I should have been a speaker and attendee at the HNS Conference in Durham two years ago, to coincide with the UK release of my debut novel, Bronte’s Mistress. However, a global pandemic led to HNS 2020’s postponement, and so it wasn’t until two years later that we were finally able to gather in one of Northern England’s most charming and historic cities.
On my way to #HNS2022
In today’s post, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the event, to help those currently on the fence about attending the 2023 HNS US conference, in San Antonio, Texas, or the 2024 HNS UK conference, in Dartington, Devon.
Maybe you’re asking yourself whether you should prioritize attending the US or the UK conference… Ideally, I’d say try to get to both! But, if that’s not on the cards, hopefully this blog post will help.
I like to think I’m a neutral party here, as I’m UK-born and raised, but currently live in the US. The UK and US branches of the international organization alternate years for conferences and there are some familiar faces you should expect to see at both. Before heading to Durham this time around, I attended the 2019 US conference in Maryland (see my roundup here) and I also spoke on a panel at the 2021 US virtual conference (check out key quotes from that conference here).
Books on sale at #HNS2022
The first thing you should know is that the US conference is substantially larger, both for good and bad. There was more content at the Maryland and virtual events, which was great, and there were more attendees too (writers and other publishing professionals), which is good news if you love to mingle, or, alternatively, want to maintain anonymity in a crowd. The UK conference had only ~100 delegates, so over the course of two-three days you start to recognize more people, giving the conference more of the feeling of a class cohort.
When it comes to location? Sorry, Maryland, but it’s no competition. Even if you didn’t book any of the optional excursions, in Durham you were in the heart of history, walking to the conference under the shadow of the cathedral and castle. While the US organizers do a great job finding American locations with historic links, the Brits simply have more history to choose from, meaning they’ve had some stellar venues over the years.
Great Hall dining at #HNS2022
If it’s historical immersion you’re looking for though, the Americans are the ones who truly dress the part. There were no costumes to be seen at HNS 2022 in the UK, even at the mediaeval feast at Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle. Meanwhile, in Maryland, we were partying in historic dress on the first night and the last, representing our chosen eras in clothing as well as on the page.
When it comes to comparing costs, the UK conference ticket and accommodation were cheaper, but, of course, a major factor is going to be which conference you need to book transatlantic flights to attend. I often visit the UK to see my family, so, for me, going to Durham wasn’t a big financial decision or a major detour from my regular travel schedule. Whichever side of the pond you’re based on, I’d recommend combining a conference trip with other plans if you’re crossing the Atlantic—take a vacation or research that next book, rather than just jetting in and out.
In conclusion, HNS may have started in the UK, but the sheer scale of the US organization means that the American conference is hard to beat when it comes to content, networking, industry links, and digital resources (I’m excited to see what a hybrid conference might look like in 2023!). But the UK conference is a gem for UK-based writers, who are seeking UK publication and/or local writer contacts, or for US-based writers with a passion for British culture and history.
Were you at HNS 2022 too? Then make sure you stay in touch—I’d love to hear from you! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and sign up for my monthly newsletter for regular updates on what I’m up to, in the US and UK.
Planning to attend HNS 2023 and/or 2024? As of right now, I hope to be there. So please come and say hi.
If you’re an aspiring author who’s read any writerly advice online, you’ve probably come across the adage that good writers should read…a lot. But what are the key differences when reading as a writer rather than as a regular reader? Today, in the latest blog post in my Writers’ Questions series, I’m giving you some pointers for getting the maximum value out of your reading time.
Read in the Genre You’re Writing In
Inputs (i.e. your reading material) will impact outputs (i.e. your writing), so read deeply in the genre(s) you’re hoping to the publish in. While you don’t need to exclusively read the sort of material you want to write, picking books of the same genre and age category, published in the last few (~5) years, will allow you to a) hone your craft, and b) conduct market research simultaneously.
