Dear Crabbit: why no agent contests in the UK?

This question came from Elizabeth for Dear Crabbit:

Agent contests are fantastic things for writers - so why aren't there any in the UK targeted at UK agents?
I've been doing the rounds of them in America. Even if you don't win, the feedback you get and the chance to make contact with other writers is amazing. Only your blog in the UK has ever come close to giving me that same feeling.
In the UK there's Undiscovered Voices which is wonderful and very prestigious. But it doesn't have the same feel of community and rabble rousing as ones done on personal blogs. Brit YA writer Ruth L. Stevens did Christmas in July for the second time this year but those hoping for some UK representation were disappointed. Her critique partner is American (or Canadian?) and all the agents, bar one I think, were from the US.
My only thought is - UNFAIR. I asked one of my Brit critique partners if she'd like to help me (fledgling writer as I am) organise a contest.I do believe I threw out your name (!) as one who might support us. She said - "No I don't want to help you. You must be bonkers.You'd have to have contacts and an agent yourself first." Maybe she's right? I'd like to think not. 

OK, disclosure: I have no experience, even indirectly, of agent contests. I didn't quite know how they worked, though I could guess somewhat. So, I went to look at Christmas in July and immediately had the answer to Elizabeth's question: because it would take a colossal, I mean colossal, amount of time and I cannot imagine how a writer like me could possibly find time. I am in awe of the bloggers who organised it. It would take way, way more time than the pitch pitches and synopsis spotlights I used to do, or any of the competitions I've run.

I'm generous but I'm not stupid! (Not suggesting that the bloggers who did it are stupid, but I would be stupid if I did it.)

But it also raises some other points:

1. I would not be able to find (nor would I dream of asking) enough agents to give up their time to do this. In the UK, agents are flooded with submissions, can only take on a tiny number of new writers each year and generally find the number the need in the normal way, through their submission process. (I know US agents are also flooded, but perhaps there are so many more of them that one could find enough to make this work?)
2. I'm not saying none (in the UK) would do it if asked, but I'm quaking at the thought of how many I'd have to approach and how long it would take me to find a way to ask them nicely and explain what I wanted.
3. The agents here in the UK also go to writing conferences such as the one I was speaking at recently. That is a generous thing to do, as they spend a lot of time helping writers even though most of them won't be signed up, and is another reason why I wouldn't feel able to ask them to participate in an agents' contest. (I know US agents go to conferences, too, but, for whatever reason, UK agents seem not to need to look further than their inbox to find what they are looking for. I actually talked about this to a UK agent last weekend.)
4. When Elizabeth asked one of her crit partners to consider helping her organise a contest, she was told, "You must be bonkers. You'd have to have contacts and an agent yourself first." Elizabeth's friend is right, in my view - not that she's bonkers (!) but that she'd need to have contacts and probably an agent first. This is at least partly because the agents would need to be convinced of E's ability to run the contest well and to select genuinely worthwhile MSS.
5. I think the Christmas in July experience (where all bar one of the agents were American) indicates that while this might work in the US it probably would be tougher here. This is partly volume, partly what we're used to. And I just get the impression that UK agents prefer to find their gems in the usual way. They find enough like that and don't have the time or need to get out there in any other way. You know, if it ain't broke, etc. (And this is seeing it from the agents' POV, not the writers', of course.) It might mean they miss something, but that's just life. They have to focus on existing clients and, if they are getting enough new ones via the normal process, why would they do otherwise?

Sorry to dampen your enthusiasm, Elizabeth, but I'm afraid I'm not your woman! I may well do Pitch Pitches and Synopsis Spotlights again, and I'm sure I'll have competitions, but not involving agents. You have got me thinking, though, and I'll see if any bright idea comes to me. But NOT if it is going to take masses of time. I already spend too much time blogging :)

Dear Crabbit: My story gets going in Ch4, so 3 sample chapters don't work for me

On Twitter recently, a writer, Andy Barratt, said, "1st 3 chapters of my book are short & more like a prologue, the story kicks off in the 4th & so lost in a submission. Help? :("

Very reasonable question and definitely worth a blog post.

For those of you who don't know (and there can't be many): a normal submission contains the first three chapters, a pitch letter and the synopsis. Sometimes the publisher or agent's guidelines will ask for the first 10k words, or they'll say "Three chapters or 10k words". Obviously, chapters are all different lengths, so, if yours are really tiny, you might get away with sending four chapters. (Then you'd need to say, "I've included a fourth chapter because one is unusually short; the total length of these four chapters is under 10k words.") Publishers don't generally want more than 10k words, but if your chapters are very long, you are still supposed to send three chapters, unless they've said "no more than 10k" or "whichever is shorter". It sounds complicated but it really isn't. They are trying to show you how much they need to see in order to know if they want the rest. You just try to fit into those guidelines while wearing your sensible hat at all times.

