How I Got My Literary Agent - Part 1

When I was in the querying trenches last year I spent many hours trawling the internet for success stories: 'How I got My Agent' posts on blogs, articles explaining the process, blah, blah, blah. Each one I read either gave me hope, or sent me into a spiral of despair. Either way, I couldn't help myself - I had to know what to expect.

But, nothing prepares you for the reality of the process. The waiting. Oh, dear God, the waiting.

Now, patience has always been an issue for me. And that is a problem if you are aspiring to become a published writer. Because there is no getting around the fact that whilst you do hear of stories where a writer has got an agent and a publishing deal within a week - these are rare.

However, despite having read other blog posts where the author clearly states - be patient, don't send your work out too early, be prepared for the long-haul - I actually pretty much ignored that advice. And it cost me a few lost opportunities. Possibly ones that would've ultimately been dead ends anyway, but I'll never know.

Having 'finished' my first ever novel in July 2014 - I set about 'polishing' it. I had some friends read it, had a few keen, aspiring writers in my writing group read it and give critique - and altered my manuscript with their feedback in mind. I thought that was good enough. I then put together my submission package: cover letter, synopsis and first three chapters (or whatever the agency had specifically requested in their guidelines) and sent it out to my chosen agents. Then I waited.

I didn't wait too long for the first rejection. Same day in fact. "Thanks for thinking of me. I've had a look but it doesn't feel right for my list." OK. Not a bad rejection, I thought. But then when nine more appeared in my inbox in the weeks and months that followed, my spirits dipped. In that first batch of ten I did get an encouraging, "I'd be happy to see anything else you write in this area", so that was a light at the end of the tunnel. But I'd read that if you don't get any requests for your full manuscript there is something wrong - either with the story itself, or your submission package.

It turns out, there were issues with both of these things for me.

In my eagerness to get my manuscript out there, I'd failed to write a compelling cover letter, and more importantly, sent my manuscript out before it was really ready.

I went back to searching the internet for guidance on cover letters and completely rewrote mine. It's very important to tailor the letter for the agent you are querying. Take time to find out about them, make the letter personal to them, create a good hook/elevator pitch, write an interesting paragraph about your story, tell the agent why you are the one to write this, give a brief writing biography, and above all FOLLOW THEIR GUIDELINES. Get the submission package right, and you're halfway there. Of course, a good cover letter will only get an agent's interest, it won't make them love your work. Whilst there are many reason's an agent won't take on a new client, if your sample material isn't well written you'll get a rejection. It's simple.

With my basic cover letter sorted I took another look at my manuscript. Having given up my job I didn't have much money in order to have it professionally edited. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised I had to do something to get it into better shape if I was to stand a chance of getting to the next stage. I did a lot of research, found some good services, including the The Writers' Workshop who offered great editing packages, but I hesitated due to my lack of funds. Then I hit the jackpot...

Twitter is an amazing place - I love it. I've found a lot of very supportive writers there, some I consider my friends despite not having met them (yet). And it was here that I found Kate Foster. At the time, Kate was nearing qualification and was offering her editing services free. Wow - now there was a stroke of luck! I contacted Kate and she agreed to take my manuscript and help me get it into shape. She was amazing. By the end of October that year I felt much more positive. Not only that, but confident that my manuscript was now as good as it could be.

So, at the beginning of November I chose nine agents (and two publishers) to send my brand new, shiny submission package to.

Out of the eleven submissions I received two personalised rejections, both of which had some really positive things to say, and FIVE full manuscript requests. I was bloody elated I can tell you.

Of course, the waiting game became unbearable once I knew I had my full manuscript in the hands of agents. The constant refreshing of emails, the Twitter-stalking, the daily "please let it be today I hear something" mantra - all the things I never thought I'd do, made life a bit of a nightmare for my family and writing group. However, they are the ones who kept me going, as well as my online writer friends who were lovely enough to encourage, support and answer my questions about the process.

Anyway, during that time I continued to submit my novel to more agents to prevent me going crazy waiting for the responses. More rejections followed, but because I'd had the full requests and was confident in my approach, these were easier to take. My first rejection of the full manuscript came in the April 2015 - five months after the initial request. It hurt. Badly. But she had some great feedback which I could take forward. I had a lovely email from the editor of a small press saying he was taking my manuscript to the acquisition meeting, which was brilliant news, and another small press then requested the full. So amongst the rejections there was also some positives.

Now, just to muddy the waters, I had begun to write my next novel once my first was out and about and in January 2015 I saw that the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award was open for submissions. I decided to enter my new novel as I thought it was more 'crimey' than my first. So I sent the first 3000 words and in May I was longlisted. See previous blog post Here for all the details. This was a totally amazing experience and I can now look back and know that it was the reason I got my agent.

