tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post1590345396499271677..comments2024-03-17T07:55:51.361+00:00Comments on Help! I Need a Publisher!: WALK LIKE AN EDITOR (AND AGENT)Nicola Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-33475178715547017802010-01-20T11:13:39.676+00:002010-01-20T11:13:39.676+00:00Great post Nicola! It is always useful to get an i...Great post Nicola! It is always useful to get an insight into the minds and thoughts of editors (and agents). <br />I recall a picture book that one editor was very keen on being rejected because they already had two books on that theme on their list. <br /><br />By the way I have a new blog <a href="http://writingthebookwords.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">BOOKWORDS</a> -so a mini blog-heist here,Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-85822991742059344632010-01-19T22:37:36.734+00:002010-01-19T22:37:36.734+00:00Hi
Probably not much to add to the valid comments...Hi<br /><br />Probably not much to add to the valid comments here but I was just mesmerised to read the editors' reasons for rejecting a book. And the tiny amount they actually took on, four in total I think, two per editors. <br /><br />I shall now read that "why do publishers publish crap" blog - but after a large glass of wine, I think.<br /><br />Take care and good luck to all<Old Kittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13185547869183611159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-67218017608897682252010-01-19T20:21:08.536+00:002010-01-19T20:21:08.536+00:00I think it is difficult to 'see into the minds...I think it is difficult to 'see into the minds of editors and agents', because if I did I wouldn't have written the book I did: it would have been more 'sensational', which would have missed the point of writing it in the first place. So I self-published! I think one has to write from the heart, and keep on writing, until that magic wand is waved and one is accepted by the Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13235143664894609891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-74826445536551260262010-01-19T16:41:30.312+00:002010-01-19T16:41:30.312+00:00Lynn - sounds as though you're walking like an...Lynn - sounds as though you're walking like an author... (Tho not this one.) And of COURSE I don't mind your blog-heist, since you always speak sense. I've blogged on the topic myself and will do so again and maybe I'll come and heist your blog then, too! Really, we should just go to each other's houses and drink margharitas.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-155904163873683162010-01-19T15:27:59.897+00:002010-01-19T15:27:59.897+00:00Queenie said:
I'd be very interested in separa...Queenie said:<br /><b>I'd be very interested in separate blog posts on reasons for rejection.</b><br /><br />Nicola, I hope you don't mind a minor blog-heist, but I did a <a href="http://behlerblog.wordpress.com/2007/06/28/%E2%80%9Cso-why-did-you-reject-me%E2%80%9D/" rel="nofollow">blog post</a> a while back about this very question - from my perspective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-88109473339368945452010-01-19T15:22:33.153+00:002010-01-19T15:22:33.153+00:00Nicola, if I'm supposed to walk like an editor...Nicola, if I'm supposed to walk like an editor, does this mean I must change my shoes? I really, really like my Nikes...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-52589561499424755522010-01-19T15:09:33.191+00:002010-01-19T15:09:33.191+00:00Elizabeth - don't worry about trends. By the t...Elizabeth - don't worry about trends. By the time a trend exits, it's too late. Publishers are looking for a great story, and there are many, many great stories to be told. It's important to keep reading contemporary fiction in your genre, because then you'll see where the zeitgeist is at the moment and it could trigger a "what if" idea, and it will help you pitch your Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-36802769149826813012010-01-19T14:41:32.176+00:002010-01-19T14:41:32.176+00:00*facepalm*
I appreciate knowing this but it's...*facepalm*<br /><br />I appreciate knowing this but it's somewhat discouraging at the same time. I might think my book is awesome, but the whole "splash" thing makes me wonder. If you can't write to trends because they pass too quickly, and your own passions don't necessarily click with the market, then how are you ever going to make a splash?<br /><br />The only thing I Elizabeth Westhttp://aelizabethwest.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-57786161236652470472010-01-19T11:54:35.559+00:002010-01-19T11:54:35.559+00:00That comes like a late Christmas present which I s...That comes like a late Christmas present which I shall b e un wrapping for some time to come, I think. Grateful thanks.Dave Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08430484174826768488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-91865895247432590352010-01-19T04:16:39.358+00:002010-01-19T04:16:39.358+00:00That is quite a lot to digest but I understand exa...That is quite a lot to digest but I understand exactly what is meant. Think like an editor thinking like a reader mmmmmm.Debra Harris-Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08890783290789005185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-48764776439157655912010-01-19T01:16:52.316+00:002010-01-19T01:16:52.316+00:00Great advice and great links to some very smart fo...Great advice and great links to some very smart folks! Thanks :)Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-58260835475166821782010-01-18T21:01:29.877+00:002010-01-18T21:01:29.877+00:00Nicola!