I asked Andy how long his chapters were and he said, "Total 7,000 words for first three chapters which are labelled Autumn. Then Winter and the main story begins."

So, I can see why he's worried about the submission, because his three chapters are a pretty normal length and therefore there's no real leeway for sending a fourth. If the story doesn't kick off in the submission, that's by definition a weak submission.

Assuming that this is meant to be general/commercial fiction rather than a piece of high literary fiction, I'd say Andy has a problem, but it's a problem which is little to do with the rules of submissions and the restriction to three chapters. I'd say there's a problem with the story.

There's only one way that this won't be a problem: if the tension and writing in the first three chapters are so incredibly powerful that the reader is drawn relentlessly onwards even without much action having happened. But this is a huge risk and writers usually over-estimate the pulling power of their writing. Readers also don't react well to lots of increasingly irritating hints without some satisfaction occurring reasonably soon. (Think of the film Alien. Much of the film is taken up with suspense and us desperately wanting to see the creature. But this works because there has already been a very dramatic incident. Euuw. So, the story has already "got going". That's why you generally need big action/drama near the start.)

Forget the agent or publisher for a moment and forget the rules of submissions. Just think of the reader. Does the reader want to wait so long for the story to get going? Usually not. Yes, I know, there are well-known cases of books that don't get going for ages - Louis de Bernieres, I'm looking at you, you naughty man. But how many books are rejected because they don't? I have no idea about the answer to that but I'm guessing roughly eleventy million.

Do you really want to make it so difficult for a reader to get into your book? Do you really want to turn a load of readers off and make them put the book down? I will certainly put a book down (and not pick it up again or recommend it to someone else) if it doesn't grab me sooner than that.

So, I strongly suggest you look at how to make the beginning grip. Bearing in mind that I obviously haven't read the book and that not all these suggestions will be appropriate, here are the theoretical possibilities, which I offer for all writers facing this problem:

1. Drastically shorten and then amalgamate the first three chapters into one.
2. Alter the order of chapters so that the current C4 becomes C1, then re-fashion current C1-3 into a new timeframe, eg by the (careful) use of a flashback. I accept that your Autumn/Winter structure makes this impossible in this case, but it's commonly a way to do it. (Do be careful about flashbacks, though; they can detract from pace and tension and they can be irritating.)
3. Consider whether C1-3 are in fact necessary at all. Begin at C4. This is surprisingly often the solution.

Those are the usual three strategies. No 1 is the simplest, and probably the only one that will work in this case.

I'd add that almost* every single MS I've ever seen would benefit from a drastic cutting of the initial chapters anyway. (I only said "almost" because it seemed ridiculous and unbelievable otherwise; but I actually can't think of an MS that wouldn't have benefited from cutting.)

So, Andy, I do think you need to take action to make your beginning more gripping. If it's already very gripping despite lack of action, then you don't have a problem. But how confident are you that this is the case? If you are confident, and if you can't/won't shorten your 7k words into even two chapters, you could just add a fourth, with an explanation. But I'm pretty sure your book will be more likely to attract an agent or publisher if the story "gets going" far earlier than 7k words.

In fact, I recommend you make your story get going in the first 1-3 pages, somehow! Not just for the sake of the publisher or agent, but for the sake of the reader. You can still get a slow-starting book published, but the writing has got to be even better.

-------------------

Don't forget, everything you need to know about creating the perfect submission is in my ebooks Dear Agent and Write a Great Synopsis. Both are available most cheaply and flexibly (all formats, for all devices, including computers) from my own online shop. For your info, buying ebooks from my own shop means that 100% of your payment goes direct to me, which is lovely for me and makes me like you even more, because I'm easily bought... AND you are allowed to print them out for your own use, using the pdf version. The advice is also in Write to be Published, in less detail, and that's available as print version (from my shop and elsewhere) and ebook (not in my shop).

Two last questions for DEAR CRABBIT

Ellie asked:

I know you've been published by a range of presses but, I was wondering, how many agents have you had? I'm currently working on my novel but after it's done I'll be going back to my Christian non-fiction book and then my children's book ideas. I'm thinking, in addition to needing different publishers for each of these I will need a different agent also. Is that correct?

DEAR CRABBIT: what if I can't afford professional editing?

From a blog comment:

Dear Crabbit,
It would be great if you did a post on the best things we can do if we can't afford a full-editing service, Nicola. I'm on a strict family income and spending on my writing just can't take centre stage. I can save and build some money to use, and would love to know the best way to spend it to get the best advice for my work. I can see how important outside proof reading and editing can be, so I want to get it right with my limited resources!

DEAR CRABBIT: please help with my 25-word pitch!

Since I'm doing a workshop on pitch paragraphs at #edbookfest next week, I'm happy to offer you this question for Dear Crabbit:

DEAR CRABBIT: my book is too quiet and midlist

This raises some iteresting questions about debut novels and mid-list novels.

