The End Is The Beginning
These sessions are now complete, and those of you
who have worked through it from the beginning are now at the stage where you
need to bring your own critical judgement into play and decide whether your
novels will stand up to the scrutiny of a publisher’s reader or literary agent.
Because this is a first novel, it is advisable to complete the typescript
before approaching a publisher or agent, simply because these days few are
willing to work with a new novelist on the basis of a synopsis and sample
chapters. Writing a novel always takes much longer than planned, especially
when there are other aspects of life to get in the way, and you need to be in a
position to come up with the goods if a publisher likes what he sees. If there
are still months of work before the typescript is finished, the offer might be
withdrawn if the publisher has to wait — or the commissioning editor moves on
to another company.
In an article published in The Author, the quarterly journal of
the Society of Authors, a commissioning editor admitted that if she wasn’t sold
on an idea in five minutes, then the proposal was rejected because this was the
length of time she had to sell the idea at the monthly commissioning
meeting. This is why it is essential to make every word count and why a great
deal of time and effort should be made when putting together your submission
package.
For the purpose of this exercise, you are asked to prepare a covering letter,
synopsis and two-three sample chapters. Admittedly, most of those taking part
will have a long way to go before their novels are finished and ready to go but
it’s an exercise that might just tip the balance in your favour when the time
comes. Most publishers have very strict rules about whether they will, or will
not, accept submissions via email, so make a point of studying the websites of
those who publish in your genre as they usually include detailed submission
guidelines.
The Synopsis
Any successful author will tell you that preparing a synopsis is almost
as difficult as writing the whole damned book! It’s the ultimate test in
editing skills and every word must count in terms of conveying an overview of
both plot and characters. For such an important element of the creative writing
process, however, there are no ‘carved in stone’ guidelines as to the correct
length of the thing, and individual editor’s requirements can differ quite
considerably: as can the instructions given in the various how-to books.
Popular writing tutor, Chriss McCallum, gives the following advice,
which is pretty standard throughout the industry. She tells us to send: “A
concise synopsis of the whole novel, written in the present tense . Touch on
key scenes, making it clear who is your main character, what their ultimate
goal is, who and what stands between them and that goal. Show how the story
ends. New writers often try to conceal the ending in an attempt to intrigue.
This is a big mistake. The agent or editor needs to be able to assess the
story as a whole.”
Generally speaking, the synopsis should be no longer than one A4 page
and single spaced, although it is not uncommon for some to be anything
from 5-10 pages! Keep it short, sharp and concise; make every word count and
spend some time in getting it right. Don’t leave it until the last minute. In
fact, think of it as a job application and give it your best shot.
Ask yourself: ‘Would this tempt me into
buying the book?’ If in doubt ask someone else
The Sample Chapters
The sample should consist of the first two-three chapters, not a random
selection from the middle of the book. It is not uncommon for a publisher to
receive Chapters 35 and 54 with the explanation that these are considered to be
the best example of the writer’s work! As we’ve said before, the story
must hook the attention from the first page and if it doesn’t, no one is going
to bother turning to page two. Everything hinges on that opening but once
hooked, the reader will, hopefully, go on to judge your writing style and
story-telling ability.
Make sure that the presentation is crisp and readable (no fading ink
cartridges if submitting by post), double-spaced and runs to approx 50-pages in
order to give a fair representation of the plot/storyline. Attach a cover sheet
stating title, author’s name contact details, together with a word count.
The Covering Letter
Again, keep it sharp and concise. Do not include details not pertinent
to the novel since your contribution to the parish magazine doesn’t interest a
professional editor … unless the plot revolves around such a scenario. Do
include any professional credit as this gives the indication that you are able
to work to a deadline.
Check on the commissioning editor’s name and address the letter/email to
them personally. This shows you’ve not merely stuck a pin in the Writers’
& Artists’ Yearbook, although it does give good advice on the
preferred method of approach for each publishing house or agent … ignore this
at your peril. Bear in mind that personnel change, so phone the switchboard and
ask for the name of the editor in charge of, for example, romantic fiction.
Lastly, and most important, don’t forget to include adequate return
envelope and postage if submitting by post.
Publishers & Agents
Hopefully, all the time you’ve been working on your typescript, you’ll
have been keeping an eve on who’s publishing your sort of story and will have
an idea of who’s going to be the recipient of your prized baby. Again, there is
little point leaving this until the last minute … successful authors should
know as much about the marketplace as they do about writing.
It’s often been said that it takes twice as long to sell a piece of
writing as it does to write it. The road to publication is a long one and
fraught with disappointments and pitfalls and it helps to understand a little
of what goes on behind the scenes. Remember that an agent doesn’t receive a
penny until your book has been sold and fewer are taking on new writers, simply
because the time and effort spent trying to market the typescript may be more
than its worth in terms of commission. You may be pleased with an offer of a
£2,000 advance but the agent will have only earned £200, which may not cover
the expense of selling it.
Whilst it is now generally considered permissible to simultaneously
submit your typescript to several publishers, it is not considered good form to
try to hook more than one agent at a time. They do talk to each other
and will not be best pleased to find that you’ve been dealing with a
competitor. Both agents and publishers are notoriously slow in getting back to
the author, who is nervously chewing their fingernails and anxiously waiting
for a reply. So how long do we give them to respond?
Someone should manage to make some sort of response within a month. If
you haven’t heard back within that time, send the typescript off to the next
one on your list. Some publishers state they don’t want to receive simultaneous
submissions and this is fine if they get back to you by return. One writer of
our acquaintance has been waiting over a year for a reply, having been asked
to submit the full typescript and does not want to jeopardise her chances by
sending it to someone else. Personally, I wouldn’t have given it six weeks —
but then this is where personal choice comes into the equation.
Starting on the Next One
Once you’ve finished your novel and it’s been bagged up and shipped off
to its first destination, start thinking about the next one. Publishers like to
think you’ve got something else in the pipeline because these days they are not
interested in one-off novelists, so make sure you mention Number Two in your
covering letter, even if it’s only in the planning stages.
Be prepared for the second novel being more difficult to write than the
first. This is probably because you will have temporarily emptied your store of
spontaneous creativity. Don’t worry, it will come back if you use the same
formula for plotting but you may have to work a little harder to come up with
new thoughts rather than simply rehashing ideas from your first book.
DIY – DTP
There is an alternative to consider in publishing your novel yourself –
and nothing could be easier. Have a look
at Amazon.Kindle and the various on-line companies that can produce the book on
a ‘print on demand’ basis. You won’t
earn a fortune but your novel will be out there. It is important to have it professionally
proof-checked because no matter how thorough we think we are, spelling
mistakes, grammatical errors and typos always slip through the net.
Exercise – Session 6
- Prepare a synopsis as per the brief given in Session 6. And take your time – this is an important part of the submission process.
- Prepare the new first three opening chapters even if the rest of the novel hasn’t been proof-checked.
- Prepare a covering letter that includes any information pertinent to the novel submission.
- Make a list of where you intend sending your novel, either direct to a publisher or via a literary agent. And list your reasons for selecting this route.
- Think carefully. Have you any plans for a second novel at this stage? If so, is it a fresh idea, or will you be attempting to breathe new life into an old one?
- Do you feel that the sessions has been beneficial in helping you to understand what is required by today’s publishing industry? Is there any aspect that you feel should have been included that we haven’t discussed? Any comments would be appreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment