Cornerstones Interview

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Au bord du monde 1 by nezelette

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WriteWords talks to Helen Corner, founder of Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and literary agency talent scouts

Tell us something about your background.

I used to work at Penguin and part of my job was to process the slush pile. They have an automatic rejection policy, as do the majority of publishers, and I felt that while many submissions were obvious turn-downs, there were some that sparkled with promise but needed work. I wasn’t able to give feedback – we didn’t have the time or the resource – so I set up a business that could provide just that.

Cornerstones & Kids’Corner is one of the founding UK literary consultancies and has been going for ten years. We provide editorial feedback on manuscripts (MSS) for any author – published or unpublished; run self-edit workshops; and scout for agents. We work mainly on word of mouth with agents and publishers and writers. Our ethos is simple: if I can talk to an author and tell them in five minutes what they may spend a year finding out then I consider that a good thing all round, whether they end up using our service or not. Our intention is to coach the author through the writing and self-editing process and to raise their writing to the next level. If their MS is ready to submit we then coach the author on how to present themselves and their work professionally to the trade, or if we’re passionate about the MS then we submit it to agents. We have lots of schemes going on – competitions, top tips, and announcements on who’s looking for what. Authors should sign up to our email round-robin by emailing me at Helen@cornerstones.co.uk so they can be part of our writing community.
Our fees are competitive. We’re not the cheapest but we are good value for money considering our reader/teacher expertise and what we offer as an all-round service. Our fees vary depending on whether the MS is children’s, adult fiction or non-fiction and what type of report the author would like – General or In-depth. The fees also reflect word-length. So, to give an idea of range, it can be Ł140 + VAT for a report on three picture books, Ł226 + VAT for an In-depth Report on a 40,000 word middle-reader novel, to Ł350 + VAT for a General Report on a 100,000 word novel.

How do you find your writers? Or how do they find you?

Mainly by word of mouth and referral from agents, writers and publishers. We’re also on The Society of Authors list of recommended LCs. We’re on many leading literary agency sites and publishers such as HarperCollins, Orion, Random House, Hodder, etc. But really we work on a reciprocal basis with agents, where they refer authors to us and we refer authors back to them. Agencies such as, Felicity Bryan, Andrew Mann, Celia Catchpole, Toby Eady, Conville & Walsh, Eve White, Diane Banks, RCW, RLA, LAW, Andrew Lownie, Caroline Sheldon, MBA, PFD, Greenhouse, and many others. This is a free process to agents, and we’re the only LC to do that, so agents are willing to read our authors’ material and we’re strict about what we pass through so we usually get a result.

Just this month, we submitted nine authors to agents – MSS that we’ve worked on with the authors for the past year. Three now have representation, and one has already had her ms sent to publishers; two authors are due to meet agents and two have had a request to see more material. The other three I’m waiting on a response. We’re so keen on their work that even if it’s a turn down we’ll approach another agent. In fact, just now the phone went with a request to see some material of another author. It’s so exciting when that happens.

What excites you about a piece of writing-

If I read something that tests my emotions, and I learn something, and if I keep turning the page to find out how the characters will react and what happens next, then I love it. It is also very much to do with voice: do I like it and am I intrigued, and do I want to go on the journey with him/her. But the test of time is the language and characters. Writing that I’m passionate about echoes within me for years. It somehow sticks to the fabric of who you are. For instance, I read a MS five years ago by one of the authors in the above list who’s now due to meet an agent. Her weaving, lyrical style and fresh imagery and real characters stayed with me. I tried placing her with an agent back then but couldn’t – they just didn’t bite. I then ran a ‘Wowfactor’ competition in which she was shortlisted with her second novel. Her second novel has had a similar effect on me and it now looks like she’s ready to be published, or the industry is ready for her. Either way, I’m so glad she persevered.

and what makes your heart sink?

Bad writing combined with an arrogant or lazy author approach. But luckily, this is far and few between.

A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
Click here to learn more about becoming a member.

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Comments by other Members

Steerpike`s sister at 16:54 on 23 November 2007 Report this post

Teach Yourself: How to Write a Blockbuster is really good, full of useful, above all practical, advice. The title put me off it at first, but I'm glad I read it. It's not about how to write a blockbuster at all! :)