Dear Crabbit
I received a rejection from a literary agent. I would like your thoughts. That my novel is "too quiet" and "midlist" makes me wonder why all books have to be "in your face" to sell well, although I appreciate she was probably being kind and meant it was actually as dull as ditch-water. 

This was what she said: “I thoroughly enjoyed [redacted] which is an entirely compelling and enjoyable romance with excellent setting and characterisation. I have no criticisms of the novel itself but believe that prospective publishers will see it as being slightly too quiet, or mid list as they call it, to really be able to compete effectively, and at a high sales level, in a competitive market. For this reason I can’t offer to take things further. I’m really sorry."

I'm afraid I understand what the agent probably means. I've blogged on a similar topic here. That time, I was talking about how a debut novel needs to be a bit shouty, a bit "HELLO! LOOK AT ME!" because a debut author needs to be launched with a bit of a splash in order to be seen at all. (Actually, sometimes published authors need to be relaunched, to make a bigger splash, but this is another matter.)

The rejection doesn't necessarily mean the book is "as dull as ditch-water", by any means. It means that there is something about the book which makes it too hard for the sales and marketing people to find a hook on which to hang it. It will disappear before being read. Now, most books do that, but publishers can't afford to launch books that look like sure disappearers right from the start. Books that end up disappearing once had publishers who fully believed they could sell them; they were wrong, but they can't make too many mistakes like that.

The only way that publishing a no-hook, unshouty book can work is if it fits perfectly into an existing series or formula. But I guess this author's book doesn't. 

No, not all books or even all debuts need to be shouty, but they do have to have some clear power to create a reaction of "Oooh, that sounds interesting - I'd like to buy that." They need not to be obvious disappearers.

Yours could nevertheless be the sort of book that will do well as a self-published book, because you yourself will put enormous effort into the marketing, effort which the publisher simply can't/won't provide, because it looks too difficult to succeed. And if the book does do well self-published, that doesn't mean that the agent was wrong. It means you were able to do what a publisher probably couldn't have, given that the publisher as other books and finite resources. It's a fact that selling a large number of books as a self-publisher normally requires hours and effort that simply don't make commercial sense for a publisher who has to pay staff to do such work.

Given a well-written book that looks easy to sell and a well-written book that looks hard to sell, which would you choose if you were a publisher? And therefore an agent...

It's one of those sad-but-true reality checks. Sorry. :(

I also have to say that, even though Dear Agent has had terrific endorsement from literary agents, and even if you follow all the detailed advice in it and pitch your book as well as it can be pitched, once the agent has read your book and decided that it isn't what he is looking for, I'm afraid his answer will still not be the one you want. unless, of course, the true reason for rejection wasn't the book but something you said or didn't say in your covering letter. In which case, Dear Agent could save the day!

DEAR CRABBIT: market the author or the book

Dear Crabbit
We had a brief Twitter exchange this evening. I asked: " Do you recommend focusing on marketing the writer...or the book? "

A bit more info: for the past 2-3 years, I've been blogging. Firstly as a way of promoting my (very) part-time coaching practice (I have a full time day job as well), and latterly as a way of promoting my writing (I've had a small paid writing gig with PaleoDietNews.com for the past few months).

Long story short....I now want to focus on promoting my writing. I'm going to convert my main site (cormackcarr.com) into an "author" site, and am going to set up two other blogs. One will focus on my coaching/careers/personal effectiveness writing....the other on food/health/fitness. Those are the two areas that my writing to date has tended to cluster around.

My logic (such as it is!) is that I can then promote the two blogs to their respective niche areas, backlinking to my author site (which will also have backlinks to any guest posting and article writing I do) and which will focus more on me...so that there's scope for me to develop my writing in other directions without being tied down.

Consequently, I suspect I'll "market" my blog writing sites, and just let the author site be my online "home".
Thoughts?

For what it's worth (and I regard myself more as an experienced bumbling opportunist than a marketing strategist,) I think you are doing the right thing. I think those of us who have several different strands to our work, with different (but sometimes overlapping) audiences, have to keep an eye on what we're doing and adapt as we go.

A year ago, I had my new website designed. My thinking was: some people will come looking for me because they've heard of my children's books (and of those, some will be looking for my brain books and others my teenage novels and yet others my younger fiction, or they may want a school event) and others will come because they've heard of my advice for writers. But I'd like each group to know about the other areas of my work. On the other hand, I want them to know exactly where they are and not struggle to find what they are looking for. So, my website has three sections - "rooms" - and all of them link to each other, except that when you're in the children's area you cannot directly get to the more grown-up area designed for writers. (Though you can get directly from the writers' area to the children's area.)