Read the Acknowledgments
Books are usually written by one person, but they’re produced by many. The best way to understand this is to read the Acknowledgments section that ends most books published today. This is where you’ll find the name of your favorite writers’ agents and editors, helping you identify the people who might, on day, be your agent and editor too!
Read the Author Bio
There are many different paths to becoming an author. I have a day job in digital marketing and, while I have two degrees, neither is in Creative Writing. Other writers have pursued MFA programs or made a name for themselves writing short stories before publishing a novel. Reading author biographies is a great way to chart the career paths of the writers you admire and hope to emulate.
Note the Publisher and Imprint
Look at the spine or the copyright page of any published book and discover which publisher/imprint published it. Then turn to Google and do some research. This is an easy way to teach yourself about the industry (who publishes what you write?, which imprints are part of the Big Five?, is there a small independent publisher which could be your perfect fit?).
Support Writer Friends
Are you in a writers’ group with someone who got published? Are you doing a public reading with a group of other authors? Who are you sharing a table with at the convention center? Spread the love and support fellow writers by reading their books (even if they are outside your usual genre). Being there for others will usually be paid back to your tenfold, as those you’ve supported will be much more likely to blurb your book, do an event with you, add reviews to Goodreads, or boost your presence on social media. Plus, it’s the right thing to do.
Read Reviews
Speaking of Goodreads… Maybe you’re a writer who chooses never to read your own reviews. And that’s more than okay, if you find that best for your mental health. But reading other authors’ reviews can be a great way to understand the public’s tastes and comprehend opinions that differ from your own. I love reading one-star reviews of my favorite reads, and, conversely, delving into five-star raves of books which for me were a “meh.”
Analyze What’s (Not) Working
And what about when reading the book itself? The biggest difference when reading as a writer is that, rather than being swept away by the story, you should pause and analyze why you’re responding the way you are. If a scene is exciting, try to figure out how the writer generated a feeling of excitement. If you’re rolling your eyes? Maybe you’re identifying a trope that’s bordering on cliché territory. Some writers might read a book twice—once for fun and again to unpack why it was fun in the first place.
Since the sale of my debut novel, Bronte’s Mistress, in 2019, I’ve been sharing advice for writers on this blog as part of my Writers’ Questions series. Today, I’ll be talking about how to format your novel manuscript to set yourself up for success when submitting to agents and/or editors. Please note that this advice is aimed at writers seeking to be traditionally published vs. those preparing books for self-publishing.
First up, a word on software. I’ve written a whole post on this topic, which you can refer to here. I personally use Scrivener while drafting my novels. However, Microsoft Word is still the standard word processor, and .doc/.docx the required file format when submitting manuscripts. So, as soon as I’m ready to share my work with others (writers’ groups, my agent, my editor etc.), this is the software I move to. Now, let’s get into the formatting.
Cover Page
Your manuscript should begin with a cover page that features your book’s title, your name, and the manuscript’s word count. If you’re submitting your manuscript to someone who doesn’t know you (e.g. you’re querying vs. submitting to an agent you’ve already signed with), it’s a good idea to also include your contact information (most commonly an email address and maybe a phone number). Make it easy for the reader: at a glance, they should be able to tell what it is they’re reading and how to get in touch with you.
Font
I submit in Times New Roman at size 12, but any classic font (e.g. Arial) should be fine. Courier I see more often as the number one choice for screenwriters vs. novelists. Please be aware though that agents and editors may have their own preferences and change the font to read your manuscript. For this reason, I don’t recommend using multiple fonts in your book e.g. to convey different points of view or formats (letters, newspaper clippings etc.).
Header
After the cover page, I include a header on every subsequent page in the format LAST NAME/BOOK TITLE, e.g. AUSTIN/BRONTE’S MISTRESS. Agents and editors will almost certainly be reading multiple books in any given week, so make their jobs easier and label your work.
Page Numbers
Include them! Books are long and page numbers make them more manageable. I put the page number in the footer in the bottom right corner.
