every day.) He didn’t write a plot. He just made sure every chapter ended with a cliff hanger.
The next 18 months saw umpteen edits and copyedits, as well as illustrations, marketing plans and launch planning. Eventually the book was launched at Waterstones in Windsor on 27 April 2024.
A good turnout to congratulate success. Which obviously Slough Writers attribute to our amazing advice.
Philip has already written his second book – Mission Manta Ray – and the third is almost complete. Having done all the hard work of writing the books and getting them published, Philip is now spending all his free time promoting Mission Microraptor. He loves the school talks and is looking at other opportunities such as libraries, fairs and festivals.
Everyone at the group is hugely proud – and envious.