Hi gang,
I met my agent yesterday and we've signed an agreement. It's a very strange feeling so I thought I'd share it with you all.
It's an enormous relief to have someone in the business on my side, working for me, who believes my work is publishable. At the same time - and this is the thing I hadn't anticipated - I now feel as if I'm writing FOR him. I've been writing seriously for less than three years and in that time my overwhelming ambition has been to see my work published. That hasn't changed but I realise that until now, I've been writing what I wanted to write. Now I find I have a little devil sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear, 'I don't think he'll like that... no you can't write that...' I'm sure I'll get used to it but, like I said, it's a very strange feeling.
I'm stepping into what is, for me, unknown territory here. If anyone is interested in the processes that follow, let me know and I'll keep you posted.
Cheers,
Dee.

Well done Dee, and do please keep us posted. Fingers crossed for a huge advance!

I hope you do keep us posted,Dee.

It will be not only useful hearing aobut your experiences but motivating as well!

It's great when people actually succeed after lots of hard work; and besides, I think those who do should be allowed to enjoy the experience, not just the financial returns ( although I hope there's loads of that too!)

Funny what you were saying about people looking over you shoulder, I became a driving instructor so I could be my own boss and be more creative...only now, I'm afraid Big Brother is invading us more and more!

Maybe that's why I've decided to persue the writing more, but from what you say about agents???



Hilary.

Well done, Dee - excellent news! Do let us know how you get on.

Congrats!

Anne B

Hi Dee.
Now you are on the road to success, don't forget old friends, such as the Bradford ones.

Well done, Dee. Enjoy every moment and always write for yourself. Len

Thanks, O'Leary. And many thanks to everyone else. It's great to be able to celebrate with like-minded people.
Dee.

Well done, and yes, keep us posted on the process please.

Gaudeamus igitur......celebratory dumps for Dee! Huzzah! Regular dispatches from the front, please.

Mr T

Well done Dee! How long did it take and how many rejections did you have? What was the actual meeting like? Formal or informal?

Thank you, James!
How long did it take? About 18 months. Looking back on the query letters - not to mention the chapters I sent - at the begining of the process, I can understand why the earlier ones weren't interested. That's why I started the thread about Query letters, because I think they are just as important as the synopsis and we can all help each other with them.
How many rejections? Gawd, I lost count after a while! About 25-30 I would think. I had set myself a target: if I got to 20 rejections I would seriously consider whether I was good enough. So, when I got to 19, I kinda lost count...

The meeting was at his home/office. Very informal, very relaxed. He has a huge experience of the writing world and I thought I would be a little in awe of him but I wasn't. He was very interested in what other writing I was doing. I gave him an outline and the first couple of chapters of the next novel I'm working on and told him what else I had in the pipeline.
I've said this in another thread but I can't stress it enough. Agents and publishers are not interested in one-book-writers. They want to see long-term working partnerships.

On a completely different subject: I see you have spent time in Amsterdam. In the new novel I'm working on at the moment, the main character is from Amsterdam, although he has lived in England for many years. Would you be willing to help me out with a few local details if I need them and er... how can I put it... the occasional colloquialism?
cheers,
Dee.

It's interesting to hear from someone who has had this experience, Dee. So far, I've had about 20 rejections too, but have now been asked to submit a full MS to an agent, so I'm pretty chuffed about it. I felt my opening chapters were a bit slow, and am fairly happy with the rest, so I'm crossing fingers...either way, it's exciting to know someone professional is going to read the whole thing. So far, I've not let anyone have the privelidge. Not even friends or family. I don't really know why - well, it's because I want to present a properly printed book rather than a stack of A4 paper!!!

When I first started sending out my samples, the book wasn't edited or polished, and after the first ten rejections, and a near miss , I edited and revised the book and then started sending it out again. This time, the feedback has been a lot more encouraging, so I totally agree with presenting your best side. I found the advice in the artists and writers yearbook invaluable, and on sites like this, it's absolutely brilliant to connect with people having similiar experiences.
I'll never undervalue how much I have learnt!

I also agree with the 'one book' theory. Not one to rest on my laurels, I've already plotted two new novels, and a novella AND a possible sequel to the first book. The two new novels I've started writing concurrently as they are very different and it's a challenge. Of course, if I get as far as meeting this agent, I'll express this desire to continue to create novels and indeed, have always done this in my introductory letters. It's good advice you're giving here.

I did live in Amsterdam for a year about seven years ago, and to be honest, I don't remember that much about it...I was pretty reckless when I was there, and hung out with a bunch of Irish and French lads, so I didn't really get to grips with local culture much. If I were you, I'd go spend a week or so there. It's a very pretty, astonishing place, and it's really cheap to get a return flight now. The Dutch are very friendly people, so I'm sure you'd have no trouble at all finding out the information you want

James x

<Added>

I remember it was very very flat outside the city, and that the winter was bitterly cold. All the canals froze and the pipes burst in the squat I was staying in. I was utterly in love with someone who spoke very little English, and took to wearing a bobbly hat for some strange reason, after the sleeve of my army jacket caught fire one night...:)

I'm fine now.

Thanks James,

By one of those wonderful moments of synchronicity, I've just heard that a friend of mine is going to Amsterdam for a long weekend on Friday. So I've given her a list.

Oodles of good luck with this agent. To be asked for the full ms is a huge step in the right direction. Keep us posted.
Dee.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S O G E N I U S !!!!!

(bit belated, but heartfelt nevertheless: I really must visit the Forum more often).

Onwards & upwards --

Richard

Dee dah, dee dee dee dee Dee Dah!!!!!

Oh, thank you, Norman.
Dee Dah.
xx

Aw, shucks. You weren't supposed to guess!

Britney xxx