Travel writer and novelist Philip Marsden gives us his tips on coming up with ideas and getting them seen.

• • If you have an idea for a book, read everything you can about your particular genre.
• • Go and browse in the bookshops and read what the critics are saying. Reviews are a great guide to what’s currently in vogue. I read the Guardian Review section on Saturdays because it’s the biggest and the broadest.
• • Don’t send manuscripts to publishers. Most have stopped accepting unsolicited material, so instead find yourself an agent. They are now looking for good, new stuff, the next whoever, the next bestseller.
• • Do not ‘cold-call’ agents; a letter with a brief proposal is best.
• • Personal contacts are very important, but knowing how the publishing industry works is also very helpful.