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Please note that Emma Claire Sweeney heads up our Writers’ Studio and does not represent authors, so submissions should be directed to Jonathan Ruppin only.
Please read these guidelines before submitting, as they outline what sort of writing I am and am not looking to represent, and what materials your submission should include. I’ll do my very best to reply to all submissions within twelve weeks, and I have no objections to writers submitting to other agents simultaneously.
Submissions are accepted by email only to: submissions@ruppinagency.com. If you’re not sure about some of the basics of submitting to agents, this article by editorial service The Writers’ Workshop is very helpful.
Documents should be sent in Word format only – do not send other file formats, and do not send download links. Please submit only one book at a time, although do feel free to mention other projects.
I am happy to receive submissions of both fiction and non-fiction: more details of exactly what below. Book projects only, please, so no scripts for theatre, film or television.
In your cover letter, it would helpful to know the word count for your book, anything useful about your writing history and any authors or books you think would have a similar readership (especially anything published in the last few years). If you’re puzzling over the etiquette of to whom you should address your query, Dear Jonathan will do just fine.
Fiction
Please send a synopsis of a page (any more and you’re going into too much detail) and the first 5000 words (or the nearest natural break around there) of the manuscript. Please note that a synopsis is not a blurb, so when submitting fiction, I’m just looking for an outline of the plot, including the ending – I want to know how you’ve resolved that premise you’ve set up.
I’m happy to receive both literary and commercial fiction. What will win me over more than anything is storytelling with ambition and authenticity, something that makes the personal resonate at a universal scale. And I want to read a novel only you could have written, not a well-done but unremarkable variation on something we’ve all read before.
I’m keen to find writers with something original to say about society today, and I’m looking for storylines that showcase voices and communities that have tended to be overlooked by the publishing world, but submissions from absolutely all backgrounds are very welcome.
Fiction aimed at the more commercial end of the market should be 70,000-120,000 words, unless you can present a very compelling reason for writing more or less than this. There’s a little more leeway with fiction that’s rather more at the literary (driven as much by language as storytelling), but there is very limited demand from publishers for manuscripts that are much longer or shorter, especially from new writers.
I’m interested in crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers of all subgenres – although I’ve no stomach at all for gratuitously violent crime and I’m wary of tech-based thrillers that threaten to date quickly. I’m particularly looking for innovative and original writers who’ll stand out in a very crowded market. I’m also happy to receive historical fiction, whether literary or commercial in style.
I don’t usually handle science fiction, fantasy, horror or romance fiction. If your book has elements of such genres and would be shelved in the general fiction section of a bookshop, rather than in those separate categories, it may have sufficient mainstream appeal to be of interest, but specialist genre fiction is not for me. If you’re really not sure, the worst I can do with any submission is simply say no.
Also no inspirational/religious fiction, erotica, westerns or graphic novels, please.
I love reading short stories, but they’re an extraordinarily tough sell. George Orwell noted in the 1930s that the British had little taste for the form, and things haven’t improved since. So, if you have a book-length short story collection, you’re welcome to send your best one or two, but they’ll need to change my life. Almost certainly, they’ll need to have some sort of overarching theme or other connection, and a track record of having individual stories published or placed in competitions is essential.
Non-fiction
Please include a one-page summary of the book, an outline of a sentence or two on each chapter, the first chapter (and one other, if you wish), and some brief observations on potential market and your writing credentials. But if you have a full proposal ready, do feel free to send this. Much information is available online on what should be included; this article by legendary American publisher Jane Friedmann offers an excellent starting point.
I’m specifically looking for narrative non-fiction, so no lifestyle titles or guidebooks, please. As with fiction, I’m most interested in books that have relevance to people’s lives today, although there are many ways of achieving this. I also tend to believe that any topic can be engaging with a sufficiently insightful and charismatic guide, but nowadays it’s as much about readers and the value of their reading your book as you demonstrating your expertise.
The types of books that flourish in all non-fiction categories are constantly evolving, to stay relevant and engaging, so I’m keen to find writers doing something fresh and innovative with their topics. (By way of example, look at how travel writing has moved away from the straight travelogue and recombined with genres such as memoir, nature writing and social history.)
Before sending memoir submissions, I recommend talking a look at this blog by professional editor Jessi Rita Hoffman, which details the reasons why most of what writers send to agents in this area is unsuited to the mainstream market (especially point 2, Telling a A Story Already Told, and 3, Shoehorning Several Books into One). The related category of autobiography is, these days, generally the preserve of people who are, in some form or another, public figures.
As with fiction, I feel it’s extremely important to seek out underrepresented voices and communities.
So, all subjects considered, but I have a particular interest in social issues, the sciences (especially natural history) and the arts.
Non-fiction is often sold on proposal – a synopsis and a sample of around 20% of the intended book – so I’m happy to engage with writers at an earlier stage in the project, especially as it will probably be beneficial to consider how best to approach a topic for its intended market.
As with fiction, owing to the volume of submissions received, I am unable to offer a detailed response or editorial guidance unless I am considering representing you.
Not accepted
The Ruppin Agency is unable to consider science fiction, fantasy and horror (see the Fiction section above), poetry, children’s and young adult (YA) titles, graphic novels, plays and filmscripts, self-help or lifestyle (including cookery, gardening, interiors, etc.) guides, religious, spiritual or other esoteric titles, illustrated, academic and business or other professional titles.
I’m afraid I’m unable to consider books that have previously been self-published, although I am happy to see new books from writers have self-published earlier work.
