At one point at this Spring's 2011 Insider's Guide to How to Get Published I feared that a few writers might actually flay our lovely yearbook editor for not providing them with the definitive, catch-all answer to securing a book deal. In fairness to Jo, her talk was on How to Assemble a Book Proposal and not on The Definite Failsafe Guide to Avoiding Rejection.
I understand the vexation of course. why would anyone ask you to run a gauntlet after completing a marathon? and yet that's exactly what agents do demand. every single agency site now seems to offer up their own particular rules applying to how you should submit a query to them. why do agencies do it? to distinguish the professional from the riffraff? to test your mettle? or simply a personal preference of someone who, more than likely, is no longer even with the company?
let's look at it from the agent's point of view. they have thousands of submissions each year, and it seems reasonable to ask you - the individual - to take the time to demonstrate that you are serious and not a time waster. what they ignore, or simply don't care to entertain, is that you are repeating this exercise countless times. and now from your point of view. you are exactly that - one person. with commitments and responsibilities. why should you be faced with this extra administrative task that is time-consuming, frustrating and often disheartening?
is standardization across the board the answer? or personalization?
what would standardization mean? the negative impact of one size fits all? or a professional standard to which all agents could buy into? some common ground on which they could all unite. a template they could direct all writers too, found on the writers' & artists' website.
what might personalization entail? an agency may very well specify that they are interested in literary fiction but, as anyone in publishing knows, choices at the early stages are often subjective. I once worked with an agent who was specifically interested in international women's stories but had a real aversion to magic realism. she could have been sent a script by isabelle allende, and would have turned it down. what if agents and editors had personal profiles on the writers & artists site listing their preferences? i'm not talking crime fiction or science fiction here but more subtle preferences i.e, a love of urban literature or time slips or confessional narratives. now surely that would be a more effective and satisfying way of finding a match?
what would you rather? should Writers' & Artists' be launching a campaign on your behalves for Standardizatin or Personalization?
(Editorial Manager)
Hello,
I think personalisation. After all, agents and publishers go for personalities they can market these days. Someone who stands out from the crowd and not just with their writing; someone who can write, produce profit, market the agent/publisher, understand marketing, keep up-to-date with what's new in publishing and writing, e.g. e-books, blogs, how the internet can bring in profits for writers etc, and produce more of the same. People buy from people after all and novelists are people as well as names.
Giving agents & publishers this information is vital. On my blog: http://www.writegreatfiction.co.uk/thefictionplace I offer writers advice on how to create this for themselves and present it to potential agents & publishers.
Adding a bit of personalization on approach to agents/publishers is refreshing for them. It shows that you understand why they should invest in you.
Hi Nicola,
I think providing better filters would be a great way forward. Standardisation wouldn't really benefit as it will make it much more difficult for writers to catch an agent's attention.
It makes sense that different agents have different requirements and as writers, it's our job to try to identify the best fit.
However, having access to a search engine where you can add filters to help narrow the field would be a great help. I'm sure all members would be delighted if Writers & Artists helped to make that happen!
Personal, always. Study the agents to find out who is most suitable for you, rather than using a scattershot approach.
I got signed by the first agent I approached - I saw that she represented writers I admired and who I thought were working in the same ballpark as me, and sent her an email saying as much and asking if she would like to see a sample chapter. She offered me representation the day after I sent her my first chapter. If I had just mailed agents at random I could still be looking now.