Literary Agents

[Paul Whybrow]

After seven months of submitting to literary agents, I've become somewhat jaded. I've read the advice that submissions should be sent off in blocks of half-a-dozen queries at a time, waiting for the replies before sending any more off. Given that it can take up to six months for an agent to reply, one would become ancient doing things this way. I've heard of writers taking ten years to find an agent to represent them.

Since returning to writing two years ago, I've been through several steep learning curves. By choosing to self-publish, I needed to learn how to format an ebook, design book covers, research the market, start a blog and fathom how to make effective posts on the social media. Nevertheless this was all a walk in the park compared to the task of marketing and promoting my books. This task loomed above me, like being asked to climb a mountain in the fog and without any equipment. While I was making my ascent, I decided to reach out to literary agents to offer me guidance. This felt a bit like trying to pop grey balloons in the fog, using a blunt pin - the only feedback I received were form letter rejections.

Cornwall, where I live, is an artistic county. It's well known for the nineteenth century painters of St. Ives and Newlyn, whose influence continues today. There's a Tate Gallery at St. Ives, allied to the long-established London gallery. Daphne du Maurier is the best known Cornish-based writer, and the real Jamaica Inn is a very popular tourist attraction. William Golding, John Le Carre, Rosamunde Pilcher, Winston Graham and Patrick Gale all wrote novels here. Despite this illustrious role of literary talent, there are very few Cornish publishers.

I've found about six, and four of them produce travel guides aimed at holiday-makers, along with local history books, another is a vanity publisher and there's also a book company specialising in naval subjects. There is just one literary agent. I found her six months ago, but was somewhat deterred from contacting her as the writer clients she currently represents are all non-fiction authors - apart from one, who pens Young Adult fantasy adventures. It didn't seem likely that she would be interested in my psychological thriller featuring a serial killer, even if it was based in Cornwall. She also requested a written submission first, saying that she'd reject any email approaches.

I was firing off emails like a machine-gun at the time, so put her details on the back burner. Cornwall is a long way from anywhere, some 225 miles from London where most of the literary agents are based. On the basis that distance was no object in this computer age, I also chased a few American agents. Exasperated at waiting for replies, I decided that I may as well approach the local literary agent, for after all she's only sixteen miles away from me. Intrigued by her old-fashioned request for a written query letter, I acquired some nice handmade paper with deckle edges, and used my fountain pen to write a carefully worded submission.

I got it right on the third attempt, and with not too many blue stains on my fingers from changing the ink cartridge halfway through. The failures allowed me to resuscitate my crumpled ball of paper throw into the corner of the room - something that's best not done with a laptop! I posted the letter last Thursday, and to my huge surprise the literary agent replied by email today, asking to see my work. Mind you, she mentioned looking for someone who could write 'an ongoing series of thrillers', which, while gainful employment would see me classified as just that sort of writer.

I should worry, and I know that this is the sort of thing that happens, for people like to classify artists in fixed categories. There's plenty of actors who started off as musicians, for instance, but who made it big through film work, and who are now rather mocked when they perform their music. I love thrillers and have read hundreds of them, along with police procedural, hard-boiled and forensic-based mysteries, but I've written stories in several genres, as well as poetry and song lyrics.

Quite by coincidence, there was an article in today's Guardian newspaper about how to become a literary agent, which is worth a read :

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jul/01/how-do-i-become-a-literary-agent

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Well this is my argument too regarding sending to agents. Some wait for each reply before sending another, and as I've pointed out, you'll be dead long before finding one, even if they average 6-12 weeks to reply. As for being an agent? No interest to me, I'm flat out writing and editing, I don't have any spare time what-so-ever. Now, back to editing....

 

[Jennifer Stone]

Perhaps, once you've established yourself with this agent, you could broach the subject of other genres. 'Well, I have these projects, maybe you could find something to do with them?'
There's an old saying 'it's easier to find work, when you're in work' or so my gran used to tell me.

