Literary agent Juliet Mushens on what makes her offer representation, how she builds bestselling careers from debut to long-term success, and why writers need a life outside of publishing.

We discuss

Why tension is the single most important quality an agent looks for in any genre of fiction.
How personalized feedback from an agent signals you’re closer than you think.
The editorial conversation that happens when an agent offers representation.
What to consider when choosing between multiple agent offers, and why gut matters more than questionnaires.
How some of today’s biggest bestsellers had their first and second books rejected — and what changed.
Why writing for the market rarely produces the best books, and how to hold the tension between passion and positioning.
The publishing myths that refuse to die, from social media requirements to green book covers.
How agents negotiate contracts and why an escape clause matters.
The concept of inconvenience over convenience and what it means for writers in the age of AI.
Why building a sense of esteem outside writing is essential to surviving the highs and lows of publishing.

Resources & Links

About Juliet Mushens

Juliet Mushens has been an agent for over a decade. More than a dozen of her clients are Sunday Times bestsellers, with half a dozen claiming the number one slot in the last two years alone. Her clients include million-copy no. 1 bestseller Jessie Burton, multi-million copy NY Times bestseller Taran Matharu, and record-breaking multi-million copy no. 1 bestseller Richard Osman. The Times ran a piece recognising her as the first agent to represent the number 1, 2, and 3 UK bestsellers in the same week: ‘Star literary agent first to top the charts three times’, a feat she repeated in 2022. Juliet sits on the advisory board of Book Brunch, is currently President of the British Fantasy Society, and sits on the board of the Women’s Prize Trust. You can find her on Twitter as @mushenska.

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#189: Juliet Mushens — Building Bestselling Writer Careers, Decoding Agent Feedback, and Why Writing for the Market Rarely Works