Advice from a children's agent

'If I were to offer two pieces of advice, it would be to focus on quality - the story has to be compelling whatever the genre - and to find your indefinable 'voice'. There's no magic to creating this, rather it is a case of you're either got it or you haven't. As an agent, you can teach an author everything except the art of storytelling. As for content and style, do your research,read up, see what works and what doesn't...

The (submission) guidelines are straightforward. We want the first 50 pages, double spaced, single sided, plus a page that tells you about yourself. If you want an agent and publisher to invest time in you, it's important that you invest time in getting your submission right.'

Sarah Molloy of London agency A M Heath in Writers' ForumBritish writers' magazine which is highly recommended for all writers. It features wide range of news and articles which help writers to improve their work and get published: www.writers-forum.com