Anyway, back to the story - my second 'rejection' (although this was a different sort) came in May. Now, this was from the agent that had been the first to request my full manuscript back in November 2014 - and it was a mixed rejection. I had no idea how to handle it - because although she had said it was promising and in 'some ways' impressive, she didn't like my main character (pretty damning!) and felt the novel to be too bleak. So, gutting really - but... BUT... she said she'd be happy to talk to me about me and my writing or to see anything else I might write in this area. Wow. I didn't know whether to be sad or elated, so I chose elated. This was big. Huge. Someone was interested enough to want to TALK to me!

I took a while to reply, had to wait for the shaking to subside.

Then I told her about my second, as yet unfinished novel, that had been longlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger. She came straight back to me asking to see this work-in-progress, and said we'd then "take it from there". I think I was almost sick with excitement and nerves.

I sent the first 15,000 words of 'Portrayal' - and the next day I had an email.

She didn't have the same reservations as she'd had for my first novel - and was keen to meet up.

So, a trip to London was planned...

More in part two!

Thanks for reading :)

Longlisted for CWA Debut Dagger Award!

Every year for the past 15 years, the Crime Writers' Association (CWA) has recognised new talent with its competition for unpublished writers. The Debut Dagger, as it's known, is an award judged by a panel of top crime editors and agents.

I decided to take a stab (!) at the Debut Dagger Award for 2015. I had a finished manuscript and my work-in-progress. I would've loved to have entered both: you only needed the opening 3,000 words plus the synopsis, but with a fee of £25 I hesitated, then decided I would only enter one. But which one?

For a couple of weeks I trailed the internet, read past winning entries and numerous blog posts relating to the award. It was Rebecca Bradley's blog interview with previous shortlisted author Helen Giltrow which ultimately led to my decision to enter Portrayal, my WIP. Helen's advice about having a gripping opening clinched it. Rebecca's two-part interview with Helen can be found Here and Here.

So, Portrayal - a story of secrets, revenge and people who aren't what they seem - was entered, with no real hope of it getting anywhere.

But... an email received at the end of April from the CWA Director Lucy Santos informed me otherwise.

I was totally shocked, felt a bit sick, but managed a bit of a dance!

Then I thought it must be a mistake and awaited an apologetic email to explain the error.

But it didn't come. And I'm absolutely delighted to have been longlisted for this prestigious award along with the other ten longlistees.

You can check us all out HERE

The shortlist will be announced at CrimeFest on 15th May. Unfortunately, I will not be there to hear it, but will find out shortly afterwards via email. I would, of course, be thrilled if I was to make the short list, but I'm already amazed to have got this far and I will celebrate the fact for ages to come!

Good luck to all longlistees!

I am now busy, busy, busy, finishing the first draft of my manuscript.

I would like to thank all those who have wished me luck and supported me on my journey so far.

One Lovely Blog Award - and a needed distraction

Now, I realise I've had this before - but I'm obviously delighted I have been thought of again. This time the wonderful crime writer Jane Isaac has kindly nominated me. Thank you Jane, and for the particular timing of this award - a little something she sent my way in order to keep my mind occupied - and it certainly has done that! Trying to think of 7 facts that people won't know about me has had my mind in a turmoil. I've realised just how boring I actually am. But, in the spirit of the award, I have managed a few random facts:

• Every year myself, hubby and daughter go to The Oscars. Would be amazing to go to the actual ceremony, but alas, this one is in my house. We do go all out though - champagne, cocktails, appetisers, posh dresses (well, a suit for the hubby) and ... oh dear ... even an Oscar. Yes. We are a bit mad.

• As a child I suffered terribly from travel sickness. It made any outing a trauma - for everyone concerned. I still wonder why my best friend's mum persevered and didn't dump me along the roadside on many trips. All I had to do was literally sit in the car (it didn't need to be moving) and I would chuck. Not pleasant. I passed the curse onto my sons too. One lovely trip to France was marred by countless stops to 'spill the bucket'. I have grown out of it now, thankfully :)
• Talking of childhood - I have a confession. In my last year of primary school, the school finally got its first computer - a BBC one if I remember correctly. The computer and monitor were kept in a walk-in cupboard in my classroom. During an arty project where I had painted luminous paint on a lantern, I, along with one of the boys, went into said cupboard, shut the door and in the darkness checked out if the paint shone. Hearing the teacher return to the classroom we both tried to get out of the cupboard quickly, and I accidentally knocked the monitor to the floor. The top of it had caved in. Oops. Of course, I blamed the boy. Sorry.
• I won awards for my handwriting. I was told by my headteacher that my neatness and attention to detail meant I would go far in life. I hope he's right - am I running out of time?!
• I studied with The Open University for 11 years straight. I begun with a Social Science course in view of it being the beginning of my Psychology degree, then changed direction to complete my Adult Nursing Diploma with them, once I completed that I turned my attention back to the Psychology. For ages once I'd finally finished, I felt as though a huge chunk of my life was missing, I love studying, it really is a case of life-long learning. If I had more money, I'm quite sure the OU would get me back...
•  I HATE peanut butter. Loathe it. It's an abomination. Yuk. The smell, the texture ... blurgh.
• I have a weird crush on Richard Osman. I think it's his humour, intelligence and height that do it for me ;)
  

