On her blog this week is a guest post from Billy Coffey, one of the authors she represents, discussing what happens after an author finds the right agent.

Having an agent has become so important in recent times that one might consider it to be the summit of all the effort after completing one’s novel. But as Coffey rightly describes, that is when the work really starts.

A different focus

Coffey describes landing an agent as a mid point in getting published. You have come a long way already, but there’s still a mighty climb ahead.

I have never been one of those wannabe writers who falls into the trap of thinking one can simply hand over a novel for an agent to sell to a publisher. There seems no question, to me, that much more work must be done after that time. But I am sure it will be a very different time.

Right now, in the latter stages of my first novel, I am piecing together information and scattered guidance from wherever I can. It’s not tough to find and I am glad to say rarely conflicting from different sources. But it feels as though I am working in the dark, feeling my way around, making mistakes, learning, trying again, hoping I get it right and do not waste an opportunity through inexperience.

Agents know how to navigate the choppy waters of publishing and though I doubt they never get it wrong, are certainly aware of how an author can give their work the best chance of being published. Often that chance is at the price of more work, more editing, rewriting, polishing and buffing the writing.

Having someone to light the way ahead, even the next handful of steps, with solid experience and knowledge would transform the drudge of honing a novel and give it a more defined purpose.

If you are a writer in search of an agent, follow Rachelle’s twitter and blog, I am sure they will help you on your journey.

For those of you not familiar with the growing annual online event, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a challenge for anyone with the desire to write a novel, to start writing on November 1, and finish a minimum of 50,000 words by midnight November 30th. That’s a very tall order of 1,666 words per day.

If you’ve ever tried to write 1,666 words of quality in a day, then you will no doubt fear the thought. But NaNoWriMo is all about quantity. Forget ideals of writing the next literary classic, just write all the words you can and edit them later.

I haven’t done it yet

Timing has always been off for my participation. Either I have been travelling, have heavy day-job workloads, or, like last year, was already enveloped in my first novel, Persistent Spirit.

This year, if all goes according to plan, I might manage to make it, providing I can get the latest draft of Persistent Spirit off my to-do list. I have no concerns about working on two books at the same time, particularly because one follows the other and involve many of the same characters. But I need to get Persistent Spirit finished and delaying that another month is not something I want to do.

Yet, I am also itching to write the first draft of the second TableRappers book, A Shot in Time, which was planned for this year’s NaNoWriMo.

UPDATE (Oct 19): Decision made, I’m pausing Persistent Spirit editing for a month and doing NaNoWriMo. This way I can get the first draft (equalls “totally shite draft”) of book two out of the way then have a gap to let it simmer (while completing book one edits) before writing the second draft. You and me, NaNoWriMo, outside, now…

Persistent Spirit is undergoing a re-write. After having been away from it for a few months, I have returned to write the third full draft. I now fully understand the necessity of the breathing space to allow time before returning to the editing process.

I am spotting errors and problems I never saw last time through the text. Silly mistakes such as passive verb use (my pet-hate, in particuar), and duplicated words in consecutive sentences. All are getting fixed.

It’s laborious, but I love this part of the editing process. The chance to polish and fix problems and make it a better product overall, can’t be anything but good.

So, that’s why there’s been little activity on this blog: when you are buried in the words, there’s little else to say!

Our immediate impression was of a room filed with people who do not get out much. But what else might you expect of writers who are forced to spend endless hours shut in a room on their own? It was a fascinating to see the dress decisions some had made, some clearly eccentric, while others deliberately attempting to appear so.

Session 1: Macmillan New Writing

Will Atkins, editor at Macmillan New Writing, described how it was set up to publish first novels of previously unpublished writers. Clearly crafted as a means of minimising the publisher’s business risk when exposing the work of new writers – and who can blame them? – the relationships they create with writers are based on a standardised, fixed contract: no advance and the writer must sign-over world rights (see the second session notes for a Literary Agent’s advice on world rights).

Beside Will sat a success story, the recently published author Maggie Dana with her novel, Beachcombing. Her story was of many years struggling to have a novel published until Macmillan New Writing snapped her up. Something smacks here of the ideal signing for Macmillan New Writing is the writer desperate to become published regardless of the contract deal. I’m not suggesting Macmillan are exploiting new authors, but I suspect the actual opportunities for new authors are more limited than the name suggests.