The rules I feel we (and the questioner) should follow are:

• We need to be easy to find, when people know they want to find us. So, someone looking for Cormack's coaching should get to it immediately; ditto for someone looking for his writing. They should not have to go searching and make many clicks.
• We should be possible to find even when people don't know they are looking for us. So, someone looking for particular coaching should ideally come across Cormack's coaching site; and when someone is looking for a writer of the sort of books he writes they should be able to find him. (This is harder to achieve and requires good SEO and google-friendly content, but good linking between sites and other sites is helpful here.)
• When someone comes to one part of our internet presence, it should be easy for them to see that there are other parts, and to feel inclined to browse.

As to the fundamental question of marketing the writer or the book: I'm a writer. I write books. I write lots of different sorts of books but they are all me. They need me. I need them. We are undisentanglable. So, I don't see an either/or situation here.

If you are marketing your book, you are even more a part of the marketing than if a publisher markets your book. You become part of the marketing, inevitably. A lot of books are bought (or not bought) nowadays because of how a reader feels about the writer. I have absolutely no statistics for that but I feel it deeply, from anecdote and instinct. I've done it myself.

Books are not beans. They hold emotions and histories that are not explicit. Their author is somehow part of that, and this is especially true as soon as we begin to talk about our books. Those authors who wish to separate author from book and distance themselves from how their books reach and touch readers are entitled to try to do so and some will succeed more than others. But I don't believe this is what you (the questioner) want and it's not what I want.

So, books and their authors, music and its composers, art and its creators, are best considered as parts of the whole. And if an author has many separate strands of creation, those strands are, it seems to me, best given separate definition and yet strongly linked.

I don't think you can take the book out of the author or the author out of the book.

Agree? Disagree? Specific exceptions? Anything to add?

[Edited to add: although it's gone off-topic, please see the comments below for a useful discussion about fake accounts to review one's own work. This whole topic makes me feel sick. But I'm grateful to Philip for raising it, especially since there's been discussion about it ever since a certain panel on a certain crime-writing festival...]

DEAR CRABBIT - too old to debut?

Dear Crabbit
Is a 79-year-old debutant novelist (but a highly successful writer in other fields) deluding himself and wasting his time trying to get an agent or a publisher interested in his work, even if he’s fit, healthy and energetic, and has one novel completed and two well on the way? Or should he go straight into self-publishing? I’ve said “he” because I’m a man, but obviously it could also apply to a woman. (I’m not talking about vanity-publishing: I first saw my name in print 50 years ago, and have more than 30 books with my name on the cover.)

The short answer is that if the book is good enough and a publisher believes it has a sufficient market and wants to publish it, the publisher will do so. And, for the same reason, an agent could be interested. (It's true that an agent needs a career out of you - but you could have another 20 years or more of writing!)

It's true that it may have to be even better and more marketable than if you were 29 or even 49. On the other hand, at the commissioning stage no one needs necessarily know your age. (Although in your specific case they probably will because you'll be telling them about your previous work.)

There are advantages to being young and fit and having a long career ahead of you, but the absence of those conditions does not create an insurmountable barrier to publication. It does raise the bar, though. With some publishers and agents perhaps more than others.

However, since you don't crave publication for the "having your name on the cover" reason, I also think you should look seriously at self-publishing anyway, depending on the type of novel. You could have a lot of fun and a lot of success. I know you are already active on Twitter and ready to engage in that side of things. And you already have credibility as a published writer. 

You have a choice - and that's good!

DEAR CRABBIT: agents recommending paid-for services

Dear Crabbit 

Below I have pasted the rejection I received from literary agent [redacted] yesterday having read my full manuscript. I am not in the slightest bit bothered by the rejection in itself.

What bothers me a great deal is the link she sent me to a service that will edit, provide a cover and convert the whole thing into a Kindle e-book for just under £1000! Surely I could hire a proof-reader and do it myself for far less (or am I being naive?) I have studied their website in depth and it does not inspire confidence. I have no idea who they are or anything that gives me confidence in their abilities. It strikes me as amateurish and maybe even exploitative.

So what do you think? Is this value for money? And what do you think of this growing trend where agents seem to be "monetizing (horrid word) the slush-pile"?

Thank you. Your thoughts based on your experience of e-publishing would be appreciated.

The letter which this writer showed me advised her to self publish on Kindle and recommended a company "who are experienced in providing a fast and first-rate means of self publishing effectively enabling your novel to reach a significant number of readers."

"enabling your novel to reach a significant number of readers" sounds as though it's pretty much been taken from an advertising flyer, doesn't it? I suspect the company sent a promotional flyer to the agency, asking them to recommend them, and the agent has done so. This is not breaking any laws, of course. I'm not aware that it contravenes any guidelines but it strikes me as an unusual thing for an agent to do. It strikes me that one should only recommend a company for anything when one has very, very good reason to know that the company does a good job, and not just because the company says so. The writer talks about "monetizing the slush-pile" - but there's no sign that this is what's happening, unless the agent is receiving a commission and there's no suggestion of that.