Phew. I managed 7 facts. All completely Pointless. 

Ah, see - it's all in the humour.

So, to state the rules for The Lovely Blog Award: write seven facts about yourself, then tag some of your favourite bloggers and ask them to do the same. 

I would like to nominate the following:

Wendy Clarke - short story writer who is writing her debut novel (really - she IS)
Karen Long - author of The Vault and The Safe Word who I've recently had the pleasure of 'meeting' on Twitter
Carol Hedges Author, and lovely Tweeter who makes me laugh :)

Don't feel pressured though! I will look forward to some random facts if you decide to take up the challenge.

Thanks again to Jane (that's one week of waiting taken care of!)

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment.

So Many Books!

I was rather shocked to find that I had only read 12 books (and 2 of those had been short story collections) in 2014. I use Goodreads a lot, I love adding the books I have read, sharing with others and seeing their recommendations. I also find it invaluable to check out reviews before deciding on which book to purchase next. Goodreads keeps track of your books and gives you Your Year in Books (hence why I know how little I've read!) You can also set yourself a reading challenge each year and a nifty bar chart tells you how far towards your goal you are.

Anyway, to get to the point. I want to read more in 2015. Mostly this is because I have a shelf-load of unread books - not to mention a fair few stacked on my Kindle - which I really must read! My problem, like many other people's, is that I cannot help buying new books. So, all I am doing is adding to the ever-increasing stack of 'to-reads' and therefore making it even less likely that I'm ever going to get through them. Of course, you HAVE to buy new books - it's impossible not to. I find new authors daily and think "I must read their book" and heaven help me on Twitter, because I come across so many recommendations from those I follow that I can spend hours just making lists of must haves. And then, don't get me started on the amazing Liz Barnsley. Her Book Review website is FULL of the aforementioned 'must haves' and she reads SO much that it is always being updated. Honestly, I am in awe. If you ever get stuck for something to read you simply must check her site out.

I have decided to add a 'Book Review' page to my blog. If I have the added incentive of reviewing, I may manage to get through more books. Well, that's the theory anyway. I have started by adding a couple of books that I have already reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads and will continue to add my previously read books before I start adding new reviews. I am currently reading Sarah Hilary's No Other Darkness, due for release on 23rd April in the UK so I will ensure I review that one soon.

Have you got any reading goals this year? I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for dropping by - and Happy Reading! Oh, and as this is my first post this year HAPPY NEW YEAR too :)

The Nano Bug

Yes, the NanoWriMo  bug has hit me too. Looking at a lot of blogs since November the 1st, I can see a number of my fellow writers are partaking this year. Very exciting! (Go Jan!!)

I am also in good company as a few writers from my online writer group are involved. There's nothing like some healthy competition and great support to see you through the long days of staring at a screen! 

Plus, other must-haves are a good supply of coffee, some upbeat music and biscuits.                                              

Oh well. At least I should have 50,000 words down on the first draft of my second novel. Now, that's a great thought.

I wish everyone who is taking part a massive GOOD LUCK. There are numerous articles on the NanoWriMo site and on Twitter to inspire and motivate, as well as the likes of  Nano Sprints which gives prompts and encourages you to write for a set number of minutes then post how you did.

So, no excuses...

See you on the other side :)

Agatha Christie Festival

I had a lovely time last week visiting the International Agatha Christie Festival which was held at Torre Abbey, Torquay.

I am ashamed to say that despite having lived a mere 11 miles from Torre Abbey my entire life, I had never visited. So, what better excuse than the Agatha Christie Festival?

The festival ran from Sunday 14th - Sunday 21st and I managed to get there twice.

Danika looked lovely in this fetching red hat!

The first Sunday I took my daughter for the 'All Things Vintage and Lovely Fair'. We had a wonderful time wandering among the many stalls, trying on hats and checking out the jewellery,




Having scoured the stalls, we then walked around the Abbey itself. Part-gallery, part-museum and part-historic house, it was a really interesting visit. Danika particularly enjoyed the 'Harry Potter style' moving pictures!


