I am seriously considering moving down to London to make it, and I use this term warily, 'easier' to find more opportunities to meet the right people and ultimately get published. The only thing is that I would rather not if at all possible. Would getting an agent based in London save me having to move? I am an aspiring writer and illustrator for children's books and I also write science fiction for a more adult market. I'm not suggesting this would be an 'easy fix' at all but it does seem like avoiding the economic centre leaves more room to be looked over.
Am I wrong?
My comments are based on a conference I attended, where agents and authors were present.
They were very clear - they receive and read on average, 12 applications a day.
They were also very clear - they only accept a handful (maybe 20) applications per year.
They said - the standard has to be very high.
I thought my book was good. I sought agents who accept applications by email. But they didn't agree to represent me.
I don't think networking will help in this field. Once you've made your name, perhaps.
Ask yourself - what do you read and enjoy, and are likely to recommend? A really good book, perhaps someone has recommended? Or a book written by someone you know, that's not interesting, and/or badly written?
My advice is - make sure your book is good, and well written, seek plenty of critique, make the changes, and when you think it's ready, email it to agents who accept applications by email.
In the final analysis, it's your choice. If you do choose to network, I still believe you should seek criticism, make changes, and aim for a high standard. Many heads can be better than one. Others see things you may not - Good Luck with whichever course you choose.
I would be moving to teach, my main profession, so I wouldn't be doing it purely to get published. However I do appreciate people's honest advice and I thank you all for it.
My question is in reflection poorly worded, and I think that "Does increased networking in economic centres i.e. London improve the chances of getting published?" is far more appropriate.
With my poor wording in mind, I want to clarify that I am not looking for short cuts nor am I expecting to force manuscripts/illustrations into professionals hands and expect to be snapped up. Having been involved within the creative industries (Graphic Design and Illustration) I understand the very delicate etiquettes behind networking and have learned hard lessons in my very early days. I do however understand that Publishing is a very metamorphic beast, more so than a lot of other industries, and that things change very rapidly and is at best unpredictable.
What I was hoping to find was some advice form people helping me further form my own view of Publishing with the aim of dispelling any absurdities. This thread has started to do that and I hope that it might continue for as long as viewers deem it worthy of attention.
Once again thank you, and to re-iterate I am NOT looking to short cut or hassle agents! Just merely gauge peoples experiences to evaluate against my expectations...I'm not afraid of talking or putting in the hard work!
I, too, am wondering what you propose to do once you are in London which will aid your connection making.
If you want to make connections (which are useful in that they may get an agent to persevere a little longer with your MS than they might otherwise have done, but they are not the difference between getting published and getting a form rejection) then do so in the normal human and accepted manner. Lots of agents hang out on Twitter - if you like their style, get involved. Have a conversation. Interact.
The other time honoured method is to attend events where you can have a one-to-one with agents such as the York Festival of Writing (NOT the London Book Fair - that's for agents to meet publishers). Be a normal, non-scary person who doesn't hand MSS to agents when they are standing in line for the bog and you will be just fine.
But ultimately, the best way to get published is to write a marvellous book which has market demand. That market demand aspect is becoming more and more important - The Cuckoo's Calling was passed over by at least one editor for being too quiet in today's market.