Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Morgane Speed

Success Story Interview - Morgane Speed

An Interview with Morgane Speed (Morganespd on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Lucy Morris of Curtis Brown Group, Ltd..

11/10/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Morgane Speed:
The book I’ve written is a rom-com that asks the following question: What if finding "The One" was just a numbers game?
My husband was actually the inspiration behind it, in a sort of roundabout way. After we got engaged, I met up with a friend of mine to celebrate and we started talking about our dating lives, which were quite different as my husband was the fifteenth (and final!) man I dated, while she had been with the second man she’d ever dated for a decade. It made me wonder whether love could be boiled down to a mathematical equation, and that was the beginning of my novel!
QT: How long have you been writing?: Morgane Speed:
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I actually still have the very first story I wrote... which I stopped writing mid-word. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time, and I often look at that piece of paper whenever I get stuck, as it’s a wonderful reminder of how much I’ve always loved story telling.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Morgane Speed:
I’ve been working on this book for 5 years, on and off. I hit a wall around the 10,000-word mark, and then again at 30,000, setting it aside for a few months each time. Most of the real progress happened over the last year and a half.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Morgane Speed:
Was there ever! Writing can be incredibly tough — and often lonely — so it was definitely tempting to give up at times. Reading and finding inspiration in other writers helped, but more than anything, the story just wouldn’t leave me alone. I took that as a sign that I was onto something. I know I had to finish it, if only for my own peace of mind.
QT: Is this your first book?: Morgane Speed:
Yes it is.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Morgane Speed:
I don’t, but I studied English Literature at university and took a Curtis Brown Creative course in 2024.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Morgane Speed:
I try (emphasis on try) to write every morning before starting my day job as a Fashion Editor, and usually set aside time at my desk on weekends too. That said, inspiration doesn’t always stick to a schedule — sometimes it strikes in the evening or even in the middle of the night. When it does, I have to grab my laptop or phone before the idea disappears.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Morgane Speed:
That’s a tricky one to answer because the book I have now started as something completely different. The core concept has always stayed the same, but the plot has evolved many, many times. As a Fashion Editor, I’m used to editing as I go — which is probably one of the reasons it took me so long to finish! In the end, I did one big developmental edit (after receiving three R&Rs while querying), three rounds of line edits, and a final proofread.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Morgane Speed:
Not officially, but I did share it with two friends whose opinions I really trust.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Morgane Speed:
I started writing my book without a plan, just to see if I could get past the first chapter. When the idea stuck, I tried to keep going without a plan but quickly hit a wall and had no idea how to move forward. Then, during the pandemic, an author I follow on Instagram ran a short course where she explained how she plans her books — it was exactly what I needed. I don’t think I would have been able to write “The End” without her! Now, I’m a big fan of detailed outlines (even though I know they’ll inevitably change along the way). That said, I still like to start writing without a plan — just to see if the idea has legs.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Morgane Speed:
This is the only book I’ve ever queried. I started at the end of March 2025, then stopped at the end of April to revise my manuscript after I received a couple of R&Rs, and started again in August. I didn’t query too many new agents the second time around as I was waiting to hear back from the ones who had requested revisions. I got my first offer in October, and two more followed very quickly after that.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Morgane Speed:
I sent about 40 queries in total.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Morgane Speed:
I started by focusing on agents who were actively looking for books in my genre and were open to submissions. I also spent time researching each agency — looking into their reputation, the authors they represented, and the types of projects they tended to champion. It was important to me to find someone whose taste aligned with mine, and I was particularly drawn to female agents who represent strong, character-driven stories.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Morgane Speed:
I did — at first! I spent hours researching each agent and tweaking each query to mention books from their bios or wish lists. But in the end, I stopped doing that; and funnily enough, two of the three offers I received came from non-personalised queries.
As for the third offer (and the one I ultimately accepted), I didn’t technically “query” that agent at all. In 2024, I took a Curtis Brown Creative course, and the first 10,000 words were shared with Curtis Brown agents at the end — that’s when I first received interest, and things took off from there.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Morgane Speed:
1. Don’t spend hours tailoring your queries to each agent. I know a lot of blogs recommend it, but in my experience, it’s not what makes a query stand out — and it can be a huge time sink!
2. Step away from TikTok. Those “this is the query that got me 10 offers in 2 days” videos might seem helpful at first, but they can be seriously detrimental to your confidence and mental health.
3. Celebrate your achievement — and start something new! Finishing and querying a book is a huge milestone, so give yourself credit for that. Then dive into a new project; there’s nothing worse than obsessively refreshing your inbox, and having something else to focus on will keep you sane.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Morgane Speed:
As I said, I did not technically send a query letter to my agent, but this is the one that I sent to the two agents who made me an offer:

Success Story Interview - Morgane Speed

Query Letter: