So, I have some pretty big news...
Following my submission to their agency, I've joined one of the Tibor Jones Studio projects.
You can find out a bit more about the project, and about my trip down to London to meet with Tibor Jones, below...
Showing posts with label agent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agent. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Saturday, 15 August 2015
Rejection #11 (Or: The Rejection That Wasn't Quite a Rejection)
Date Submitted: 8th July 2015
Date Rejected: 7th August 2015
Response Time: 1 month
Response Type: Full MS request. Offer to resubmit.
Date Rejected: 7th August 2015
Response Time: 1 month
Response Type: Full MS request. Offer to resubmit.
***
In my last post, I said that I had just sent out my first submission in a long, long time.
Then, about a hour later, I heard back.
The agent was actually recommend to me by Martine Bailey, who I met at a book signing here in York. I think that mentioning this recommendation in the opening of my submission email probably encouraged the agent to come back to me to request my full manuscript(!!!).
After hopping around the flat in a complete frazzle for several minutes, I dutifully emailed back my MS (thankfully newly polished after a recent re-edit), then proceeded to stare madly at my empty inbox for a whole month.
When the response did come it was not The Legendary Call, but an email including a heart sinking "I'm afraid...". But she also wrote that, "We both really liked your writing, and your ideas..." and finished with, "I'd be happy to look at it again if you reworked it, or to look at whatever you might write in the future."
Oh goodness gracious and oh my, but that is good to hear!
It is, by far and away, the best response I've had to date. It still isn't an acceptance and the disappointment of being unsuccessful was all the worse for having handed over my whole manuscript, but the excitement of having an agent be really, truly interested in my writing is incredible. I discussed some ideas briefly with her and thanked her for her time, and her offer to come back.
It would be easy to be defensive and to argue that, just because one person thinks my book should change doesn't mean everyone would. But I honestly do understand her perspective and (more importantly) want Grey Sister to be as good as it possibly can be.
So, I'll try to improve my novel. And I will resubmit. And maybe next time, she'll Call...
Wednesday, 8 July 2015
Long Time No See...
Hello...
So, it's been a long time. Months, in fact. Almost half a year, possibly...
As you might remember, I got a new job. and as expected, it has taken over just a smidge. Other priorities have been sidelined during the transition, including, though I had hoped it wouldn't, writing.
Don't get me wrong, I have still been writing everyday and I have still been editing. But I've not sent out any submissions since I started and that has put something of a dampener on my blog posting.
To be perfectly honest, part of me was a little knocked back by the rejections. It's always going to be hard to hear 'No' over and over and not be at least a little affected by it. One thing I began to worry about was how well edited the opening of 'Grey Sister' was. Which then made me question the editing of the whole book. Which lead to me re-printing and re-editing the whole book all over again. Which, lets be honest, was a bit of a procrastination exercise...
Nevertheless, I do think rereading 'Grey Sister' was a good idea. There have been some changes to the opening, primarily in the sequencing of the opening scenes. I've also corrected some continuity errors that I've known for a long time were a problem (one character in particular originally had a large introduction, which was lost in the initial editing process. In the end, she wound up with almost no background at all, despite her being a major part of Thea's story.Poor Vilette.)
I feel better for having taking the time to go back through the book from start to finish. Even though only the opening chapters are likely to be seen any time soon, knowing that I'm happier with the flow of the whole book gives me some confidence to start sending it out again.
Which I've finally done! My first submission since September 2014 (Urgh, the embarrassment! The disgust! The disappointment!) went out today. The agent I submitted to was actually recommended to me by Martine Bailey, author of 'An Appetite for Violets' and 'The Penny Heart', who I was lucky enough to meet at her book signing in York. Martine was kind enough to talk to me for a good quarter of an hour while I grilled her on creative writing and the Big Bad World of Publishing and even gave me the details of an agent she thought could help. I left with such a big smile on my face. Even if the agent isn't interested in my work, getting the chance to talk to a published author is so inspiring and such a pleasure.
So, now I'm officially Back on The Horse, I'm hopefully going to be sending out submissions much more frequently. Keep swimming, and all that...
