For Writers
By Writers
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For Writers
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By Writers
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by
Part 6: Marketing, Publishers and Agents
It is rare for a writer to sell their first novel on the strength of a couple of chapters and a synopsis. All publishers and agents will prefer to see these to start with, but they will need to be assured that your novel is written. After you've written, edited and had your novel read by someone else, what's the next step?
In order to succeed in getting past first base with either an agent or a publisher, you need to market yourself and your novel effectively. Take some time thinking through just what it is about your novel that makes it interesting, readable – and likely to make a great deal of money for all concerned with it. Publishers and agents are no longer in the business of producing novels simply because they deserve publication, or are fine examples of literary genius, but because they hope to make money from them. So the first thing that you must write is a short outline of the story of your novel, which should take no more than two sides of A4 paper. Make it as dynamic as you can – remember it's your sales pitch. Don't try to intrigue by leaving out the ending and hoping that the reader will be sufficiently impressed to want to read the whole thing. They will need to know the complete story and anything less will simply show them that you are a beginner.
The next thing you need to do is to write a longer outline, with chapter headings and a description of what happens in each chapter. These longer outlines tend to take up about 20 pages or so and are usually ring-bound or clipped into a folder.
The third thing you need to write is your own CV. Many writers forget that agents or publishers need to know the details of your own life, and not just those of your characters. Michael Alcock, of Michael Alcock Management, a literary agency in London, says,
'Most writers, out of ignorance of the commercial nature and risk of publishing, are silent about themselves, don't put in a full CV from date of birth onwards and forget to intrigue you into entering the text with some anticipation: they must make themselves somehow attractive and real goers to the publishers and the market in some way as they will be part of the marketing.'
If you need help with your CV, ask your friends, family or go to a professional. Highlight any publishing successes, however small, and make the most of yourself, your abilities and your interests. Read the 'about the author ' texts on jacket covers – and note, none of them are ordinary!
Now is the time to approach agents or publishers with your work. There are two ways of going about this; either to secure interest through an agent, or to submit directly to the publishers. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Novels submitted through an agent don't join the 'slush pile' of manuscripts that sometimes languish for months until someone has time to read them. Instead, they join a different pile, and are usually read first. The literary agent has already ascertained that the author is worth reading, has read the novel and maybe guided the author through areas they consider to need improvement. The publishers know that the agent will not be targeting them with something totally unsuitable for their lists. The down side of agents is that they charge for their services: usually between 10-15% of the book profits. Finding an agent can be very difficult as most are very discerning as to whom they take on their lists. Michael Alcock says,
'We get between 4-10 submissions a day, almost all from unpublished novelists. Most are obviously weak or not our cup of tea – we can only handle mainstream stuff that we find wonderful, so it goes back without comment. We have taken on only three novelists this year and hope when they have their texts redrafted that we will get publishers offering.'
Another, Lisa Eveleigh, of the Lisa Eveleigh Literary Agency, London, says:
' We get approximately 500 submissions per year. All new approaches are kept together and dealt with when I have time. Very few of the manuscripts are correctly targeted. I do encourage first time novelists but only in the area of literary fiction now, and I'll work with an author on a manuscript if I think it has merit. I am only likely to take on one or two new writers per year.'
Novels submitted directly to publishers sometimes take longer to be read as agented submissions are usually dealt with first. However, with this method, no-one is charging a percentage should your novel be accepted for publication. Gillian Green, Senior Fiction Editor at Piatkus Books, London, has this to say:
'We do read unsolicited submissions – authors don't have to have an agent. We receive an average of 3-4,000 submissions each year and I would estimate about 60% of these are unsolicited, the rest are agented… The percentage signed is very small. We probably sign about 2-4 authors a year from the unsolicited manuscript pile.'
Anna Dalton-Knott of Random House UK Limited added:
'Thousands of manuscripts are received here every year. Our slush pile is completely under control as we have freelancers who deal with it – our response times are usually within a month.'