I want to pick up on the other aspect, though: whether it's better to use a package or to handle each part of the process separately. It is my personal view that a self-publishing author is better served by keeping proper control and separately outsourcing each aspect that he or she cannot or does not wish to handle. I am against the idea of packages as I don't think they usually serve the writer best. I just think that if you're going to self-publish (as I have done) you are better off properly self-publishing, keeping full control and doing as much as possible yourself.

I would always want to commission an editor and proof-reader I trusted (which might be different for each book); a cover designer I trusted; a formatter I trusted (if I couldn't do it myself or didn't want to). I'd definitely insist on writing the product description on Amazon etc myself; and no way is it necessary to get someone else to upload for you - it takes no longer to do it yourself than it would to email the docs to the company. The company in question doesn't offer the marketing - and quite right, too, as this is best done by the writer, perhaps with some paid-for back-up publicity or the assistance of clued-up friends.


[Edited: I previously listed the costs I incur when I've self-published a book, but, following Meg's comment, I realised that because my editing costs are unusually low this was pointless, though it wasn't offered as advice and my advice has always been to get your work properly edited. My editing and proof-reading costs are very low because a) the books are short non-fiction and the final draft by me is clean and accurate and has been through beta-readers b) I have expert friends, including a fully-trained proof-reader who charges me "mates rates". I do not want to suggest that you shouldn't pay a proper rate for editing stages. However, even if you paid a substantial amount of money, I still believe that it is better to choose an editor yourself, rather than taking editing as part of a package from a company, when you haven't seen the editor's work. This is the point of my post - not how much it costs but how you choose who will help you.]

The only two hard bits are a) writing the book and b) selling it, and the company mentioned, and others I've seen, are not offering either. (Thank goodness!)

I would stress that it may well be that the recommended company does a fantastic job. I'm just saying there's nothing on the website that would lead me to think they will do a better job than an author outsourcing the necessary bits. 
I'd be perfectly happy if the agent had said, "I think this is a book that could work well as a self-published novel, but I recommend that you go into this with eyes wide open and get lots of advice on the various parts of the process from those who have done it."

DEAR CRABBIT: how to use my 15 minutes with an agent

Here's a lovely positive question for Dear Crabbit!

Dear Crabbit

I am lucky enough to have bagged a 15-minute session with a literary agent at next month's Edinburgh Book Festival. My question for Dear Crabbit is: how could an aspiring author make best use of this time?

I understand that supplicants will be able to submit work to the agent in advance. I have a WIP but the first chapter won't come right, so there is no point in giving it to him or her. Would another chapter be acceptable? Or should I get advice on my synopsis and cover letter, which haven't been written yet? I also have questions about the subject of my WIP - it has been covered a few times already by high-profile authors and I'm worried it might have gone out of fashion. Would it be better to ask about that?

Any advice would be most gratefully received. Once again, many thanks for the advice which is so generously given on your blog.

Firstly, all credit to you for thinking so carefully about how best to use this opportunity.

I think there are two things you should try to cover in this time, and mostly the first one:

1. The idea and pitch for your book. You are worried that the subject-matter has been "covered" and may be out of fashion. Now, first I'd say that your task (not just for this session but when it comes to pitching properly) is going to be to show that your book takes a new slant. It doesn't matter if the topic has been covered - most have! - you have to have a new slant on it or characters that shine through so strongly that it doesn't matter that the plot is not new. So, first be sure in your own mind that you have a new slant and then write a paragraph-pitch for the book. This is what you can discuss with the agent.

This will be perhaps the most important part of the session. She can highlight possible disadvantages of your story, things that raise flags in her mind. She can advise you what to be careful of and how to proceed.

I think your best strategy here is to write a paragraph-pitch in advance and bring it with you or send it as part of the sample. This is what would sell a book's idea to an agent and is a crucially important part of the process of attracting one. See my blog posts about pitches.

You mentioned the possibility of discussing the synopsis - to be honest, this is pretty much the same as what I've just said. Discussing how the story proceeds and what elements are important is a good use of this time.

2. Your writing. You want to know which bit of writing you should send in advance, as the first chapter "won't come right". Well, if you were at the stage of actually pitching the book, that would matter - a lot! - but you're not. So, whether you show her the first chapter or another one depends on why it is not right.


If it's just that the wrong things happen in it, this doesn't matter at this stage because you're not actually pitching the book, just getting advice. The agent won't mind if the wrong things are in it or it starts in the wrong place - especially if you explain. If it's that you haven't found the voice, that's more critical, though I suspect it's not that because you say a later chapter might be better. 


So, you could send her the first chapter. Tell her that it's not "right" yet - and tell her briefly why - but explain that you just want her to see the voice and judge whether your writing is appropriate for the genre (or something suitable to your concerns).

Or, if you don't want to do that, send another chapter but explain that your book is very much in progress and your first chapter isn't "ready". Explain that you're sending it so that she can see the voice and the "type" of writing you use.