Great post, especially since I'm in t...Nicola!<br /><br />Great post, especially since I'm in the middle of a 'pitch' - yikes!<br /><br />I suspect the reason agents and editors are vague is because there are no rules as such. A lot of their decision making is based on a 'gut' reaction. And I believe that when we, as writers, have a 'eureka' moment and experience a 'gut' reaction to what we'CC MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09903422375744085705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-79775815875793528782010-01-18T19:19:29.965+00:002010-01-18T19:19:29.965+00:00Emma - of course I agree that you can't predic...Emma - of course I agree that you can't predict which agents or editors will find your work page-turning or whatever but i do mean you have to send the sort of book they seem to be asking for, based partly on what sort of books they've already taken. There is a judgement to be made somewhere bwteen "This agent is definitely the right one for this sort of book and this agent is Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-65218671768866807262010-01-18T19:11:37.356+00:002010-01-18T19:11:37.356+00:00Very interesting and useful post as always, Nicola...Very interesting and useful post as always, Nicola. <br /><br />What I find most difficult is knowing which agents to approach. <br /><br />Is there a website which finds an agent of a particular author? I know some books have the agent's name in the back, and their sites have a list of authors, but doing it the other way around would be so useful. <br /><br />Also, if an agent has an author Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02658858373848443540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-80874305005903703912010-01-18T18:38:50.426+00:002010-01-18T18:38:50.426+00:00It's true that you need to send to the right k...It's true that you need to send to the right kind of agent, but it's also true that whether or not an agent finds something a page-turner is very personal and subjective, and not purely about where it is on the literary/commercial spectrum. Agents have particular tastes (specially in, say, crime fic or sf/f) but many agents are generalists, with a wide range of clients: mine represents Emma Darwinhttp://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-8235110871464332442010-01-18T17:53:50.031+00:002010-01-18T17:53:50.031+00:00Sarah - it is indeed a lot like dating. And when a...Sarah - it is indeed a lot like dating. And when a publisher or agents drops you, it's probably a bit like being dumped by a partner! (Of course it's not as bad, but you know what I mean.)<br /><br />KP - good for you! And to lots of the rest of you: glad this resonates.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-87636076460514168552010-01-18T17:51:16.201+00:002010-01-18T17:51:16.201+00:00Clair - to clarify: "making a splash" do...Clair - to clarify: "making a splash" does not mean having a great beginning to your book. It means having a great beginning to your career! Of course, our books must be as brilliant in the middle and end as at the beginning, but this is about launching your career with a book that attracts attention. Publishers have to think like this if they want us to succeed long-term, and they Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-2527502233047385992010-01-18T16:33:17.264+00:002010-01-18T16:33:17.264+00:00Although I agree that making a 'big splash'...Although I agree that making a 'big splash' early on is important, I worry that too many of us spend ages polishing our opening chapters and maybe let ourselves down later on. I know I've been guilty of obsessing over the beginning of a novel, determined to catch the eye of an agent/publisher and also because some peer review sites place such an emphasis on them. A 'big splash'Clairhttp://www.clairhumphries.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-49369269857082879872010-01-18T14:39:03.774+00:002010-01-18T14:39:03.774+00:00I loved the questions Dutton editors ask themselve...I loved the questions Dutton editors ask themselves- very thought provoking.<br /><br />In some ways submitting a MS reminds me a lot of dating. There are certainly deal breakers, but you occasionally meet a great person and know after a while that the relationship isn't going to go anywhere. Perhaps editors and agents feel the same way.<br /><br />I started following <a href="http://Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06909176210194176373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-41033808559090535762010-01-18T14:03:20.163+00:002010-01-18T14:03:20.163+00:00Am just rushing out but I feel it's very impor...Am just rushing out but I feel it's very important to emphasise, esp in the light of David's comment, that different editors and agents want different different sorts of books. Which is why you must always do your research and only approach agents and editors who do take your type of book. So, if your book is commercial fiction it does need a big "page-turning" quality and must Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-72546642895985636942010-01-18T13:50:22.608+00:002010-01-18T13:50:22.608+00:00Thought-provoking as always, Nicola!
The quote f...Thought-provoking as always, Nicola! <br /><br />The quote from US literary agent Rachelle Gardner was interesting, implying that a "real page-turner" of a novel is very important. Of course, I agree it is, but what's one person's page turner is another person's boredom, I think. There have been two bestsellers that I started to read in the past few years, which didn't David John Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01524610087056533062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-71260397548792335462010-01-18T13:03:54.544+00:002010-01-18T13:03:54.544+00:00Really interesting - thank you! But as I am planni...Really interesting - thank you! But as I am planning to send my full ms to an agent this week, it is just a little depressing to look down those lists of 'reasons to reject' and try to decide which category mine will fall into... At the moment I am plumping for structural problems. Or maybe the pacing isn't right. Or the voice?<br /><br />Actually this has highlighted for me the JaneFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03920957855661479676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-49924919187305287762010-01-18T12:11:08.524+00:002010-01-18T12:11:08.524+00:00Fascinating - and a post thatresonates wit me. Bac...Fascinating - and a post thatresonates wit me. Back in the days I was looking for an agent, my dream agent eventually turned down Songs from the Other Side of the Wall (after requesting the full and entering into a very helpful correspondence) because it wasn't a "big splash" (her words) book for a debut novel. It was a consideration I hadn't made at the time, but perhaps shouldDan Hollowayhttp://www.yearzerowriters.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-44914073795851828202010-01-18T11:27:01.311+00:002010-01-18T11:27:01.311+00:00Hi
I've just come across this blog and have f...Hi<br /><br />I've just come across this blog and have found it most interesting.<br /><br />I was particularly taken by Janet Reid's observation that nowadays a novel 'needs to be in the 99th percentile'. This has been my experience.<br /><br />I'm getting the most fabulous rejections you can imagine (my agent has never seen anything like them), with editors praising my novelTARguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359075503866925256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-58264480859506899732010-01-18T11:10:45.341+00:002010-01-18T11:10:45.341+00:00Thank you Nicola! This is great. My agent, who is ...Thank you Nicola! This is great. My agent, who is quite hands-on, used the "Writing is good, but not good enough to launch you" reason, and she was right - the book lacks the 'wow factor' edge that debut novelists must have. So I wrote another one, which she's got now, and am revising the old one, keeping in mind that it's got to have that edge. This is making revision Kristin Pedrojahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12908889616491914001noreply@blogger.com