Whether you wish to find an agent or submit directly to a publisher, do your homework meticulously. Go through copies of the Writer's Handbook (Macmillan Publishers Ltd) or the Writer's and Artist's Yearbook (A & C Black Ltd) and find out what kind of novels a particular publishing house is interested in seeing. Read the literary reviews in the newspapers and go along to writer's meetings with successful authors and publishers to familiarise yourself with the processes of publishing. With publishers, write to request a catalogue, then study the novels recently published. With agents, find out which writers they represent, and obtain copies of their work to study. Ask yourself the following questions:
The requirements for submissions vary from company to company. Most prefer to see the first two or three chapters and a synopsis of the rest of the story, together with a covering letter and a CV., detailing yourself and your work. Some will require one chapter and the longer outline you have prepared. Others prefer just a letter describing your novel and asking if they would be interested in looking at your work. It's in your own best interests to stick to the particular details of submission to the last letter – it's professional and shows that you have read and complied with their rules. They will request to see the rest of your manuscript later if they are impressed with your writing. All editors and agents, no matter how large or small, dream of discovering the next bestselling author and so you can be assured that your novel will be given full consideration. However, it can take some time and considerable effort before you find either a publisher or an agent who is sufficiently interested in your novel to ask to see the complete manuscript.
Many authors ask if they can approach more than one publisher or agent at any one time. It used to be frowned upon, but it isn't now. Because these companies can often take such a long time to respond, it's now considered reasonable to approach a few at a time. You don't have to state that this is what you're doing in your covering letter, and the chance that all those you approach will come back with an offer are very few indeed. However, you may find yourself in the enviable position of considering the best offers from several publishers or agents at the same time!
Another method of publication, which is rapidly becoming more popular, is the submission of novels to electronic book clubs. There are plenty of authors willing to take a chance on cyberspace, as Derek Reece, the editor of Authors OnLine, explains.
'We currently get around 5 manuscripts submitted plus another 40 enquiries per week concerning submission queries. Every author has a different motivation. Many of ours are looking for a way of drawing a line underneath their work. Others expect to make a fortune in sales on the back of "millions of internet users worldwide". Most are in between and willing to 'give it a go'. Sales are slow at the moment, but we expect a huge improvement when eBook readers are commonplace, with estimates of 30 million in use by 2005… We make positive efforts with exceptional books and promote them to the various publishers we associate with. Currently there are three books up for consideration with a large publisher.'
The eBook method is a cheap alternative to conventional publishing where the author retains all rights, but as yet, few have made a significant amount of money from it.
Whichever publication route you chose, the one thing that you can be assured of is that your novel will be given consideration. You'll need a lot of patience along the way, but have faith in yourself and your writing and don't give up. Read Rotten Rejections , a humorous collection of rejection letters sent by publishers to writers – many of them now famous (edited by André Bernard: Robson Books Ltd, London 1991). Don't sit around waiting for a letter of acceptance though – make a start on your next novel! Good luck!
So what do publishers and agents want to see? What do they think of us, the writers? What encouragement can they give? See the comments below – and take their advice to heart!
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I'm sick of first novels about university life written by young men, and never want to read another in my life!' - Lisa Eveleigh, Literary Agent |
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'Obviously there are a lot of aspiring authors out there but if you have talent and persevere it will happen for you. It doesn't hurt to be aware of current market trends as well.' - Gillian Green, Piatkus Books Ltd. |
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'Read widely – it's obvious that many would-be writers don't actually read, keep up to date with contemporary publishing trends or have any idea about the sort of books publishers are interested in. Also, take time to identify the publishers who deal with the area you're interested in.' - Anna Dalton-Knott, Random House UK Ltd. |
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'Often I can tell from the spelling, grammar and syntax of the initial email enquiry whether the author is a serious contender. A lot of my emails are so badly worded that I am afraid I have to assume that the book is unlikely to be readable.' - Derek Reece, Authors OnLine |
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'Although inspiration and talent undoubtedly play a large part in the process, remember that writing is a craft to be learned and worked at. There are lots of good courses… And there's no substitute for learning by reading the work of other people.' - Anna Dalton-Knott, Random House UK Ltd. |
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'Give up the day job at your peril, as the majority of writers do not earn the six-figure advances which hit the headlines. I also feel that isolation is bad for the writer, and that fiction benefits from outside influences.' - Lisa Eveleigh, Literary Agent |