As an Australian fiction writer living in Australia, what factors might I consider when deciding whether to try to land a London or New York agent over an Australian one? You can assume I'd be keen to sell my work into other markets.
The most important thing to consider is whether you've written a story that will actually work in an overseas market - and to be completely honest and commercially realistic when you make the assessment. Think about which Australian novelists have been successful overseas (not forgetting Max Barry, who's doing it better than most) and what they're writing. You'll probably discover that the most successful Australian writers being published overseas are working in genre fiction - specifically, romance and fantasy - because genre fiction travels more easily.
Then bear in mind that an Australian novelist living in Australia is going to find it much more difficult to be published overseas than here, largely because it's hard for overseas publishers to find a publicity hook for this kind of work, and also because they are always going to favour writers from their home turf. It is possibly the case that you would not only have to be as good as the best writers in those countries but probably better in order to get publishers' attention.
All this sounds quite harsh, I realise, but I see it over and over again: Australian writers are usually much more eager to be published overseas than they are here, and it is exponentially harder to be published in other territories, where you're a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond. By all means approach agents overseas, if you believe your story is right for them, but don't be surprised if they reject you purely because you're Australian. If you want to be published as an international writer, certainly, approaching overseas agents is a good idea. But if you're living in Australia and it's your first novel, trust that it will take some time to build your reputation and it will be easier to start locally and find out what Australian agents can offer you in terms of overseas representation - several of them have agent and publisher contacts overseas that can be just as effective as having an independent agent there. In addition, most Australian trade publishers have their own contacts, and some of the novels that have been published overseas have come through Australian publishers, not agents.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
The agent's track record
I have just been offered a contract with an Australian agent. Is it appropriate to ask this agent for their track record and a list of their clients before signing anything. How would you recommend that this be worded to prevent causing offence?
If the agent doesn't have a website which contains a client list (even a slightly out-of-date one) then he or she should have provided you with one when s/he started talking to you about representation. As that hasn't occurred, the best thing would be to remember that you're about to make a business decision - to have an agent - and be businesslike in your approach, but you can still word it carefully. Something along the lines of, 'Would you mind sending me a client list so I can see who else you represent?' Or call and honestly say, 'Oops - I should have asked you which other clients you have - would you mind sending me a list?' If the agent is new and without many clients (or a track record), they should at least be Google-able. If you can't find anything at all on them, call the Australian Literary Agents' Association (link is at right) and ask them if they know about this agent. Don't feel bad or awkward about asking for this information - your business as a writer is about to be in this person's hands. It's an important decision.
If the agent doesn't have a website which contains a client list (even a slightly out-of-date one) then he or she should have provided you with one when s/he started talking to you about representation. As that hasn't occurred, the best thing would be to remember that you're about to make a business decision - to have an agent - and be businesslike in your approach, but you can still word it carefully. Something along the lines of, 'Would you mind sending me a client list so I can see who else you represent?' Or call and honestly say, 'Oops - I should have asked you which other clients you have - would you mind sending me a list?' If the agent is new and without many clients (or a track record), they should at least be Google-able. If you can't find anything at all on them, call the Australian Literary Agents' Association (link is at right) and ask them if they know about this agent. Don't feel bad or awkward about asking for this information - your business as a writer is about to be in this person's hands. It's an important decision.
Comical agents
I was wondering if you think there are agents interested representing generic and right-wing comics? Conservatives have a sense of humour too. I'd like to publish two compendiums of comics similar to Gary Larson's Farside Galleries - one generic and the other, just to stir the pot, right-wing political.
I don't believe Australian agents are interested in representing comics at all, no matter what politics are contained therein. I wouldn't even contemplate taking on comics or cartoons because I'd have no idea how to get them published. Perhaps there are agents in the US who deal with this sort of thing, but I can't think of anyone here who does.
I don't believe Australian agents are interested in representing comics at all, no matter what politics are contained therein. I wouldn't even contemplate taking on comics or cartoons because I'd have no idea how to get them published. Perhaps there are agents in the US who deal with this sort of thing, but I can't think of anyone here who does.
Structuring the synopsis
I have a novel which I am submitting to an agent. It is ready to go except for one thing - the dreaded synopsis. I am having a lot of trouble with the specifics of it. Is is an outline of the plot or an examination of the themes in the novel? Do you have to explain who all the characters are? I've been told to keep it one page and am struggling. Please help. Thank you so much.