Chapters
Should begin on a new page. I start each new chapter five lines down the page.
Sentence Spacing
Should be double. The aim isn’t to make your manuscript look like a real book yet. It’s all about making an editor or agent’s life easier and the spaces make for cleaner editing.
Paragraphs
Each new paragraph should begin with an indent.
Scene Breaks
I use three asterisks (***) between scene breaks that occur within a chapter. In a published book, these may be indicated by fancier symbols, or no symbol at all, just white space, but in a manuscript, clarity is key, so I go for this standard marker.
And there you have it! There’s no need to get fancy when formatting novel manuscripts, and, in this instance, blending in with the crowd is much better than standing out for all the wrong reasons. A manuscript is a working document and adopting the right formatting is a great way to show that you’re professional and know what you’re doing.
Do you have any other topics you’d love me to cover in my Writers’ Questions series? Let me know—here, on Facebook, on Instagram, or by tweeting @SVictorianist. Want to read my novel, Bronte’s Mistress(now in beautiful book vs. manuscript form)? It’s available in hardcover, audiobook and e-book now. And don’t forget to subscribe to my monthly email newsletter below.
Welcome back to my Writers’ Questions series, where, drawing on my own experiences of my debut novel, Bronte’s Mistress, coming out this year, I’ve been covering topics of interests to aspiring novelists.
We’ve already talked craft (e.g. words to cut and passive voice), trying to get published (e.g. finding literary agents), and more. This time, we’re covering social media, with a list of handy hashtags you should consider exploring if you’re new to the online writing community.
A #shelfie from my apartment
One word on platform. Hashtags are most central to the social experience on Instagram and Twitter. Some of the hashtags I mention are more prevalent on one than the other. A broad strokes distinction? I see many writers using Twitter to connect with each other, but Instagram to connect with readers.
#WritingCommunity
Short of writer friends? #WritingCommunity could be a great resource for you. Grow your followers, ask questions and learn from each other’s experiences. Generally, #WritingCommunity is a supportive community and, importantly, a reciprocal one. So don’t join the conversation just planning to take. You should be prepared to give (whether likes, follows, retweets, advice, or morale boosts) too.
#TenQueries, #10Queries, #100Queries
All of these are hashtags some literary agents use to ‘live tweet’ the contents of their query inboxes. They don’t give away identifying details for each author/book, but share what makes them request or reject a manuscript. Reading along can be very helpful if you’re in the process of writing your query, but don’t get too obsessed, worrying if agents are talking about you once you’ve pressed send!
#OwnVoices
Are you a writer from an underrepresented group? Or do you want to support and learn from authors who are? Then check out #OwnVoices. Here you’ll find writers of books featuring protagonists who share the race/gender identity/sexuality/disabilities of their creators.
#MSWL
I’ve mentioned #MSWL (which stands for Manuscript Wish List) before. Essentially this is a hashtag agents and acquiring editors at publishing houses use to tell the world what sort of books they are looking to represent or publish. Search #MSWL + key terms related to your novel to track down interested individuals and/or keep up with the hashtag more broadly to identify content themes the industry is loving now.
#Bookstagram
Want to up your own Instagram game? Learn from the pros, by looking at the beautiful posts shared by the platform’s bookish influencers, known as Bookstagrammers. They’ll teach you how to perfect the #Shelfie (a photo of your bookshelf), or the #TBR shot, which shows off your ‘to be read’ books.
Your genre’s hashtags
Every genre has its own hashtags (often acronyms and abbreviations). If you write historical fiction like me, check out #HistoricalFiction and #HistFic. The genre is also shortened to just #HF on occasion (e.g. in some #MSWL posts).
If you’re a writer, I’d love to know what hashtags you love to engage with to connect with others online. Let me know—here, on Facebook, on Instagram, or by tweeting @SVictorianist.
