Literary agent Hannah Schofield is a finalist in the Agent of the Year category for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s (RNA) annual Industry Awards for 2022. The awards celebrate the hard work and talent of any person, group or organisation who has championed the broad genre of romantic fiction in a positive way.
Now in its eighth year, the Romantic Novelists’ Association Industry Awards shine a spotlight on the professionals who have championed the genre of romantic fiction. To be nominated for the RNA’s agent of the year award was a big surprise to Hannah Schofield of LBA Literary Agency. To be shortlisted was overwhelming, and something she never could have dreamed of so early in her career.
Hannah credits Molly Ker Hawn from The Bent Agency for piquing her interest in becoming an agent. She heard her speak while taking a class on children’s literature during her undergraduate degree and was hooked. After getting the opportunity to intern at The Bent Agency while doing her MA, Hannah advanced quickly from being an assistant agent at LBA in 2018 to becoming an agent in her own right in just a few short years. But she is keen to point out that it didn’t come easy. It may look like an overnight success but it was a real slog.
I met Hannah on Zoom and despite her busy schedule, she was bright and bubbly, and very easy to talk to. She put all those scary agent theories right out of my head! She told me that LBA is an agency that loves commercial fiction and romance is at the heartland of her and her colleagues’ lists. In fact, romance has been the founding story of LBA as Luigi and Alison, directors of the agency, met while working at Mill’s and Boon. Hannah told me that she’s been lucky to have an almost free rein at LBA and many of her clients write romantic fiction. ‘I just love love. I’m looking for stories that are aimed at people in their twenties – though love doesn’t have an age limit!’ She told me that the genres of romance and rom-com became even more popular during the pandemic. Readers wanted escapism and happy endings. To find something new and exciting but that also feels like you’re coming home when you read it is primarily what she’s looking for.
For Hannah, it’s all about the story. ‘I do value the quality of writing that my authors produce, but story and character are the beating heart of my list. I need to have an emotional connection and that usually comes through character and plot rather than elevated writing for me.’ Telling me a little bit about her role as an agent she explained that most of her authors are debut authors which is really exciting when she gets to call and tell them their first book is going to be published. When several offers come in for a book, that is amazing too ‘because it reaffirms that you as an agent got it right and those other people also like the story.’ Hannah says holding the physical book for the first time and being acknowledged for being involved in bringing the book to life is such a buzz, ‘I feel so lucky to be part of that journey with authors.’ She now represents over 20 authors. Hannah sold her first book during the lockdown in May 2020 and it went to auction! ‘To have the first book I ever submitted get such a response from editors was thrilling.’ Not so thrilling was what happened afterwards. ‘I was so excited that I leapt up from my laptop and ran to tell my husband, and I ran into the wall and broke my toe!’
I asked Hannah what advice she would give to authors who are submitting to an agent for the first time. For her, she said the biggest hit is a really strong one-line pitch. It needs to be so obvious, particularly in commercial fiction, crime thrillers, and romance. Make sure, she advises, that something happens in your first three chapters. Agents don’t have time to wait until the end of chapter three to be interested. If you’re querying and not getting any bites, then Hannah recommends you have another look at those chapters and see if you have got that grabby moment early on. When it comes to your synopsis, you must show that you understand story structure. So, in romance, Hannah told me, your story should be hitting all the rom-com beats like the 3rd act break up and the reconciliation. In a thriller, you need to ask yourself if your story has enough twists to make it interesting at the end. Her last piece of advice was more common sense than anything: remember that it’s a professional proposal so do your homework, get the name of the agent right and make sure they represent your genre!
I asked Hannah what the trends on the rise were and she said romantasy (romance with a fantasy element) and cosy crime stories are the genres at the moment but she was quick to say that everything is cyclical and although you should keep your eye on the market, if your story is good enough, regardless of genre, it should be able to cut through. If not now then at some point.
The RNA award ceremony is being held on the 11th of November and we wish Hannah all the very best in her category.
Hannah is currently closed to submissions at the moment but you can keep an eye out for when she opens again and find out more about the LBA Literary Agency here https://lbabooks.com/.
(c) Lucy O’Callaghan
The RNA Industry Awards
Launched in 2015, the annual RNA Industry Awards is one of the UK publishing industry’s highlights and is designed to acknowledge and recognise the many professionals whose work supports and promotes the genre of romantic fiction. The award nominations come from the entire RNA membership and is our way of saying not only thank you but shining a spotlight on those considered the best in the business, enabling us to acknowledge and recognise the wide range of professionals who support our work, the genre and the association at large.
Romantic fiction is a world-wide, multi-billion dollar business of which the life force is thousands of writers and their readers. The Romantic Novelists’ Association is the UK’s largest professional body for the industry and benefits from the support, through membership and friendship, of many people including publishers, editors, agents and other industry professionals. Everyone involved in the industry fully appreciates that a book is not just the work of the author but the work of many and once a work has been produced, many more people become involved in what is a truly collaborative process.
The RNA Industry Award winners are solely decided by the membership. All members are eligible to nominate in each and every category, and nominations can be made online or via the printed form which appears as an insert in Romance Matters, the RNA magazine. The awards ceremony takes place each year at the RNA Winter Party in November.