In summary
I think you should focus on the pitch and a mini-synopsis/extended paragraph. Not the covering letter - that's looking too far ahead. Besides, Dear Agent will tell you how to do that!

If the agent feels that the idea and pitch are a no-go area, this is when you need to find out, and she might well have advice on how to keep your book fresh and up-to-date. 

And do tell her that you follow my blog etc! I probably know the agent - do tell me (privately, if you wish) who it is. 

Your best chance of creating a good impression is to sound realistic and hard-working, tapped into all the good advice out there, determined to work hard to achieve your goals, and with an open mind and heart about the whole thing.

Finally, breathe deeply, smile, don't speak too fast. Write down your questions in advance and prioritise them so that if you're running out of time you can omit the least important.

Enjoy! And wave at me if you see me!

DEAR CRABBIT: rejections again :((

Another question about rejections for Dear Crabbit. Oh dear, it's a stressful life being a writer! (Not meaning to sound glib - remember, I had years and flipping years of this.)

Dear Crabbit,
I read your post last week, (DEAR CRABBIT: encouragement from this rejection?) with interest. I am also in the process of submitting my first book, targeted to 7-9 year olds, to agents. So far, I've sent it to 4 agents and for a writing competition. All have been rejections. Two were standard 'form' rejections, but 3 of the rejections (two of which were from agents who had asked to look at the full manuscript) contained some feedback on the work.

I've had some really positive feedback; Agent 1 said: 'Your tone is very sparky and enjoyable, and it's very fun'. Agent 2 said: 'It’s fun and charming'. The Competition Judges said: 'this was a very enjoyable piece... funny, with great warmth'. So there seems to be general agreement about what is good about my book...

...but there's absolutely no consensus about what's wrong with it. The reasons why my work was rejected were all different. The problems cited are:

• Theme: Agent 1 said that they already had a picturebook on a similar theme and they 'would struggle to give the book the 'push' it needs'. 

• Plot: Agent 2 said: 'I couldn’t get to grips with the story here. It feels like it pulls in quite a few directions and I found myself not really knowing where it was going'. 

• Language/Style: The Competition Judges said they thought that the vocabulary and sentence structure used was too advanced for the target age group. 

As there's no consistency in the feedback, I'm struggling to work out what I need to do to make my manuscript better. If the Competition Judges are right and it's pitched too high, why didn't the agents mention it? Agent 1 liked the plot, but Agent 2 couldn't get to grips with it. The 'subjectivity' of these readings of my work means I'm unclear as to what my next steps should be.

Is your advice to me the same as the previous writer? Should I submit to a few more agents and see if the same concerns crop up? Or should I try and address the criticisms before I submit the manuscript to others?

I'm really sorry but my answer is going to be short and not what you want to hear. The most likely reason for the differing reasons for rejection is simple: there are probably many or several reasons for rejection and each agent has picked one to mention. If they mention any more than one, a) it will take them too long, b) you are more likely to come back to them with a response (which they don't want) and c) if they are the only ones who give you detailed feedback the risk is that you then go and re-write to their specifications but other agents still don't take it.

So, if you get any feedback at all, it is likely to be one or two comments only. And they are pretty much a courtesy by the agent. Not meaningless, but hard to derive meaning from.

What about the competition judges' comments about age-range and vocab? Well, there are a few possibilities:

1. They are right but the agents chose not to mention it, because it wasn't the one crit they happened to pick as the easiest one to offer or the one that first came to mind.
2. They are right but the agents chose not to mention it because if it's only the language (rather than content) then you would simply need to say it was pitched at 8-10 instead of 7-9. Problem solved.
3. They are wrong. Competition judges a) often know less about the markets and possibilities than agents and b) are usually appallingly over-worked and underpaid for the task. (I will never do comp judging again - recently I did this, spent a vast number of hours giving detailed written feedback on every entry, was paid a tiny fee, had to travel and stay overnight to deliver the adjudication and got not one single word of thanks from any of the writers.)

So, I'm afraid that there's very little concrete that you can take from these rejections. My strong advice is that, if you can, you get a professional to read the first three chapters or so and see in detail what may be going wrong. I think that could be incredibly helpful to you, rather than floundering trying to make sense of contradictory comments. (I realise that getting a professional critique is outside the budget of many. There are other ways of getting good feedback. I thought I'd blogged about it but I can't actually find where; I do talk about it in Write to be Published, though. Could be the subject of another question to Dear Crabbit? In your hands...) 

I'm sorry I couldn't be more positive. There's no doubt that deciphering rejections is tough.

DEAR CRABBIT: agent touting on Twitter?

An interesting question has come from one of you.

