Daily Times

Today, the name ‘Juliet Mushens’ is synonymous with success. Tell us a bit about how you started. I began my career in 2008 at HarperCollins Publishers when I joined the fiction marketing department as an assistant working across their commercial fiction list. I absolutely loved the experience of helping to come up with marketing copy for books, write newsletters and brainstorm advertising campaigns, but I wished I could work more closely with authors themselves. As part of the job I came into contact with agents for the first time – I was so intrigued by what they did, and loved the idea of discovering new voices and helping to shape their careers. I became an assistant to two literary agents in 2010 and became an agent in 2011. The past ten years have passed in the blink of an eye and I’ve been lucky enough to work with authors from all over the world, on many New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers, prize-winners and books which have made it to the screen.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton catapulted you to major fame and now Richard Osman’s book has done the same. How does it feel to be thrust in the media spotlight?

My authors are definitely the famous ones, not me! As an agent, the vast majority of the work we do is behind the scenes, be that editing manuscripts, negotiating contracts, and helping the author manage everything from publicity questionnaires, to events, to coming up with new book ideas. The relationship with the authors is such an important one, and it’s a dream come true to see them achieve such huge success – Jessie Burton has sold over 2M copies of her novels, and been a major international bestseller, and Richard Osman’s novels have been some of the biggest selling novels since records began.

Mushens Entertainment is one of UK’s most sought after literary agencies today. What is the secret formula to getting represented by Mushens Entertainment?

There are three agents who work for the agency and we are always looking for new voices with stories to tell, be that a gripping crime novel, an escapist romance novel, or a fascinating memoir. We work with interesting writers who are chefs, or midwives, as well as narrative works. We receive thousands of submissions a year and – as there are only three of us! – we have to be selective, but I would say the secret formula really is great writing and an interesting story which captures our attention.

Despite the pandemic, the last two years have been very good for you. Tell us a bit about it?

The pandemic had instant effects on our industry. Overnight, every bookshop had to close its doors, and the only way to buy books was online and in supermarkets, many of which reduced shelf space to make room for food essentials. The first few months were scary for everyone as book publication dates got pushed, and no one knew when things would normalise. However, the industry adapted – Zoom meetings replaced face-to-face meetings, many booksellers increased their online footprint to make it easier to buy from them, and supermarkets increased their shelf space once more. I think everyone also was desperate for something to help them escape the reality so book sales increased for many publishers and authors. Several of my authors hit the Sunday Times bestseller list during the pandemic: Girl A by Abigail Dean, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May, The Foundling and Mrs England by Stacey Halls, and The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Whilst their books range from historical myth retellings to science-fiction to thrillers, they all had something in common: they let you forget everything else and be caught up in a different world for a while. I think we all really needed that more than ever! As a small business, we were able to be nimble and adapt quickly, and we doubled in size during the past two years, which was very exciting.

What are publishers looking for these days? What makes a bestseller?

It depends on the publisher but most of the publishers I deal with are always looking for a clever concept and page-turning writing – the kind of book you race through, and then tell your friends to buy so that you can discuss it with them. The biggest bestsellers are those word of mouth books, the ones where you recommend it to everyone you know, where booksellers hand-sell it to customers who are browsing the store because they loved it so much. No advertising or publicity can take the place of personal recommendations and passion!

You are a very busy person, but you somehow manage to find time for friends, family, leisure activities etc. Is it really true that your typical day has 48 hours instead of 24?

I often get asked this! I am a very busy person, but it’s like that old saying ‘if you want something done, give it to a busy person’: I’m very efficient, with a lot of to-do lists on the go. But it’s also important to me that my life isn’t just my job, as I don’t think that would make me a very good agent, or a very interesting person. I love to pop into bookshops and buy new releases, to go to the cinema or the theatre, or to go out swing-dancing with friends. I missed many of those things over the past two years, so I’m more than making up for that now.

What is your advice for aspiring authors seeking to get published?

Write as much as you can; read as much as you can. The more you write, the more you will improve. It’s like learning the piano and doing your scales: writing short fiction, or a few pages of a novel, every day will improve your craft immeasurably. You can also take advantage of online masterclasses or networking as lots of agents and publishers will host masterclasses on writing, editing and publishing, or hold AskAgent sessions on twitter where authors can interact with agents and ask their questions. My main piece of advice is don’t give up and keep trying: many of my successful authors have unpublished novels in their drawers, but they persisted with wanting to be published, learned from everything they wrote, and got there in the end.

The writer is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Durham University. He has studied Creative Writing from Oxford University, Writer’s Bureau UK and Bishopsgate Institute London