In the meanwhile, I want to start a new project separate from Thea's story. I've missed the planning stages and the excitement of the first draft so much! While I want to keep pressing on with the sequel to 'Grey Sister' (which I will of course be continuing as well), I think it will be good for me to try my hand at a new concept. After all, your first novel isn't always the one that reaches publication.
But for now, here we go again! Anyone else need a pep talk...?
As you might remember, I got a new job. and as expected, it has taken over just a smidge. Other priorities have been sidelined during the transition, including, though I had hoped it wouldn't, writing.
Don't get me wrong, I have still been writing everyday and I have still been editing. But I've not sent out any submissions since I started and that has put something of a dampener on my blog posting.
To be perfectly honest, part of me was a little knocked back by the rejections. It's always going to be hard to hear 'No' over and over and not be at least a little affected by it. One thing I began to worry about was how well edited the opening of 'Grey Sister' was. Which then made me question the editing of the whole book. Which lead to me re-printing and re-editing the whole book all over again. Which, lets be honest, was a bit of a procrastination exercise...
Nevertheless, I do think rereading 'Grey Sister' was a good idea. There have been some changes to the opening, primarily in the sequencing of the opening scenes. I've also corrected some continuity errors that I've known for a long time were a problem (one character in particular originally had a large introduction, which was lost in the initial editing process. In the end, she wound up with almost no background at all, despite her being a major part of Thea's story.
I feel better for having taking the time to go back through the book from start to finish. Even though only the opening chapters are likely to be seen any time soon, knowing that I'm happier with the flow of the whole book gives me some confidence to start sending it out again.
So, now I'm officially Back on The Horse, I'm hopefully going to be sending out submissions much more frequently. Keep swimming, and all that...
In the meanwhile, I want to start a new project separate from Thea's story. I've missed the planning stages and the excitement of the first draft so much! While I want to keep pressing on with the sequel to 'Grey Sister' (which I will of course be continuing as well), I think it will be good for me to try my hand at a new concept. After all, your first novel isn't always the one that reaches publication.
But for now, here we go again! Anyone else need a pep talk...?
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Rejection #9
Date Submitted: 28th September 2014
Date Rejected: 28th October 2014
Response Time: 1 month
Response Type: Form, no further request.
Date Rejected: 28th October 2014
Response Time: 1 month
Response Type: Form, no further request.
***
"Many thanks for sending us the material for GREY SISTER but I'm afraid that we are going to pass."
Is it just me, or is that kind of a harsh way to say no?
Friday, 17 October 2014
Rejection #8
Date Submitted: 1st July 2014
Date Rejected: 14th October 2014
Response Time: 14 weeks (approx 3 1/2 months)
Form for Response: Form letter, no further request.
Another pre-recent edits rejection. Not a big surprise, especially as this was a big name agency. They did apologise for the late reply, which was very considerate.
Date Rejected: 14th October 2014
Response Time: 14 weeks (approx 3 1/2 months)
Form for Response: Form letter, no further request.
***
Another pre-recent edits rejection. Not a big surprise, especially as this was a big name agency. They did apologise for the late reply, which was very considerate.
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Rejection #7
Date Submitted: 29th September 2014
Date Rejected: 7th October 2014
Response Time: 5 working days
Form for Response: Form letter, no further request.
Given that this was a snail-mail submission and that the response came back in less than a week, I have the sneaking suspicion that I did something wrong in my submission... poop.
Nevertheless, the fact that the person who emailed me forgot change the name of the novel when she copied and pasted the form letter, suggests perhaps its not too much of a loss.
To whoever wrote 'Lloyd's Book of Humour': I'm sorry they didn't like your book either. Perhaps we could form a support group?
Date Rejected: 7th October 2014
Response Time: 5 working days
Form for Response: Form letter, no further request.
***
Nevertheless, the fact that the person who emailed me forgot change the name of the novel when she copied and pasted the form letter, suggests perhaps its not too much of a loss.
To whoever wrote 'Lloyd's Book of Humour': I'm sorry they didn't like your book either. Perhaps we could form a support group?