Interestingly, Macmillan New Writing publishes novel across a diverse range of genre, including fantasy.

Conclusions:

1. Macmillan New Writing is not a potential submissions target for my project.
2. The non-negotiable contracts with writers seems a little exploitative
3. Macmillan New Writing seems genuinely interested in discovering and nurturing commercial fiction, but will seek that which provides a minimal financial risk to them

Session 2: Literary Agents

The two agents, Michael Alcock and Sarah Nundy, appeared to be terrified not of talking to the room, but of talking to a room packed with desperate authors, and the swarm of bodies heading for one-to-one conversations with the agents after the session looked much like zombies at the scent of fresh brains.

The information was useful, understanding the relationship between agents and authors, a slightly defensive explanation of why agents take so long to respond to submissions, and I finally understand how primary and secondary agents work together on negotiating international rights.

Interestingly, they advised never to sign global rights with a publisher for fiction books. I noted how this contradicted the requirement to sign such rights in the Macmillan New Writing relationship.

Conclusions:

1. Approach an agent in exactly the way they want you to approach them. Provide what they ask for and only what they ask for
2. Personality of the writer is very important as agent and writer will have a long relationship
3. Agents rarely give up on writers they believe in
4. Ian Rankin released 9 novels before he really took off – sometimes it takes time
5. Agents are a filtering mechanism for the larger publishers who do not accept direct submissions, particularly from new authors

Session 3: Other opportunities for writers and earning income

Oh dear… With a session focused on alternative ways for writers to earn money, I found it puzzling why the session featured Litro, a London short story magazine that offers writers exposure but no money, and a new social network promising to match writers with audience. The subject of money, even though specifically brought up twice during the Q&A, was skirted and dodged.

Eric Akoto of Litro magazine knew virtually nothing about additional opportunities for writers. Even when talking about his own magazine, the information was shallow and uninformative. The only real clarity came in the statement that short stories are a very difficult art to master. When asked to expand on a throwaway statement to earn money through blogging, he revealed he knows practically nothing about the subject other than writing some blogs. OK, thanks for that.

The representative of completelynovel.com did very little to convince those of us with solid online community experience that they have anything of value to offer other than another place to scatter one’s promotional efforts. But when describing how authors can improve their published work, by “… looking at other book covers and copying them [because] that’s what designers do…”.

Coming from a poorly visually and functionally designed site and brand that clearly has been put together purely by web developers with access to a cheap clip-art library and no real designer even remotely involved (if there was, they need, frankly, to be shot), the trivialising of the value of design is not surprising. It was around this point I tweeted: “Third session bullsh*t meter on overload”. The site and company are 3 months old, I doubt they will be around by the end of the year unless they stop engaging their audience with misinformation.

Conclusions: pay no attention to both speakers.

Session 4: Commissioning editors.

Peggy Vance, Commissioning Editor at Dorling Kindersley, was a thoroughly entertaining speaker, balancing what was more of a performance with imparting a far more thorough understanding of non-fiction author relationships with publishing houses. Most interesting was the comment that there are places that pay pay rates for authors of around £100 per 1000 words, is little different than a couple of decades ago (and that there are plenty of capable authors happy to work at such rates).

Jenny Parrot’s talk was very negative. The Commissioning Editor for Fiction at Little Brown Group riled at the poor quality of submissions coming from new British writers: “Americans work much harder on their books [than British] and it shows”, adding the number of British novels she currently signs is very much a minority as a direct result of the submission quality. The wave of silent grumbling around the room was almost tangible. Bordering on a rant about how much rubbish she is forced to wade through from British writers, the insight was enlightening.

Conclusions:

1. American writers work harder and longer at crafting their manuscripts before submitting to publishers – probably down to the stronger work ethic out there.
2. New British writers are submitting poor quality and unpolished books
3. Earnings for general non-fiction writing is low unless you are a spectacular, well-known figure in your area of expertise (think celebrity chefs, perhaps)
4. The opportunities to collaborate on a non-fiction title are broadening
5. Don’t be a pain in the butt for your commissioning editors or you will not get work

Session 5: Meet the authors

A session I selected purely because the other running simultaneously was a repeat of an earlier one I attended, turned out to be interesting and thoroughly entertaining. No major revelations from the three authors Nick Harkaway, Lucy Beresford and Simon Rae, but educational to hear the different paths each had taken to being published, and some of the motivations behind their writing.

