A typical day in the life of Juliet Mushens

In the run-up to the announcement of the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize 2013 winner this week, we have asked the shortlist to put together some photoblogs of their days at work.

Today is superagent, Juliet Mushens:

I start my day with a neatly drawn to-do list with precise ticky-boxes for maximum satisfaction when I cross an item off. At the end of the day maybe half of them are ticked off, with another 10 or so scrawled underneath in increasingly terrible handwriting.

Where the magic happens (I tidied especially for the shot!)

My job is incredibly varied. I read submissions (I've had nearly 600 since December and don't use a reader), I write editorial notes for clients, I chase up foreign rights submissions, I draft contracts, I liaise with publicists, and marketeers, and editors, I call editors and pitch books to them, I arrange meetings, I meet prospective new clients, and existing clients, and editors, I chase up marketing plans, I help organise blog tours, I comment on covers, and structural edits, and sell-in figures, and sometimes, if I'm REALLY lucky, I get a chance to sleep.

Our whole office gathers each week to talk about what we're working on

I love how no two days are the same. I can be having a quiet morning of editing when I get a call from an editor interested in a submission I've just sent out. Or I have a meeting with an editor and author, which turns into a brainstorm about packaging, and marketing, and titles and... I tend to get most of my slushpile reading done in evenings or on weekends, as I like to concentrate on it, but I do try and keep fairly up-to-date with my submissions - you never know when something exciting will come in and I don't want to miss out because I haven't had time to read it.

Meetings to discuss new projects take place most days

My job also regularly extends into the evenings. I go to lots of awards and book signings: to support my authors and to network. I also attend conferences to meet unpublished writers. This year I'm judging two literary competitions (so far) which also requires working hard out of hours.

I spend a lot of my time on the phone - and am unable to resist the lure of the Britney Spears-esque headset

I often say agenting isn't just a job. You're dealing with people, and creativity every day, which is probably why it's best to expect the unexpected!

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