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Getting Back on the Horse...
So, my first two months of submissions have been a little rough.
I've had three out of four submissions come back rejected. Of course, this is no big deal. Harry Potter was rejected twelve times and 'The Help' a whopping forty-five times! So really, three is nothing to worry about.
But worry I have.
So I went back over my opening chapter, picking apart every niggle. I re-worked scenes that fell flat, removed unnecessary characters and changed them for ones more central to later plot lines. Thanks to another feedback session with the critique group, I tweaked the opening page to make it clearer. I even went so far as to change my main character's age to give her choices later in the book more impact.
And I do feel better for doing it. Which just creates more worries. What if those little changes could have meant the difference between a rejection and a request? What if those few little issues cost me an agent? I fear now that I was (and, quite likely, still am) under-prepared for submission. Even though I want to keep trying, a big part of me just wants to put everything on hold so I can edit, edit, edit all over again.
Nevertheless, I've gotten back to the agent hunt and have two envelopes full of submissions to take to the post office tomorrow morning. I've developed something of a phobia of the bigger agencies, I've found. After all, why would J.K.Rowling's agency (honestly, I've looked into them and everything) have any interest in a silly little book about a library written by a girl who works in a shop? And yet, here I am still writing to agencies with celebrities and leading names on their books.
Such a glutton for punishment.
My confidence hasn't been overly bolstered by my continuing inability to secure myself a real-world job, either. Getting back rejections from agents and potential employers makes for something of a downer. There's been lots of sulks and cheer-up songs blasted in the past week or so.
But on we must press. An agent can't accept me if I don't send them anything, right? Nothing comes from nothing, after all. So here's a little pep talk that's kept me going...
I've had three out of four submissions come back rejected. Of course, this is no big deal. Harry Potter was rejected twelve times and 'The Help' a whopping forty-five times! So really, three is nothing to worry about.
But worry I have.
So I went back over my opening chapter, picking apart every niggle. I re-worked scenes that fell flat, removed unnecessary characters and changed them for ones more central to later plot lines. Thanks to another feedback session with the critique group, I tweaked the opening page to make it clearer. I even went so far as to change my main character's age to give her choices later in the book more impact.
And I do feel better for doing it. Which just creates more worries. What if those little changes could have meant the difference between a rejection and a request? What if those few little issues cost me an agent? I fear now that I was (and, quite likely, still am) under-prepared for submission. Even though I want to keep trying, a big part of me just wants to put everything on hold so I can edit, edit, edit all over again.
Nevertheless, I've gotten back to the agent hunt and have two envelopes full of submissions to take to the post office tomorrow morning. I've developed something of a phobia of the bigger agencies, I've found. After all, why would J.K.Rowling's agency (honestly, I've looked into them and everything) have any interest in a silly little book about a library written by a girl who works in a shop? And yet, here I am still writing to agencies with celebrities and leading names on their books.
Such a glutton for punishment.
My confidence hasn't been overly bolstered by my continuing inability to secure myself a real-world job, either. Getting back rejections from agents and potential employers makes for something of a downer. There's been lots of sulks and cheer-up songs blasted in the past week or so.
But on we must press. An agent can't accept me if I don't send them anything, right? Nothing comes from nothing, after all. So here's a little pep talk that's kept me going...
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Rejection #2
Date Submitted: 3rd May 2014
Date of Rejection: 24th May 2014
Response Time: 15 working days (3 weeks)
Rejection Type: Form, no further request.
Date of Rejection: 24th May 2014
Response Time: 15 working days (3 weeks)
Rejection Type: Form, no further request.
***
I was better prepared for the rejection note this time and I wasn't so upset as I was with #1. This agency was one of the less specific ones I've chosen and I approached them more for their wider experiences than because they are known to produce a lot of fantasy titles.
The form letter was a little softer than the first and - though, of course, I know it IS just a standard response - it left me feeling a little more optimistic about my chances elsewhere.
It probably took a little longer to hear back because the submission was sent through the post, rather than email.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
I. Am. Terrified.
Having hit a lot of big sign posts recently, finishing the manuscript for The Book is actually within sight. If I can keep up my pace I estimate that I could actually reach the end in about two months, rather than four.
