How NOT To Submit To An Agent - Reporting Back from York LitFest by Sophie Claire

I’m always keen to attend literary courses and conferences, but this panel discussion looked particularly interesting –  and it didn’t disappoint! 

Part of York Lit Fest, ‘How NOT To Submit To An Agent’ was an event run by the Writers & Artists and, contrary to the rather negative title, it featured a very positive and encouraging panel discussion with literary agents Jo Unwin, Sam Copeland and Sallyanne Sweeney.

Jo Unwin, Sam Copeland, Sallyanne Sweeney

Sam Copeland began by explaining what an agent’s role involves:

Firstly, editorial input. An agent works closely with his author to get the manuscript as perfect as possible. Once this is done, he then sends a pitch letter to the first round of publishers (usually between 8 and 10). If he gets an offer, then he contacts the other editors to let them know (the ideal scenario is to get lots of interest and competition for the book). Then, once an offer is accepted, negotiations begin on the contract. This can take between 2 days and 9 months(!) and the agent’s job at this stage is to ensure his author gets the best terms possible.

But an agent does much more than just negotiate book deals. He also helps his authors plan their careers, brainstorm new ideas, he serves as a sounding board and keeps authors aware of changing trends in the publishing industry. He also deals with publicity, reviews, press enquiries: the list goes on. Crucially, he mediates between authors and their publishers.

Sallyanne Sweeney then gave advice on approaching agents:

Most agencies have a website. Follow their guidelines! (They all vary a little, so give them exactly what they ask for).

Use the Writers & Artists Yearbook or the online service, Agenthunter, to find the right agents for you. Follow agents on Twitter to keep up-to-date with news, but do not pitch to them via Twitter – that’s a big no no!

Query ten agents at a time and make sure they represent your genre. Always address your submission to an individual, and update them if you get interest elsewhere.

Jo Unwin gave us tips for submitting to an agent:

Jo receives 8000 submissions per year. In 2015 she took on 5 authors, and that was a good year. Depressing, I know (but don’t be too disheartened - I'll explain in a moment). Given these statistics, it’s imperative that your submission stands out from the rest!

How NOT to write a query letter

Submission letter

We were given examples of a good query letter, and of a poor one (see left).

Show you’ve done your research about the agent and are certain they are a good match for you (e.g. look at their existing authors). Although it's depressing to learn that your query may be one of 8000, Jo reassured us that by writing a professional letter and abiding by the agent’s guidelines, you considerably increase your chances of being noticed.

Make clear what your book is about and where it fits in the market (ie the genre and/or similar authors). You also need a strong elevator pitch. This is crucial and it's used throughout the selling process, from pitching to publishers to, ultimately, persuading the customer to buy the book. 

It needs to intrigue. And, as with your opening page, it’s worth taking the time to hone this until it’s as good as you can get it.

Jo read out short descriptions of famous books (taken from Amazon – look them up, was her advice) such as Gone Girl, Life of Pi and One Day. The best ones could be condensed into one line. 

For example:

‘Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?’

(Before I Go To Sleep, SJ Watson)

We, the audience, were then invited to test our one-sentence pitches on the panel. (No, I wasn’t brave enough – wish I had been!) They gave constructive feedback, mostly about keeping it simple and clear with an element of intrigue.

Synopsis

Don’t worry too much about the synopsis, was the general message. It is necessary to show that the story is complete, but no one is rejected on the basis of their synopsis. Stick to one or two pages maximum, and include the characters, the setting and the plot’s conclusion – don’t leave it hanging as you would for a blurb.

Opening Chapters

In contrast to the synopsis, make sure your opening page is as polished as possible! Your submission hinges on this and the agents agreed that in 50-75% of cases, they don’t read past the first page of a submission.

They gave us some Do’s and Don’t’s for the opening paragraph:

Do’s: surprise, quirky, confidence, a clear voice, attention-grabbing, atmosphere, emotional connection with the main character, beautiful writing.

Don’t’s: describe a character waking up, describe the weather, a dream, flashback, a character looking at their reflection in the mirror, too many characters all at once, telling not showing, overly florid language, info dump.

Finally, the panel wrapped up with their current wishlists:

Sam would love to receive anything outstanding.

Sallyanne would like anything she can get excited about, or a gorgeous YA love story.

Jo said she never knows what she’s looking for until she finds it!

Sophie Claire's début novel, Her Forget-Me-Not Ex, is available from Amazon

www.sophieclaire.co.uk

Writing: Getting Serious by Louise Marley

I've always liked the idea of New Year's Resolutions. That chance to reinvent yourself every year, like the kind of books I read as a teenager: neglected female completely transforms into the belle of the ball with the help of a few mice, a pumpkin and - oh yes, a fairy godmother. Funny how these kind of stories always involve someone else coming to the rescue. I'm a proactive kind of person myself. If I'd been Cinderella, it would have been more a case of "B***** the Fairy Godmother, get me a pumpkin and I'll do it myself."

