Hi all

I sent my book out in a huge mail shot and one, very high profile, agency wrote and asked for the rest. They liked it on the whole but felt it wasn't for them because of x, y and z. They asked me to send them anything else I wrote. Instead, I changed two of the three things they didn't like and sent it back. They were right and it improved the book enormously.

They wrote back and said, yes, it was much better but still not right for them. Again send them anything else etc.

I changed the final thing (the ending) to something I really hated (am at the point where I will write it in my children's blood if they so require) and this time got 'aha, much better. Identify the "meat" and send it back'. Each of these replies arrived four or five days after I'd sent it out and came from an Editor.

In a flash of masterful inspiration (?) I found the 'meat', changed the end to something I loved and sent it back for a fourth viewing. This time it has been gone for over three weeks without a word. Reading through these threads I get the impression that agents phone if they are excited by your work. Is it more likely to have gone on a 'I've had enough of reading this' pile?

I am encouraged by the fact that they sent it to a reader for a report (and were kind enough to forward that to me) and have read it three times so they must have invested time and money in it. But am a little alarmed by the length of time it's been gone...

Any ideas? Or, more importantly, similar experiences? And did any of them end happily?

Thanks

That is a difficult one to answer, because you have no idea what is happening at the agency and no way of finding out without bugging them with phone calls (which they hate).
Best case scenario is the ms has been handed on to someone higher in the agency to read. Medium/limbo case is they are just busy. Worst case, it'll come back with another 'great, but not for us' comment. In which case you've gone as far as you can with it, at least as far as this agency is concerned, and it's time to start on the next Novel - which at least you'll know they are keen to see, so it won't be 'unsolicited' in the pure sense of the word. I'm not saying give up on your first one, certainly submit it round the other agencies, but Agencies do like authors to have more than one pan on the boil before signing them up to two or three book deals.

- NaomiM

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Come to think of it, the London Book Fair is coming up shortly, so they're probably just busy.

Thanks for that. It turned out (came back this morning) to be option 'a'. It went up the line.

And they've sent back a four-page list of corrections (and bar one exception really necessary when someone points them out). And a request for its prompt return.

Am I on my way? I'm assuming if someone read it at this level (and it must have taken two whole days to report on it in such detail) that they're really interested.

I've done rewrites before when asked and know I can, and that I can do it quickly. If I get this right, what are my chances? Any ideas?

Thanks for your support: I've learnt loads about this process from reading this site and it's really helped! Bizarrely, just as I get my synopsis right (with advice and examples from here) I might not need it anymore...

Certainly looks like they're interested, and your prompt responses to their suggestions for changes has paid off. Still that ladder to climb and there's no guarantees anywhere along it, but fingers crossed for you.
Best of luck


- NaomiM

Best of luck. Let us know how you get on

Thank you! I haven't stopped sending it out elsewhere...but I'm soooooo excited.

I've started my rewrites!

I'd say this has to be enormously positive. No guarantees, but....

CONGRATULATIONS!

Rosy

Yep, looks like you are getting into the 'last furlong' stage. I had a similar experience to you with the requests for changes and resubmissions: I signed with my agent about two weeks ago. However, the gap between getting them the ms in a form that they were happy with, and getting the final call to ask me to go and meet with them was a little prolonged to say the least.

Keep submitting, just in case, but it would seem that you are getting very close to THE CALL.

Well done. Keep the faith.

Stefland

Thanks for that: I really hope you're right! Only trouble is, I can't sleep now: rewrites going round and round and round in my head...!

The pressure of waiting for the last one back nearly did for me, this one's going to be so much worse. I start tomorrow, head down, no social life, no nothing, for as long as it takes.

Thanks for the support.

No guarantees, but yes, hugely positive. Very best of luck with the revisions, and the outcome...

Emma

Thank you: these are big cheeses, lots of major politicians and people everyone's heard of. Re the revisions they said 'we think you have talent and believe you can fix this'. I want to believe it too!

Then I was a bit disconcerted by looking at earlier posts about how much first-time novelists get: I know that sounds mercenary but I've quit work to do this and we need the money! If my advance was £5,000, they would only be getting £750 (assume that's right, but I write better than I count) out of me: I can't believe they'd get out of bed for that sum. In fact, I'm pretty sure they've spent more than that on me already (reports, opinions of several different people that this editor says she has represented in her letter). Do more high profile agents get bigger money for their writers? I did write this to be entirely commercial and with the Richard and Judy Book Club as my target market. It'll never win the Booker but would be great on a sun lounger with a mojito in your hand...

Many authors do get very small advances - goodness knows how they survive - I expect a lot carry one working the day job. Wasn't that JKs advice from her agent -carry on teaching?
It is, as you say, even less for the agents but then they tend to rep a lot of writers and of course, live in hope that they'll make even more on the royalties.
My agent pushed for the biggest advance he could - not just because he wanted a bigger payment up front but also because he felt that when publishers had invested a certain amount in you from the start they felt bound to spend on publicity and distribution to recoup.
For me that has proved an excellent tactic.
That said he's only a tiny agency so clout wasn't the factor - just the saleability of the book.

Pachelbel, that's great news. Best of luck with it.

It's true about authors - 80% of the members of the Society of Authors earn less than £10,000 a year by their writing. There's scarcely a writer in the country who can earn a decent living solely from sitting down and writing the books they want to write. The rest ghost/teach/do editorial service reports/work in bookshops/libraries or have partners who earn enough that they only need half an income anyway. A £500 PLR payout can make all the difference, which is why it's so awful that the Arts Council have cut the PLR fund this year.

Agents do see you as a long-term prospect. Given, as you say, the average first-time advance it must be very common to only just break even - if that - on the first book or two. I think my agent did on TMoL, but it's not me paying the mortgage on their offices, that's for sure...

Don't forget they will go on getting their cut of your royalties for as long as it's in print. Plus a higher commission on sub rights, if they're selling them for you. Every little helps

I don't know if more high-profile agents are better at getting bigger money by definition, except that with a track-record of being right about their clients prospects/sales, they can perhaps be more persuasive in selling to editors. They certainly can get submissions read quicker than unknowns. On the other hand to a big agent you may be a very small fish, whereas a smaller one, or someone who's just starting up on their own you're much more important, and get the attention to match.

Emma

So, we're not holidaying in Cuba and paying off the mortgage if it all comes off then... I got my hopes up reading (somewhere) that Lisa Jewell got £120,000 for a two book deal when she sold Ralph's Party.

Thank you for replying: was a welcome break from rewrites...

The other thing to remember is that you don't get those big five figures or six figures all at once, and you have to subtract 15%+VAT agent's commission. Even a good big number like Lisa Jewell's is spread over some years, and plays havoc with your cashflow and your tax bill alike. Plus, if the UK publisher bought world rights (which they always try and do these days), there are no more bits and pieces for the sub rights coming direct to you. Anything your publishers get for US rights (which is the really substantial one), translation rights and so on, less their 20% cut, just goes towards earning out your advance.

Emma

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FWIW, my agent's view is that these days the majority of deals are either in the £10-20,000 bracket, or everyone's keen enough, just occasionally, that it gets into six figures, but as I said, over two books that doesn't come out as much as you'd think. But it's rarer and rarer.