A literary agent inspired Dagenham Park pupils to get into publishing in a talk on Thursday.

Juliet Mushens visited the School Road, Dagenham site to talk to Year 10 and 11 pupils about getting into publishing, as well as encouraging them to get reading.

After talking to the pupils about publishing and her company CaskieMushens, she offered advice about writing novels, and how to make a manuscript stand out.

The school’s literary coordinator Funmi Ajibodun, who set up the talk, said: “It’s really important that we get pupils back into reading again, since today they are more interested in watching videos.

“The meeting was a great success, with lots of the pupils taking her contact information and asking about pursuing work experience.

“It’s a good opportunity for the pupils to get some exposure to the industry and to see the kind of things they need to do, and show why literacy is so important.”

Ms Mushens previously studied history at Cambridge University before going on to set up her own publishing company.

She told the pupils to write about what inspires them, and the particular kinds of novels she likes to publish, particularly from unreliable narrators.