Dear Crabbit
We hear all the time about how enormous agents’ slushpiles are. So am I right to view with suspicion an agent who uses Twitter to invite submissions, and/or one who is running a competition where the prize is representation? I don’t want my cynicism to stop me from pursuing a genuine opportunity but I’d hate to think I’m wasting valuable writing time and energy. And the competition, by the way, requires entries to be made on an exclusive basis, i.e. novels are not to be on submission to any other agency. Which doesn't sound much like a competition to me, more like a normal submission.

DEAR CRABBIT: synopsis for a trilogy?

Dear Crabbit
I read 'Write A Great Synopsis' ( which I thoroughly enjoyed). I have a question regarding the submission. 

What of a trilogy? Do I include the synopsis for all three books and take three times the length to give the full outcome of the novel, or do I simply give the synopsis to the first book and no conclusion?

Is it presumptious to give the synopsis for all three books, will it be thrown away immediatley since I did not adhere to the rules on the website for synopsis length or will it help the agent to see how all three books pan out to its conclusion? 

A submission should be for this book. You may well have plans for (or indeed written or drafted) a sequel, trilogy, series or whatever, but you are first pitching this book.

So do a proper synopsis for this book.

If you definitely plan for this to be a trilogy, send a shorter, separate synopsis (e.g. half a page) for each of the other two. (Remember, if the agent doesn't want to read them, she needn't.) Do say what stage they are at. And remember that a trilogy must have a whole arc, as well as the arc within each book.

If you are proposing that there might be scope for follow-up books (whether one or more), but that this is not an essential part of the offer, by all means add a paragraph to this effect, perhaps identifying some directions the series might take or some ideas you have. 

Certainly the agent would be interested to know whether you have an idea for a follow-up, but she really does not need to see anything other than the idea at this stage.

Your submission should focus exclusively or almost exclusively on this novel. Because if it's not up to scratch, nothing else matters. The agent is not going to say, "Well, this is pretty mediocre but I'd love it if there were two more mediocre ones to go with it..."

DEAR CRABBIT: encouragement from this rejection?

The latest question for Dear Crabbit is a tricky one:

Hi Nicola

I am currently submitting my first novel to literary agents and have had four standard rejections. The other day I received a personalised rejection from a prominent agent in one of the big agencies, enthusiastic about the premise of my book but briefly explaining why she didn't quite warm enough to the writing to represent me - and to quote her: 'I am sure another agent will feel differently, given how subjective reading is.' 

Am I right to take any encouragement from this, given that she did not ask to read the rest of the book? Or am I clutching at straws?

The unattractive core answer to this is: a) it depends what you mean by encouragement and b) it's impossible to say for sure.

On the one hand, certainly you should take encouragement from a personal rejection. It's good that the premise of your book is exciting, because that's a very important start. So, please do be encouraged by this.

On the other hand, "I am sure another agent will feel differently, given how subjective reading is" is somewhat trickier to take encouragement from, because it's too bland. It's also so common as almost to be a form rejection. Rather obviously, also, she can't really be sure another agent will feel differently enough to say yes; and rather obviously reading is subjective. You need to realise that this "reading is subjective" thing is one of the most common phrases used to soften a rejection. Yes, it does mean "I didn't like it enough" but it doesn't mean "I'm the only agent in the world who won't like it enough."

The real problem you have is that this answer cannot tell you whether the "didn't warm to the writing" bit is because it genuinely wasn't to her taste or because the writing simply and more profoundly doesn't do justice to the premise.

So, should you re-write or just submit to others?

Impossible to be sure. I think you need objective feedback as to what might be "wrong" with or lacking in the writing. You might consider paying for it - but be careful who you use. You might use your writing group of you have one - but be very careful who you ask to read it because you need to know what's wrong, not what's right. If you don't have a writing group, you could ask three friends for comments - but make sure they really do know what they're looking for and that they know you want to know what's wrong. And even then, you can only revise if you agree.

Or you might hope that another agent will tell you more. But, if it's the writing (as opposed to a character or plotline) then you need more than brief feedback from an agent.

I recommend you
a) send to two or three* more agents or publishers, in case it really was subjectivity that got you the rejection in the first place, and
b) get good quality feedback at least on the first three chapters and
c) see if you can work out for yourself where the writing might be lacking.

[*Edited to add: in response to a suggestion in the comments below of sending to many more agents, no, I don't advocate sending to too many all at the same time because what if the first three all give you the same piece of advice and you decide they are right and you want to make the suggested change? You've then got a problem because all the others have still got your first version. Yes, I certainly recommend sending your MS to loads of agents, but not all at the same time.]

I'm sorry that doesn't give you a yes or no answer - but I don't think you expected one, did you?!

Any more questions for Dear Crabbit? See here for details.

DEAR CRABBIT: Can I pitch an unfinished book to an agent?

Thanks for your questions for Dear Crabbit so far. Keep them coming! For guidelines, see the Dear Crabbit page above.