The end

We skipped the final session on Children’s Books due to fatigue and only a partial interest in the subject, and headed home with a positive experience for what was a worthwhile day as a whole (though still fuming a little over the third session’s ignorant misinformation). In addition, we were able to pick up a copy of the 2010 edition of The Writer’s Handbook for a fiver!

Best line of the day? One author asked the Literary Agents about reaching agents outside the UK as she felt her book had more appeal to the Germans and Americans. “Just submit your work in the same way”, explained the Agent. “But how do I find where to get in touch with these agents?” came the question. Surely an odd question at an event organised by The Writer’s Handbook, the bulk of which consists of detailed listings of publishers and agents in the UK and the rest of the world. “Erm, in here” responded the perplexed Agent as he pointed out the distinctive yellow book that had sat front and centre on the table for all to see since the day began.

The very reasonably priced day (just £30) appears to be packed with informative sessions tailored to the fledgeling writer.

Sessions cover specifics of the publishing business, talks from literary agents, and appearances by authors willing to share their personal experiences on the road to being published.

From my experience in the past I do have some reservations about how useful this will be. Now and then such events can be too dumbed-down for my taste. Fingers crossed there will be some valuable insights to help on the road ahead.

I’ve held off the next round of submitted query letters this week just in case I learn something here that will help.

A proper report on the day once it’s all over and suitably digested.

I now follow a number of literary agents who use twitter, thanks to a recently distributed list. It has turned out to be quite an education. Amongst the personal messages and posts about the day, are sprinkled some real gems of information for the searching author.

Interesting tips, valuable insights, even the odd rant, help to build a slightly more colourful picture of an agent’s day to day life than one might discover in a reference book or a formal website. I have found it interesting and educational.

One would-be author (Chuck Weinblatt), decided the apparent accessibility of contacts via twitter could short-cut his path to having his book published. You can see a small sample of the many identical messages he sent to agents and publishers.

It’s not hard to research

Approaches to an agent or publisher must be handled with professionalism and, most of all, respect. Researching agents in particular is critical to ensure you are not offering them a type of book they simply do not handle.

It’s not difficult to do some basic research. The book 2009 Guide to Literary Agents provides ample information to select a number of agent or pubisher targets, propare and format an approach, and handle the process with dignity and professionalism.

On the other hand, there’s always the option of alienating an entire list of agents and publishers through ignorance of social media.

I mentioned recently about switching tactics and approaching literary agents with an initial query letter rather than a package of letter, synopsis, and sample chapters (based on each agent’s preference). 

Some agents make it known that they will respond within a few days, to query letters. My experience so far has been just that. Two approaches (both returning negative), promoted responses within 72 hours. The first wanted to explore the idea a little further, while the other responded promptly with a pass.

Compare this to the 6-8 weeks of waiting for a response when sending a full package. 

Is a query letter enough?

I do not know any literary agents personally, and can only go by advice I have received from reputable sources, but it seems to me that if I am unable to hook someone in with a brief summary of the work, there’s no way they are going to spend even more time reading an mss.

For now, query letters – which are tough to write, I have to say – will be the way forward unless a particular agent explicitly requests more.

Perhaps if you really do have the next Pulitzer Prize novel, then a query letter might not do the piece justice. But really, as a writer, if I cannot write a letter that grabs an agent’s interest about a project within which lies my future, then I need to give up and go sweep the roads.

I wrote recently about receiving rejections from literary agents. There is always a little disappointment to receive a negative response, after all, you are trying to gain a positive one. But I thankfully never feel it personally, or as a criticism of my idea or writing.

My initial approaches painted the complete picture of the Table Rappers project: it’s scope, plans for the future (seven books), details of the existing audio series, etc. But advice in the 2009 edition of Guide to Literary Agents, suggests a current negative reaction to multi-book proposals:

We’ve been seeing a lot more of these types of “series” presentations lately – the feeling being that the author needs to present a future “franchise” for the agent and publisher to get them more interested. In fact, it may send up a red flag about the author’s expectations.

