Caro Clarke - Submitting to a Literary Agent

So, you've written your novel, memoir, or poetry collection, and you're ready to find a publisher for your work. But what does that process look like? Many publishers don't receive unsolicited manuscripts, so what do you do?

We're thrilled to welcome Caro Clarke, literary agent and founder of local literary agency Portobello Literary, to the bookshop this November to break down the ins and outs of the publishing industry and help you prepare for submitting your work to agents.

Your booking includes a complimentary notebook and pencil to take notes, and tea, coffee, and biscuits will be provided on the night.

About Caro Clarke & Portobello Literary

Caro Clarke is a literary agent with over thirteen years' experience in publishing – at Transworld (PRH) and at Canongate Books as a Senior Rights Manager. They were named Rights Professional of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2021. In 2019, they co-founded the Nan Shepherd Prize for underrepresented nature writers, which kickstarted a passion to demystify the publishing industry and help emerging writers to develop their craft and build their writing careers.

Portobello Literary was established in 2022 to build on that work. Writers they have worked with have won or been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Saltire National Book Awards, Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize, Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, Forward Prize, Morley Prize for Unpublished Writers of Colour, Mo Siewcharran Prize, Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, Northern Writers Award, Nan Shepherd Prize, Laurel Prize, Nature Chronicles Prize, Wasafiri New Writing Prize, Eric Gregory Award, Women in Journalism Georgina Henry award, SI Leeds Literary Award and the Frank Allen Bullock Creative Writing Prize.