Over the past few weeks I have been preparing for meeting a literary agent but realistically, what can I possibly hope to achieve in a ten-minute meeting with a total stranger who just happens to be highly influential in the elite world into which I am endeavouring to find a foothold?

In speed dating terms (Google AI tells me) ten minutes is two to four minutes longer than the time you’re allotted to decide if you want to see someone again. But there’s a high element of attra...