You asked:

"I have read your book (AKA my bible) Write to be Published and I have one small query:
I understand why it is wrong to send a publisher an unfinished book (i.e. you are offering them a product, which may never get off the drawing board and therefore potentially wasting everyone's time.) 

"However, you say - in your book - that it's also 'against the rules' to do so with an agent (although you yourself did it, then didn't write the rest of that particular book).  

"In the case of an agent, though, if they are, as you say, interested in 'you the writer' as well as 'you the book,' are there ever grounds for making overtures towards a possible agent, ahead of completing the MS? 

DEAR CRABBIT: how long till I can follow up a query?

Hooray! The very first Dear Crabbit post! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, see this post from last week, in which I announced a change of direction for this blog.) From now on, most posts here will answer YOUR questions, in an agony auntish sort of way.

So, to kick off, you asked:

"I find it so frustrating when submitting work that it takes so long for people to get back to me - if indeed they get back at all. I know agents and editors are really busy people and have lots of manuscripts to consider, but what I would like to know is whether it is acceptable to follow up a submission when you haven't heard for months, and if so, what is the best way of doing it and after what length of time."

Let me first tackle the "I know agents and editors are really busy people and have lots of manuscripts to consider" bit, although I do realise you weren't asking that! I just want to make it absolutely clear.

It's not just that they are really busy and have lots of MSS to consider. It's also that considering an MS takes a long time; giving the feedback for a rejection takes a long time (which is why they usually don't do that) and can be fraught with problems. They may also have to consult someone else - an editor, for example, no longer makes the decision herself; she has to consult with other editors and then, if they all think it's a good idea, take it forward to an acquisitions meeting.

Only a small fraction of an agent or editor's time can be taken up on reading submissions.

But, back to the important questions. First, "whether it is acceptable to follow up a submission when you haven't heard for months" - absolutely.

Second, "after what length of time." It is acceptable to follow up after 4-6 weeks. I'd opt for six. (Unless the submission guidelines for that agent/publisher specifically specify another length of time.) Sometimes, an agency will say "If you haven't heard from us in eight weeks, assume it's a No." I think this is a little unfair because it IS possible that the thing went missing, whether posted or emailed, so I still think it's legitimate to follow up, politely, briefly, and making it very easy for the agent to reply and to know that you will not start being irritating.

Third, "what is the best way of doing it"?

An email, which needs to have the following info: your name, the date you submitted your work, the title of the work, whether you submitted by email or post.

If you submitted by email, I strongly suggest you have your original email below the reminder, so that the agent can easily scroll down and doesn't have to go searching.

An acceptable wording might be, "Sorry to bother you but I'm just checking that you received the synopsis and first three chapters of my YA historical novel, FLESHMARKET, which I emailed on June 3rd. I also know how busy agents are and I realise that it can take longer than six weeks but I just wondered what the situation was. I very much hope that you are interested but if you aren't, I would like to be able to try elsewhere."

It isn't annoying or pushy. It's perfectly reasonable. I also know that the "checking you've received" thing is a bit disingenuous, but it's very human! And emails do go missing.

There are many similar forms of wording that would work. Basically, you're just giving a little nudge without pressurising.

I think it's very important for writers to realise that agents and editors are not ogres or unreasonable. They know how much you want to be published; they know how stressful it is. There is no way that they will think less of you for sending a polite, professional and friendly email.

___________

I have quite a few Dear Crabbit questions from you guys already. Keep them coming! See the Dear Crabbit page above.

This blog it is a-changing

Some recent thoughts and happenings have come together to produce a conclusion. And the conclusion affects the fundamental nature and perhaps existence of this blog. Perhaps the blog is having an existential crisis.

Thoughts and happenings

• I've been doing this for three and a half years. There are over 600 posts, a million words etc etc. 
• I've probably said it all. 
• I'm feeling stale. Less crabbit, more jaded?
• It takes a huge amount of time. 
• I've got some writing projects and exciting things on the horizon with my existing books, which badly need my attention.
• I love helping people and I love teaching, but my energy isn't endless.
• Although most people are extremely appreciative of the fact that all this advice is free and that all the above is true, I get the occasional spiteful remark. I had a hate email the other day, along the lines of "Who do you think you are giving advice?" (But nastier! Much nastier...)
• I really really need to write, so, somehow, I have to give less time to the blog.
• I don't want to stop doing it, but I need it to change, to simplify. And I don't want to bore regular readers.

So, I've had an idea.

You ask me questions (by email). I try to answer them on the blog. Like an agony aunt, but for writers. I would answer them anonymously (unless for a specific reason we agreed that your name/link should appear.) So it could be a general question or one very specific to your situation. I can't promise to answer them all, but there would be a good chance that your question would be answered.

That way, I will be writing about the things YOU want to know about. I will answer as many questions a week as I have time for.

Interested? See the ASK A QUESTION page above. You can start asking me questions as soon as you like - I have a few posts scheduled ahead but I'll start being your crabbit aunt very soon.