Ask the Agent LIVE: Hannah Sheppard

Hannah Sheppard is a different kind of agent with a new kind of agency. Her approach to agenting is to champion writers everywhere and I want all of you to meet her in person for only £15.

It'll be so useful to you to have met a literary agent like Hannah before you submit your work to any agent - so if you've never met a literary agent before but you have questions about their role, come to this Q&A session and ask Hannah yourself.

'At the Hannah Sheppard Literary Agency I aim to create an inclusive and supportive community of likeminded authors. If you think our world views align, please do send me your submissions – I am actively seeking authors from diverse backgrounds with the sorts of stories that are not regularly amplified.' Read more about Hannah Sheppard before you attend so you know a little bit about her approach.

Hannah has such a passion for guiding writers that she hosts a regular zoom drop-in session once a month where you can ask her anything.

Even if Hannah isn't the right agent for your submission, I'd encourage you to come along to hear how she talks about her role, her work and her clients. It might change the way you're approaching your submissions to other agents.

If you feel shy about asking questions to Hannah, that's fine, there will be so many others who will likely ask what you wanted to know. Listening to this session will be a fund of useful information that you can take forward in your career. Also, I will be asking questions here and there to keep the conversation flowing.

This session will be £15 because I want to make it as accessible as possible to anyone in our community to meet a literary agent in person. They are all lovely people but writers don't always see them that way!=

Please do share this event and spread the word with other writers you know (you can book for guests with your ticket) as I hope we will have a very lively session where we can all learn about what an agent brings an author's career. You can forward the email announcement or reshare our posts on insta @LondonWritersCafe.

If you've ever wondered...

• How likely is an agent to suggest rewrites/changes to my story?
• What do agents try to achieve for any writer they represent?
• Can you send an unfinished piece to an agent?
• Do I need an agent for my career? Why?
• What makes a good agent? How would you know?
• Where and how do agents bring value to their clients?
• Why has my submission been rejected by so many agents?
• Can agents do anything with short stories? Do they want to?
• If I decide I don't need or want an agent, does that limit my publishing options?

I want to know your questions before the event. No matter how bold. Please post your question below in the comments and I will ask Hannah for you if it isn't asked by others on the night.

Date: Tuesday, August 19th.

Location: The Square Pig, 30-32 Procter St, London WC1V 6NX. Nearest station is Holborn. Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7pm start. Please try and be on time. We will finish by 9:30pm and adjourn upstairs for a few social drinks. No bother if you can't hang around.

Cost: £15 to pay for running this event and our community. Please follow the steps to pay via PayPal when you RSVP. Refunds or credits will only be offered if the meetup is cancelled by admin. Please change your RSVP to 'Not Going' if you can no longer attend as we often have people waiting and we'd hate for them to miss out!

If you questions, please post a comment below and I'll respond.