Please Note: Shelley is no longer a literary agent.  But she still offeres editorial support at The Book Editorial Expert. Check out her website. She is a brilliant editor! 

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Shelley Instone is, like me, a Leeds lass and very proud of it. A very experienced and successful editor based in London, she took the next step and became a literary agent in her own right.  

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Shelley is passionate about the North and aimed to champion Northern writers.  When she said she wanted to meet the writing community in her home town, we teamed up with the wonderful Leeds Big Bookend who were keen to host the event.  

 

They did an absolutely brilliant job down at Outlaws Yacht Club.  The audience really appreciated Shelley's honesty, as well as her generosity.  How many agents are prepared to leave London and head North unless it's for a large fee at a Lit Fest?

 

Shelley is a one-off, with a big Northern heart.  Don't be fooled by this however! As one of her début authors I was asked to introduce Shelley and give an honest account of what it's like to work with her.  I said something like: "It's great fun, but it's certainly no picnic! Shelley is extremely tough on her writers.  But then you need an agent who's going to challenge and push you because it's extremely tough getting that deal."

 

Read my interview with Shelley on my blog page & also on the Leeds Big Bookend website.