Malcolm Mackay: Life in the Golden Age of Scottish Crime Fiction | Literary Hub

In one of those remarkable slush-pile stories, Mackay got a publishing deal through agent Peter Robinson at Rogers, Coleridge & White

Set up in 1967 and shortly afterwards was joined by Pat White. Rogers, Coleridge and White was founded twenty years later, when Gill Coleridge left Anthony Sheil Associates to join them in 1987.

Full-length book MSS, including children's books (home 15%, USA 20%, translation 20%). No unsolicited MSS, and no submissions by fax or email.

Children's fiction and non-fiction (home 15%, USA 20%). Handles novelty books, picture books, fiction for 5-8 and 9-12 year-olds, teenage fiction, series fiction, non-fiction and reference.

Submissions should include a covering letter telling about yourself and the background to the book.  In the case of fiction they should consist of the first three chapters or approximately the first fifty pages of the work to a natural break, and a brief synopsis.

Non-fiction submissions should take the form of a proposal up to twenty pages in length explaining what the work is about and why you are best placed to write it.   Material should be printed out in 12 point font, in double-spacing and on one side only of A4 paper.

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in London. "When I'd written the first book, I emailed Peter Robinson a sample, not knowing anyone in the publishing industry and assuming I would get nowhere. Within a couple of weeks, he asked to see the complete manuscript. He became my agent and within a couple of months I had a publisher. I was very lucky, getting through the slush pile of pretty much the first agent I emailed, and getting a publisher so quickly. I remember it was September 8th, 2011, that the deal was agreed. It was one week after my 30th birthday which was a hell of a present."