The Writer’s Handbook event blow-by-blow

Published by neil on June 7th, 2009 1 Comment »

Yesterday’s series of seminar sessions put on for writers by The Writer’s Handbook, was, unsurprisingly, a mixed bag of great and worthless information. Thankfully, the good stuff more than compensated for the bad.

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Will Atkins, editor at Macmillan New Writing, described how it was set up to publish first novels of previously unpublished writers.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.

Tags: agents, event, London, seminar, writers
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