I can see the logic in that thought. However much passion I have as creator of a series, if the first book doesn’t get a bite on its own merits, there’s never going to be a series.

I can understand why Agents, and publishers, are inundated with series proposals right now, with the successes of Harry Potter and Twilight for example.

When an agent reads about an author’s very first book, there is no way for them to measure whether that author is truly capable of more than one novel – some writers are simply one-hit-wonders.

Change is afoot

So, despite every instinct in me from my professional side to present the complete picture, I am pulling everything but the merest hint of hoping to write a series, focusing on the first book as something that will stand alone if it must.

In addition, I am trying a series of query letters rather than full submissions. If I cannot get some interest in the core idea in the first place, there’s little point in the cost and effort of sending a full synopsis and manuscript sample.

Targets have been designated, so watch this space for news of more rejections once I have them!

Several years ago when messing with script writing I collected a a whole pile rejection letters. From carefully considered, personal comment and advice, to a simple photocopied strip of paper with a standard negative notification, each one each one meant one thing: I was not sitting around allowing fears and insecurity to overcome my ambition.

What surprised me about that first experience with those letters was how impersonally I took the rejection. I took to heart the advice that rejection is a necessary evil for all writers, and simply accepted it. Admittedly, the more extreme, impersonal paper strips sting just a little as they do suggest your work had not even been looked at, but the handful that offered genuine advice and useful information were well worth it.

I have mentioned previously how difficult it will be for me to land a literary agent without a background in the business and before I have a publishing offer, so I cannot hang all my hopes on any one particular approach. Someone out there somewhere, sometime will hook into the project, understand it, and appreciate how it might become successful.

Never fear rejection, never take it personally. Celebrate your rejection letters because they signal that you are actively trying, getting your work under people’s noses, and playing the game.

UPDATE 05/05/09: The third rejection letter arrived a few days ago. Time to tweak the style of the approach and hammer down another three doors!

I am under no illusions about the nature of the climb ahead of me to get Persistent Spirit and the rest of the Table Rappers series published and out on bookshelves. (Why I have swung a u-turn back from online publishing to traditional publishing is for another post.)

The chances of me landing an agent without already having some kind of publishing deal, or at least an offer, is very slim. But not impossible. A superb post on advice in finding a literary agent can be found on Neil Gaiman’s site.

It has to be the right one

Last weekend I waded through a database of Literary Agents and was surprised how straightforward it was to filter out those clearly not suitable for my submission. It took about 3 hours of research to pin down three possible candidates, carefully assessing the requirements and tone of their websites, and, of course, their current author list.

The principle criteria for me is to find an agent that understands a long running series of connected novels and associated online and offline elements. One that will respect my career experience and how that can be applied to promotion ongoing is also important.

This begs the question: If I get an offer from a agent who I feel does not properly fit those criteria, will I turn down the offer?

I hope the answer will be: yes, I will walk away for a more appropriate deal. But unless I am actually in that position, I don’t think I can make that decision ahead of time. There is too much to weigh-up.

Waiting for rejection

Sending the three submissions in the post this afternoon was an interesting experience. There is no nervousness, no fears, no nail-chewing whilst listening for the rejection letter response to pop through the letterbox in six to eight weeks.

Thankfully, the notion of rejection is something I came to terms with very early on, when I began venturing into writing. Fear of professional rejection is irrational and as a guaranteed stepping stone on the usually long, winding path to be published, is something no-one can side-step.

I do not lack confidence in my work. I know there is an audience for it, and I’ll just keep hammering at doors until I find someone who understands where that audience is.

What’s next?

Agents, like publishers, quote around six to eight weeks for a response. I’ll not confuse the issue by submitting to more agents in that time, but may make some direct to publisher submissions if I feel it is necessary.

Work on the final chapters of Persistent Spirit continues, and work on the second book, A Shot in Time, is accelerating in the background with story structure and planning starting to kick-in when there’s the time.

This one will be an exciting project for me coming to a new novel after my experience with the first – there will be less mystery, and less trying to work out just how to make it happen. This is a good thing because the story is promising to be more complex being split into two distinctly different locations (I’m not giving anything else away on that, it’s a surprise!).