For me though, the best was yet to come.

Saturday morning; nervous, excited, not sure what to expect - I went back to the Abbey for the Crime Writers Workshop. This was my first ever workshop run by an actual author (Actual! Published and everything!) Honestly, I was a bit of a wreck. 

Anyway, I was first in. And there to greet me was Sarah Hilary - author of Someone Else's Skin, which  has been chosen for Richard and Judy's Book Club.

What a wonderful experience. Sarah created such a relaxed atmosphere that my nerves soon went and I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. Sarah gave really good advice about such things as writing a synopsis, character development and finding an agent. She was open and honest about her own journey and was a real inspiration. I also met with like-minded writers and hope that we will keep in touch to share our journeys to becoming published authors. 

Sarah stayed to sign copies of her book. I wish her every success with her debut novel and the ones that will follow, she really is a lovely 'normal' (now an in-joke) person! You can follow her on Twitter here

One Lovely Blog Award

I have been nominated for the "One Lovely Blog Award" by the inspirational Vanessa Wester: short story writer, novelist and Twitter friend! Thank you Vanessa :)
CLICK HERE for her post.

You can follow Vanessa on Twitter HERE she is great to follow, always up for a chat and often posts scrummy pictures of baked goods too!

Okay, so for this award you have to give 7 facts about yourself... Now, this is going to be the hard part. Not long ago I did the same thing for a different award, so I have been racking my brain trying to come up with another 7 facts about myself that aren't too dull. It's been a challenge - but I don't like to back down from a challenge therefore will give it a shot. Forgive me if they are boring!

First though - THE RULES!

• Link back to the blog of the person who nominated you
• Share 7 facts about yourself
• Nominate 15 blogs that you particularly like, or fewer if you can’t think of 15
• If I’ve nominated your blog, please don’t feel obliged to take part if you don’t want to, just revel in the fact you’ve been nominated – but if you can that would be fab!

Here goes then -

1- When I feel sad, lost or just in need of inspiration, I am drawn to the sea, (this is cheating really as I mentioned this before - but I'm adding in my all time favourite place to be in this post, so it's a bit different!)  My favourite place is Porthleven in Cornwall - it's the most amazing place where in rough weather the sea can reach the church. Spectacular scenes!

2 - The very first short story that I wrote and sent off got published. I was completely gob smacked as well as being hyper for at least a week. This, however, lulled me into a false sense of security - it took a number of further attempts before my next success! But - it gave me such a buzz and increased my confidence so much that I will never forget that acceptance email! It's nice to think back to it whenever I get a rejection, that's for sure (of which there have been numerous lately!)

3 - My best friend Tracey has been my friend since we were two years old. We have been through so many ups and downs in those 39 years - but have continued to be there for each other and support one another through life's journeys - we have a bond that will never be broken.  I have just got back from coffee with her and it's the first child-free coffee we've had for years, her last child has just started school. 

4 - It took me 67 driving lessons before I felt confident to attempt my test. My instructor used to say to me "You may take longer than most, but you will be safer than most". Bless him. I think he was really fed up with seeing me come the end. He finally got rid of me after I passed on the second attempt.

5 - I became an Auntie for the first time at the grand old age of 7. My sister is 17 years older than me, and was much like a mother to me when I was growing up. I remember being such a proud auntie and when I was taken to the hospital for my first visit with my niece, I sat by her cot and refused to let anyone else see her!  

6 - I stole my first pet from my neighbour.

Before you think badly of me, it wasn't 'proper' stealing... as such... Thomas the kitten used to play in my garden, I was about 6 at the time and I loved him so much that I 'prevented' him from going back in his own garden - in a nice way - I played with him for hours and used to dress him up and put him in my pram and wheel him around (he did enjoy this I promise - I have photos somewhere to prove it!) Anyway, in the end the neighbours gave in and just told my Mum to let me keep him! He was the best cat - he died when I was 15 and it felt like my world had ended. Now I have Chester - and he's amazing, he has given me a fright recently but is still with us. 

7 - Charlotte's Web was the first book I remember being 

completely enthralled by and the first that I read in just one sitting. My love of reading came from my Dad. He used to take me to the library every week and I looked forward to it greatly. I loved all the adventure books by Enid Blyton too, particularly "The Sea of Adventure" Great stuff!

Well, that's it!

I haven't nominated the full 15 (I know cheating again) as I am a bit worried the ones I would have nominated would have emitted a loud groan as it wasn't long ago that I tagged them for the last one!

Here are my somewhat fewer nominations:

Jan Baynham

Fran Clark

Wendy Clarke

Mary Papas

Patsy Collins

James Smith

Andrew Webber

Amanda Green

Click on each name to get to their blog!

Thanks for reading :)