You see, as much as I love watching TV shows like The X Factor, there's always one thing guaranteed to infuriate me: whenever a contestant says something like, "I really want this, I've wanted it my whole life." OK, so they've really 'wanted' a singing career but they've never done anything about it? Never had singing lessons, or written a song, or formed a band, or tried to set up a few gigs? Basically, they've been sitting around waiting for a fairy godmother (Simon Cowell?) to come to the rescue.

Can you see where I'm going with this?

If your New Year's Resolution was to write a book, or maybe you've already written a book and you want to get it published, what have you done about it? Anything? Anything at all? Scribbled a few notes? Fantasised about the hot actor you'd like to play your hero in the movie adaptation? Stuck a pin in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and queried a few random agents? Enjoyed a few daydreams about the glamorous life you're going to lead as a full-time author? (And that's a whole other blog post, trust me.) If you want to be a writer badly enough, I'm afraid you're going to have to get serious about it.

Understand that you'll to have to make sacrifices. Not the dancing-naked-in-the-moonlight-and-endangering-defenceless-chickens sacrifice, but the kind that involves the most precious thing of all: your time. For example, if you know you only have an hour a day to write, then write - don't waste that time faffing about on social media.

Perfect your craft. There are hundreds of books about writing (my favourite is Stephen King's On Writing). Or take a creative writing course and, once you've written your novel, pay to have it professionally critiqued before sending it out to an agent/publisher. Although I still feel the best, easiest and most fun way to learn how to write fiction is to read lots of it. It's not expensive. You can borrow books for free from your local library and there are always deals to be had on ebooks. If you feel you don't have the time to read, think about how you spend the time you do have. Sacrifices, remember? No one lies on their death bed wishing they'd spent more time on social media.

Having said that, social media is an effective tool for writers, but only when used in the right way. Unless you are already published, forget about all the things you've heard about creating a 'brand' and setting up a 'platform'. The most important thing is to be social; you'll get far more out of it. Make friends with fellow writers, new and established. Follow people in the industry, such as agents and publishers - but don't expect them to follow you back, and definitely don't pitch your novel unless invited to do so. Most publishers are great at posting about deals on books and will have competitions to win signed copies from your favourite authors. Some publishers have blogs where they post writing tips from their editors, tell you when they are open for submissions and what they are looking for, as well as running writing competitions to win a book contract.

Talking of which, don't overlook those writing competitions - that's how I got my first book deal - and I didn't even win. And, if you can afford it, attend writers' conferences and literary festivals. Editors and agents are less likely to ignore a submission if it's come from someone they remember (in a good way!) from a workshop or a one-to-one meeting at a writers' conference. But if you're not lucky enough to bag a one-to-one, don't despair. Sometimes you can learn more from attending an industry panel event, and listening to writers and editors talking about the current market - what's popular and what's out of fashion. You'll have the opportunity to ask relevant questions and learn more than if you had pinned all your hopes on a one-to-one where you might have either targeted the wrong agent/editor, belatedly realised your submission is not polished enough, or had plain nerves just get the better of you. Early on in my career I found myself sitting on a sunny bench at a writers' conference, drinking coffee and chatting about trends in fiction with a commissioning editor. I got far more out of that than if I'd tried to pitch her my book.

With fellow Novelista
Trisha Ashley

No one understands a writer like another writer. Try joining a writers' group, club or society. The Romantic Novelists' Association accepts unpublished authors under its New Writers' Scheme. Alternatively, find out if there are any writers' groups meeting in your area and, if not, why not start one? The Novelistas came about because Trisha Ashley moved to North Wales and put out a request asking if other local writers would like to meet up. Our group has now been going for almost fifteen years.

Compared to when I first started out, there are now so many great opportunities for writers. Don't waste time waiting for that fairy godmother or daydreaming about success. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, you have to start taking your writing seriously.

And no one can do that but you.

Louise Marley writes romantic comedy and romantic suspense, and is a creative writing tutor with Writing Magazine. 

Her most recent book is Something Wicked.

Website

Twitter

Related Posts:

W is for Writing Groups by Annie Burrows
T is for Time Management by Annie Burrows
The RNA Conference & Industry Day (2015) by Sophie Claire
Pitching to Agents & Publishers at the RNA Conference (2014) by Sophie Claire
How NOT to Submit to a Literary Agent (York LitFest 2016) by Sophie Claire


All pictures, copyright: Louise Marley
Except for girl in party dress, copyright: Fotolia 

Manchester LitFest 2015 by Sophie Claire

Manchester Literature Festival drew to a close last weekend, and I have to say this was the most exciting Manchester LitFest programme I can remember (and I’ve been going since the festival first started ten years ago), packed full of big literary names. Obviously I couldn't go to all the events but I did make it to Margaret Atwood, Deborah Moggach, Joanne Harris and Louise Doughty, and below are tweets and snippets from those events: 

Joanne Harris, Lemn Sissay, Geoff Ryman, 
Ellah Wakatama Allfrey

Deborah Moggach

Deborah Moggach

At The Midland Hotel, Deborah entertained us by answering questions and recounting anecdotes in her very upbeat style, before we all enjoyed afternoon tea. I tweeted snippets of what she said:

"I wrote Tulip Fever in a rush of love for Dutch paintings of the Vermeer period." "I bought a painting and it spoke to me."

