Agents

11th April, 2008

I was thinking about agents last night and how it seems to be the stumbling block for many of us writers.

If I had a penny for every time someone told me that it is almost impossible for a new writer (who isn't a celebrity or related to or sleeping with a celebrity) to get an agent then I would have...well enough to buy a crunchy bar certainly.

Anyway, for the sake of the group I shall share my experiences.

In the second year of my MA in Creative Writing a few years ago the course leader asked a few of us to submit the first three chapters and synopsis to an agent who would then be coming up to meet us.  WE WERE SO EXCITED.  I was already planning my outfit for the book launch... I just knew that this was my moment and she would snap me up.

So

Agent One 

 Her feedback on my three chapters was:

'The writing's not up to much.' 

Followed by some stuff about my lead character being unlikable and unsympathetic.

Oh :(

A fellow writer emailed me and said to rip up her comments.  It was too late - I'd already burned them in a little wheelie bin ceremony.

Later - I realised the agent had a point about my character and I tweaked her a little. 

Agent Two

 'She certainly writes well and creates atmosphere brilliantly... reading it quite happily... not sufficiently strong storyline.'

 Oh :(

Agent Three

 'It was a good read.  Has some intriging pith to it which I liked... but on balance reservations about the two voices..'.

Agent Four and Five

Sort of both said 'not quite what we are looking for.' 

It is sort of disheartening... but I guess it is a rights of passage that we all have to go through... 

Maybe....

I read that two thousand books get published a week in the UK... that can't be right surely...

I say Hurrah for Independant Publishers

Like Tonto Books

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