 

[David Steele]

Congratulations on getting a bite, Paul. I was naive enough to hope for a quick acceptance for my first novel. The Real World soon put that idea to bed. I'm dropping that book into the Amazon Pit of Obscurity (as soon as I've saved up for an editor) and trying again.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Fingers crossed for you, Paul. How did you find the 'local' agent? And would you like to write a series?

 

[Kitty]

Congratulations Paul, that's great news!

I know what you mean about being pigeonholed though - if you write something and it sells well then publishers want more of the same. In effect you become a brand.

But you can always branch out and write other stuff under a pen name

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Fingers crossed for you, Paul. How did you find the 'local' agent? And would you like to write a series?

Cornwall is a small place, with about 536,000 residents, of which perhaps 250 are involved with books in any way. Jane Turnbull was literally the only Cornish literary agent that I could find in any of the directories. I didn't approach her six months ago, as none of her clients wrote psychological thrillers, and she only represented one fiction writer at all. Then I thought, why not? What did I have to lose, as the next nearest agent to me was in London, 225 miles away, and I'm a firm believer in the personal touch. It would be fantastic to have an agent that I could actually meet up with from time to time.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Congratulations Paul, that's great news!

I know what you mean about being pigeonholed though - if you write something and it sells well then publishers want more of the same. In effect you become a brand.

But you can always branch out and write other stuff under a pen name

I've resisted being type-cast all of my life, and I've always found it strange how we define people by the job that they do. It's the second question that we ask a stranger after finding out their name. I've done about forty different jobs, and have been looked at differently each time because of it - even though I'm the same person.
There's a famous story about a writer who was tired of being pigeonholed, as he wanted to create something different. For some reason, I think that it was the playwright Eugene Ionesco, who wrote avant-garde plays, but he was a huge fan of hardboiled detective stories. He wrote one, submitting it to various publishers under a pen name - including the company which published his plays. They all rejected his manuscript, which left him crestfallen. He eventually confessed to his publisher, who immediately offered to print it, if he'd allow them to use his real name. He refused, though he did go on to write a philosophical novel called The Hermit.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Congratulations on getting a bite, Paul. I was naive enough to hope for a quick acceptance for my first novel. The Real World soon put that idea to bed. I'm dropping that book into the Amazon Pit of Obscurity (as soon as I've saved up for an editor) and trying again.

Thank you, though she hasn't bitten yet. In fact, I'm still at the dangling my bait stage, casting around for where to place my hook!

 

[Bernard Stacey]

Congratulations, Paul. Jane Turnbull was the very first agent to whom I ever sent a submission - a novel of mine from the early 2000s with which I was inordinately pleased.

I never heard back. Initially I was of course cross, hurt, angry, etc, etc, but now I have come to realise that actually she must be a woman of rather good judgement.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Congratulations, Paul. Jane Turnbull was the very first agent to whom I ever sent a submission - a novel of mine from the early 2000s with which I was inordinately pleased.

I never heard back. Initially I was of course cross, hurt, angry, etc, etc, but now I have come to realise that actually she must be a woman of rather good judgement.

Hmm, well she does operate from a London office as well, where she was based for years - obviously most of the contacts in the publishing industry are there. With any submission it's a matter of luck and timing, apart from having a query letter that hooks an agent's attention. This is why I've spent so long researching the preferences of individual agents on their blogs and social media posts, which can sometimes be markedly different to what they say on their employer's website. I almost fell off my chair when I found one agent who was desperate to find a psychological thriller which featured an outsider with an untreated mental health condition, as this described my novel perfectly! This snippet came from MSWL, Manuscript Wish List, which I'm sure that you know about already - http://mswishlist.com/
I submitted to this London agent a couple of months ago, and am waiting for a reply. I'm going to use all of the Cornish connections that I can to interest Jane Turnbull, including that I live here, once worked at Jamaica Inn and Poldark, of course.