"Spielberg rang wanting to make a film of Tulip Fever - we all thought it was a prank!"

"I'm always an extra in my films."

"I get 2 or 3 emails a week, mainly re: Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It's had a transformative effect on many people."

"We're all teenagers really - just a bit wrinklier!"

"Loneliness, isolation is a huge problem"

"I love good plots. I think they're a work of art."

I can't wait to read Moggach's new book Something To Hide. It sounds exciting with some really meaty themes.

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood was interviewed by the broadcaster and critic, Erica Wagner, and she spoke engagingly about her new novel, The Heart Goes Last, ‘an immensely funny and disturbing satire set in a near future where the lawful are locked up and the lawless roam free. Young, poverty-stricken lovers Charmaine and Stan sign up for a social experiment but the promise of a suburban paradise soon turns into a nightmare of conformity, mistrust, guilt and sexual desire.’

Margaret’s dry wit was hugely entertaining, and I came away eager to read this novel, having previously enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale.

Erica Wagner and Margaret Atwood

Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris

This event began with Joanne reading her Writer's Manifesto which explored how the writing world has changed in modern times, and how Joanne perceives the relationship between herself and her readers. I tweeted:

Snippets from last night: "The truth is, not everyone can - or should - be a writer..."

Fiction should present a challenge. Fiction is often uncomfortable. It is not democratic.

I love my readers...their diversity, & the fact that they all see different things in my books, according to what’s important to them. 

Authors & illustrators need to pay their bills like everyone else.

Stories are never just entertainment. They help us understand who we are. They teach empathy. Stories bring us together.

The discussion which followed was equally fascinating. Questions were put to the panel, but I've kept to Joanne's answers for the sake of brevity:

Q: How much do you think about the reader while writing?

JH: I don’t. There are too many readers and they’re all too different. When reading, people see what they want to see [...] I write for myself.

Q: Have you ever had struggles with your publisher?

JH: Yes over small things. Publishers worry a lot about readers, and about moral ambivalence (eg bad characters getting away with bad things, or bad things happening to good people). 

Joanne also recounted how she wanted to call her novel Peaches for Ramadan (its title is Peaches for Monsieur Le Curé) but her publishers were worried this sounded too political or that Muslim readers might react against it. In fact, Joanne reported, she's had very positive feedback from readers.

Louise Doughty

Louise Doughty was the Keynotes speaker at the Northern Lights Writers Conference (a day of panel discussions and workshops) and she was also interviewed about her work, particularly the bestselling novel Apple Tree Yard. Here are some of the highlights:

Louise Doughty

Louise was first published 20 years ago, at a time when writers such as Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes were very popular. However, Louise felt that their novels focused on the middle class and she set out to write something different. She is especially proud of a review describing her as an author who 'writes about the people who don’t normally get written about'.

It took roughly 7 years for Louise to get published and she likens this period to the time it takes to train for any profession; for example, a doctor or a lawyer. Writing takes time to develop sufficiently.

She advised: “Enjoy those early years because you can focus on the writing itself.” Whereas later you become an administrator of your career.

Most writers, she said, have to supplement their income by teaching or mentoring. Having another job can be a positive thing because it can feed your creativity. And having lots of time to write full-time can be as difficult as having very little. 

Apple Tree Yard is currently at the casting stage for a BBC four-part drama. The genesis for the story came to Louise unexpectedly one evening: she visualised a woman in court, on the witness stand on trial for a serious charge. Louise wrote the first scene immediately, and this later became the novel's prologue. For the book’s launch, the publisher printed leaflets of the prologue which were distributed on the London Underground.

Asked about the television adaptation and the screenplay which has been written by Amanda Coe, Louise said “You develop a philosophical approach to your work being changed.”

Having read Apple Tree Yard myself, it was interesting to hear Louise talk about its structure which is complex because the story is told in the first person and with hindsight. “I wouldn’t have had the technical skill to write ATY as my first novel,” Louise admitted. “It has a certain readability and narrative arc that my previous novels don’t”.

All four events were equally fascinating and inspiring. I always find it reassuring to hear writers talk about the difficulties they've faced in getting published or with the creative process, because they're often problems we've all experienced. It's also interesting to hear what sparked a story, what the writer hoped to communicate, and how others have interpreted it.

You can read more about Manchester Literature Festival here and it's worth keeping an eye on organisations such as these throughout the year because they sometimes hold stand-alone events. 

Can you recommend any good literature festivals?

Sophie.x

Sophie Claire's novel, Her Forget-Me-Not Ex, is available from Amazon