The synopsis is a very important document, so it's worth working away till you get it right (or right enough). The synopsis will form the basis for the publisher's proposal to their Acquisitions meeting and also, later, for the blurb on the back on the book. It will also, in the first instance, tell an agent whether they want to read the rest of your manuscript. However, the synopsis is different to the pitch - the pitch is the one- or two-paragraph outline that tells the agent/publisher why they should snap up your novel. The synopsis is the the follow-up document to the pitch, giving detail about plot and characters.
The most effective synopsis I have seen told the story of the novel (through to the end) in one page, and gave minimal character explanation. The characters were mentioned as needed, when they popped up in the story, and this worked well. Themes were touched on in the context of the storyline, not as a separate note. I've never decided to read a full manuscript based on character explanations or descriptions of themes, but I have decided to read on based on a synopsis that told me where the story was going.
The synopsis is a very important document, so it's worth working away till you get it right (or right enough). The synopsis will form the basis for the publisher's proposal to their Acquisitions meeting and also, later, for the blurb on the back on the book. It will also, in the first instance, tell an agent whether they want to read the rest of your manuscript. However, the synopsis is different to the pitch - the pitch is the one- or two-paragraph outline that tells the agent/publisher why they should snap up your novel. The synopsis is the the follow-up document to the pitch, giving detail about plot and characters.
The most effective synopsis I have seen told the story of the novel (through to the end) in one page, and gave minimal character explanation. The characters were mentioned as needed, when they popped up in the story, and this worked well. Themes were touched on in the context of the storyline, not as a separate note. I've never decided to read a full manuscript based on character explanations or descriptions of themes, but I have decided to read on based on a synopsis that told me where the story was going.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
What gets mentioned in the query letter
Over the last few months I've sent my novel to several publishers that accept unsolicited mss, and have received positive replies along the lines of 'Our readers enjoyed it, and we seriously considered publishing it, but it's not quite right for us.' One publisher got as far as requesting to see a second draft, then rejected it because I hadn't made all the changes they wanted. I'm now planning to approach agents in the hope of getting my work in front of other publishers. In my cover letter, should I tell the agent of the responses I've had so far?
You don't have to mention all of this in your cover letter, because ideally the agent should read the manuscript on its merits, not influenced by the thought that it's been rejected. However, you will absolutely need to tell them if they offer to represent you, because it affects their ability to place your manuscript. The agent won't be able to send the manuscript to the publishers who have already rejected it, and that restricts their ability to help you get published.
You don't have to mention all of this in your cover letter, because ideally the agent should read the manuscript on its merits, not influenced by the thought that it's been rejected. However, you will absolutely need to tell them if they offer to represent you, because it affects their ability to place your manuscript. The agent won't be able to send the manuscript to the publishers who have already rejected it, and that restricts their ability to help you get published.
The importance of patience
I finished my first novel about a month or so ago, and have a couple of published authors in the same genre reading it for me. So far the feedback has been all very positive, however I am still waiting on one author... But I'm getting impatient, more from the excitement of having finished than with her. Would it be rude or unwise of me to start submitting to agents before she gives me her feedback?
However long the author is taking to read your manuscript, you'll probably be waiting ten times as long for an agent to read it, and then twenty times as long for a publisher - so think of it as good practice! One month is really not a very long time, even though I know it seems an eternity when you are busting to send out your manuscript. But I can't overestimate the value of patience if you wish to be a successful writer.
It is worth waiting a little bit longer because if she comes back and says, 'This is great overall but this particular sub storyline is completely implausible', you'll be regretting that you sent it out before having a chance to fix any problems. You only have one shot at agents reading your manuscript - if we read your manuscript and you then call and ask if you can submit a revised version, the answer will be 'no'. Not because we don't necessarily like your manuscript, but because we don't have time to read manuscripts more than once for anyone other than our clients. (The mathematics of manuscript reading is: 1 full ms = approx. 8 hours of reading; time to read during average working week = 2 hours; ergo, time to read 1 ms = 4 weeks, if we're lucky. The figures are much more bloated for publishers). And all that was a slight digression but it leads me back to where I started: it's worth waiting a little bit longer.
However long the author is taking to read your manuscript, you'll probably be waiting ten times as long for an agent to read it, and then twenty times as long for a publisher - so think of it as good practice! One month is really not a very long time, even though I know it seems an eternity when you are busting to send out your manuscript. But I can't overestimate the value of patience if you wish to be a successful writer.
