My novel is not finished, but stories about how hard it is to find an agent and to become a published writer have ensured that I am realistic about the chances of being published straight away – or even at all! Right now, having my novel in print is a dream and a very pleasant one that I hope will come true.

Where can a new writer like me submit their manuscript? Who will take an unpublished author on? What I need is a simple, speedy way to find out up-to-date information about publishers, agencies and agents. It can be confusing when you’re deciding where you should submit your MS. A website to provide current details of which agents are looking for new talent, which agencies deal with your genre and what publishers are looking for is an ideal starting point for a new author. You might be thinking, dream on, but now that website exists.

Writers’ Workshop has helped me to improve my writing with conferences and courses and its done it again with ‘Agent Hunter’. This innovative tool makes researching publishers, agents and agencies so easy. I’ve been trying it out and it is really user friendly. What seems like a minefield now seems more straightforward. I’ve picked out potential agents for my novel already. What I really need to do is to knuckle down and finish this labour of love and frustration before I can submit.

I’m adding a link to ‘ Agent Hunter’ for anyone who wants to give it a try. Let me know how you get on with it and what you think of the site.