Swiss-Miss - good luck with your submissions. Good advice here and I would recommend checking with agents before you post your work; for example I know that PFD don't represent anyone living outside the UK.

And Traveller- dear oh dear, whatever did I do to offend you so? Parasite?! A necessary evil?! You're right, I don't have 'qualifications', but as Geoff points out, do you? Do you have a certificate that proclaims you to be a talented writer? Of course not, because that's not the way it works. I do what I do simply because I believe in the power and importance of language and the written word.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I don't see the necessity in being so hostile to a group of people whose involvement in your career is essential if you want to be published.

And by the by, speaking for 'cash registers' everywhere - there's a little more to it. I'm currently working with two new writers to edit their books, as publishing houses just won't do it anymore - and it's not earning me a penny. Considering the salaries of most people in this business, money isn't our first motivation.

Katie

(and apologies for ranting on your thread Swiss-Miss)

Romilly welocme I guess you do have different difficulties but equaly your journalism may give you an edge


as a reply to some of the comments that have been made;_

we all write and thus presuambly consider ourselves or would like to consider ourselves professional writers.

I do know something about marketing and selling and believe me it is who you know not what you know.

It requires a lot of legwork and background too sell something and to know your market and where to place things etc.

OK an agent may not seemingly spend much time as a % of the whole in placing your work but if he /she places it and gets you a reasonable deal then they will have done so probably a lot more quickly efficiently and effectively than you would yourself. Leaving you to do what you do best write.

as for agents fees seems to me 90% of something is a hell of a lot better than 100% of nothing.

I am sure Elspeth will give us an agents perspective.


take care all

david

<Added>

i must have been typing this at the same time as elspeth

Perhaps my comments were exaggerated - i blame it on giving up smoking - sorry if i caused anyone any offence!

No worries! (And well done for giving up - not easy I know)

Katie

Katie

Yes, I was aware that PFD don't take submissions outside the UK, but I was hoping that seeing as I am originally from England, they might overlook it. Plus I was envisaging that if I got 'The Call', then I would happily fly to the UK to get on with all the necessary agent lunches, book signings in the Cotswalds, etc etc :-)

In fact I only sent a request to send chapters to PFD and I am not totally sure they would be right for me anyway. Thanks for pointing that out though.