Sex, Lies and Book Publishing

[Katie-Ellen]

Available via Amazon and as an ebook direct from literary agent Rupert Heath.

When I began writing a novel, the one that's out now knocking on doors, someone put it to me to save my strength, that novels were a waste of time, because they were 'made-up' and not 'real'.

The oik.

'Expertise is one of the signal distinctions between successful and unsuccessful novelists. It is remarkable, when you start studying bestselling novelists, how many of them apply deep knowledge and expertise in the writing of their books, even though this is frequently an unacknowledged aspect of their appeal. A notorious example of this is Frederick Forsyth, whose The Day of The Jackal (1971) explained an ingenious method for acquiring a false identity and UK passport. But most thriller writers, mystery writers, and writers of historical fiction require a detailed knowledge of the characters and situations they are describing in their novels, in many cases as deep a knowledge as a writer of non-fiction. For readers, this expertise is tremendously attractive, and is frequently the key to the career of the perennially successful writer.'

 

[Marc Joan]

Yes.....'write what you know'. Have you read the whole thing, and if so, what did you think of it?

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I'm still reading it, Marc. I've downloaded it on Kindle . It's a cross between an essay on the current state of publishing, with insights into the non-fiction and fiction markets, and a how to guide for writers looking for an agent or publisher. A lot of it isn't new, a lot of the info is freely Googlable, but some of it is new to me. It's lively and well sprinkled with anecdote.

 

[K.J. Simmill]

I brought this recently too, I have just read up to the agent section, it does give some insight into this particular agency's views as well as others, so far I have found some of the information helpful. The writing style is good and the insertion of humour makes it stand apart from your run of the mill books of this style.