It is worth waiting a little bit longer because if she comes back and says, 'This is great overall but this particular sub storyline is completely implausible', you'll be regretting that you sent it out before having a chance to fix any problems. You only have one shot at agents reading your manuscript - if we read your manuscript and you then call and ask if you can submit a revised version, the answer will be 'no'. Not because we don't necessarily like your manuscript, but because we don't have time to read manuscripts more than once for anyone other than our clients. (The mathematics of manuscript reading is: 1 full ms = approx. 8 hours of reading; time to read during average working week = 2 hours; ergo, time to read 1 ms = 4 weeks, if we're lucky. The figures are much more bloated for publishers). And all that was a slight digression but it leads me back to where I started: it's worth waiting a little bit longer.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
After my first novel, do I need an agent?
After much research and a carefully worded query letter, I sold my first novel to my dream publisher myself. I also negotiated the contract myself with the aid of the Australian Society of Authors contract advice service. I have lots of experience in this type of negotiation from my pre-writing career and I don’t believe it impedes my creative work. So far (post-editing, pre-publication), I couldn’t be happier. However recently a very successful novelist told me that if I do this for my second novel I am ‘naïve’. She said it was acceptable to attempt the sale of your first novel yourself, because with no contacts or profile, finding an agent can be just as difficult as finding a publisher. For a second novel, she said, there was no excuse. To avoid being ‘ripped off’ and for help in building a career, it’s essential to use an agent. She also said that if my first novel is successful, it won’t be difficult to find one.
First up: congratulations on your first novel! That is a fantastic accomplishment. Now to the question.
There are some 'ifs' here. If your previous career was as a lawyer or something like that (you mentioned negotiating), you probably don't need an agent. If you're happy with your publishing company (not necessarily your publisher/commissioning editor, as they may leave), you probably don't need an agent. If you feel comfortable handling the negotiation side of things and you think it won't get in the way of your writing, you probably don't need an agent. This country is different to the US, where every writer needs an agent and most publishers want them to have one. Often publishers here want authors to have agents, too, but that doesn't mean they won't deal with you without one.
An agent would be useful to you if you ever find yourself disagreeing with your publisher and think you can't make your case strongly enough, or if you want to explore your options with other publishers and aren't sure how to do this. Agents are of great use to authors who don't wish to deal with the business side of things, but you seem very comfortable with that. However, it can't hurt you to talk to a few agents if you're curious - having a chat doesn't commit you to anything! Ask them what they can offer you that you're not already doing for yourself. If you meet one you really like, you might think, 'Great, I don't have to worry about all that business stuff any more and I completely trust them to take care of it', and there's your answer about whether you need one. And if instead you think, 'I can do all of this myself', you know that answer too.
As for whether a successful first novel makes it easier to find an agent: yes. Particularly if we've read it and liked it! But you'd need to have a manuscript to take to the agent - they won't sign you up with nothing to send to publishers, unless you wanted to talk to them about handling your foreign rights. And that's a different topic ...
First up: congratulations on your first novel! That is a fantastic accomplishment. Now to the question.
There are some 'ifs' here. If your previous career was as a lawyer or something like that (you mentioned negotiating), you probably don't need an agent. If you're happy with your publishing company (not necessarily your publisher/commissioning editor, as they may leave), you probably don't need an agent. If you feel comfortable handling the negotiation side of things and you think it won't get in the way of your writing, you probably don't need an agent. This country is different to the US, where every writer needs an agent and most publishers want them to have one. Often publishers here want authors to have agents, too, but that doesn't mean they won't deal with you without one.
An agent would be useful to you if you ever find yourself disagreeing with your publisher and think you can't make your case strongly enough, or if you want to explore your options with other publishers and aren't sure how to do this. Agents are of great use to authors who don't wish to deal with the business side of things, but you seem very comfortable with that. However, it can't hurt you to talk to a few agents if you're curious - having a chat doesn't commit you to anything! Ask them what they can offer you that you're not already doing for yourself. If you meet one you really like, you might think, 'Great, I don't have to worry about all that business stuff any more and I completely trust them to take care of it', and there's your answer about whether you need one. And if instead you think, 'I can do all of this myself', you know that answer too.
As for whether a successful first novel makes it easier to find an agent: yes. Particularly if we've read it and liked it! But you'd need to have a manuscript to take to the agent - they won't sign you up with nothing to send to publishers, unless you wanted to talk to them about handling your foreign rights. And that's a different topic ...
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