Which leaves me to face something I've been ignoring for months: I am absolutely terrified.
I've always known that breaking into the writing sphere was going to be hard. It seems like the entire literary world (and the rest of the world for that matter) does nothing but tell me: its rough out here, kid. I think that given the constant stream of warnings and crushing personal accounts of failure, ambition can be quelled before the first words are even on the page. Certainly, it was a concern for me when I first started writing. But it was more important to me when I started that I try and do it at all. I know there are plenty of people out there who had the same thought. After all, if no one ever took the chance, there would be no new writers! So we set off on our endeavours with hope and crossed fingers and the promise that, 'it's OK just to finish at all'.
In the knowledge that I will soon need to start thinking about The Next Stage, I've started casually browsing through publishing guides: flicking through publishing books when I'm stacking shelves in the library, pausing in the self-help section in Waterstone's, even buying a writing magazine (which I will be reviewing hopefully in my next post).
What I've found from this is that, of course, publishing a book really is as scary as people make out.
Setting aside the difficulty of finding an agent willing to promote you and getting your book read by a publisher, there seems to be a hell of a lot more to getting your book out into the world than just writing it. It seems like every perspective writer has to have completed at least a dozen writing courses, if not a Masters Degree in Creative Writing; have a portfolio of published short stories, poetry and articles; and have a list of competition winnings to tote in their writer's CV. Me, I have none. Zero. Nothing. I've never had so much as a problem printed in Teen Miss, never mind won a national writing competition. I feel like I'm going in blind. Right now it seems entirely possible that if I do send my poor little Book out into the big wide world that the best I could hope for is that the bigger kids don't just laugh and sent it home crying.
How can I hope to compete with all these people who've put years and years into their writing? Even if I do have a good idea, even if my book is somewhat original and a little bit interesting, even if its actually kind of good, how can I ever hope to get someone to look beyond my pathetic begging letter to see it? When there are writers who can fill a whole page just with their accomplishments, how can just another 'girl who always dreamed of writing' get herself noticed?
I'm still hopeful though. Even though I'm scared, I'm ever the optimist. Hopefully, I am as prepared as I claim to face years of hard work and rejection in order to see ambitions reached. In the meantime, I'll start trying to get a better picture of the world I'm about to face. More books, more research, more more more...
Oh gods, they're going to eat me alive...
In the knowledge that I will soon need to start thinking about The Next Stage, I've started casually browsing through publishing guides: flicking through publishing books when I'm stacking shelves in the library, pausing in the self-help section in Waterstone's, even buying a writing magazine (which I will be reviewing hopefully in my next post).
What I've found from this is that, of course, publishing a book really is as scary as people make out.
Setting aside the difficulty of finding an agent willing to promote you and getting your book read by a publisher, there seems to be a hell of a lot more to getting your book out into the world than just writing it. It seems like every perspective writer has to have completed at least a dozen writing courses, if not a Masters Degree in Creative Writing; have a portfolio of published short stories, poetry and articles; and have a list of competition winnings to tote in their writer's CV. Me, I have none. Zero. Nothing. I've never had so much as a problem printed in Teen Miss, never mind won a national writing competition. I feel like I'm going in blind. Right now it seems entirely possible that if I do send my poor little Book out into the big wide world that the best I could hope for is that the bigger kids don't just laugh and sent it home crying.
How can I hope to compete with all these people who've put years and years into their writing? Even if I do have a good idea, even if my book is somewhat original and a little bit interesting, even if its actually kind of good, how can I ever hope to get someone to look beyond my pathetic begging letter to see it? When there are writers who can fill a whole page just with their accomplishments, how can just another 'girl who always dreamed of writing' get herself noticed?
I'm still hopeful though. Even though I'm scared, I'm ever the optimist. Hopefully, I am as prepared as I claim to face years of hard work and rejection in order to see ambitions reached. In the meantime, I'll start trying to get a better picture of the world I'm about to face. More books, more research, more more more...
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