Plus, big news,if you’re signed up to my email newsletter already, or if you sign up this month (May 2020) using the link below, you’ll be in with a shot of winning one of two advance reader copies of Bronte’s Mistress, prior to its publication!My novel gives voice to Lydia Robinson, the older, married woman, who had an affair with Branwell Bronte, and offers a new perspective on English literature’s most famous family. Sign up below!
This week, with the world in lockdown, my literary agent, Danielle Egan-Miller, joined me via Zoom for a virtual Q&A session for my unagented writer friends, to share her experience, advice and perspective.
I played note taker as well as moderator for the conversation (“can everyone please go on mute?!”), so what follows are Danielle’s answers to the questions my writers’ groups asked. I hope they are of help to those of you currently in, or about to enter, the querying trenches.
Danielle Egan-Miller
Q:
Danielle, can you introduce yourself to everyone on the call?
A:
Hello, everyone. I’m Danielle Egan-Miller, the President and Owner of Browne & Miller Literary Associates, in Chicago—a role I’ve held since 2003. I represent clients in multiple genres, predominately in fiction. I’ve spent my entire professional career (since the early 1990s) in publishing. I started in, and returned to, the agenting side of the business, but I’ve also worked as an editor and an imprint manager. So please throw your questions about publishing at me, however weird they are. I’m happy to answer!
Q:
How did you get into publishing, and specifically agenting?
A:
I’ve always been a voracious reader. I was the kid always checking out the maximum number of library books and my grandmother was an English teacher. But, when I went to college, I initially thought I was going to go to law school. It was a circuitous route but I eventually landed as an English major. After graduation, I worked for a law firm for a bit, but then decided to attend the Radcliffe Publishing Course rather than pursue law school. This was the right choice.
I’m a sixth generation Chicagoan and I didn’t want to move to New York. This was pretty unheard of in publishing back then. Jane Jordan Browne, the founder of Browne & Miller Literary Associates, was the only literary agent in Chicago (although she initially started the agency in California in the 1970s). I sent her my resume, cold, and became her assistant. Working under her, I eventually became an associate agent.
I then went to the publisher side, working as an editor on non-fiction books.
I returned to the agency when Jane offered to make me her partner. She wanted someone to take on the agency after she retired. Jane was very editorial as an agent, and very old school. This has informed my own approach. I also tend to be editorial in how I work with clients.
Q:
What are some things querying writers need to know about literary agents?
A:
You don’t have to take a class to be an agent, so anyone can make a website and say, “I’m a literary agent.” A lot of people do that with no training and without having the depth of experience required.
The geography of agenting has also changed a lot over the last fifteen years. Agents now work all over, vs. just in New York City. I think some left the city after 9/11, but the move to digital has also had a big impact. When I started out, we had to mail physical manuscripts. I even had to take a typing test. In around 1995 we got our first (AOL) email account as an agency. Jane would print the emails out on the back of old manuscripts and share them with the team. Now it’s very different. I can do my job from anywhere.
What hasn’t changed though is that this is a job still very much based on networking and relationships. I used to only pitch to editors over the phone, but I usually pitch over email now. However, I still never submit anything cold.
The fundamental thing that should matter to querying writers is an agent’s track record in terms of sales. Our job is many things, from career management to negotiation to contracts, but successfully selling the works written by the authors you represent is where it all starts. Agents work on spec which means we only get paid when an author gets paid, and so my success is based on what I sell.We all post our deals online so look at Publishers Marketplace and Publishers Weekly to see what an agent has sold recently.
Q:
How do agents pitch to editors at publishing houses? Do you just reuse a writer’s query letter?
A:
We sometimes crib from a writer’s query letter if it’s good. But writing a pitch, and making a book sound as good as possible, is one of my core strengths as an agent. A pitch letter is a sales letter and important business communication. The blurb we write for a book will often follow it around to different departments at a publishing house so it’s important to get it right.
At Browne & Miller, we think a lot about positioning. Comps (comparative titles) are important. We might look at similar books published in the last couple of years and the copy used to describe them, for example.
In-house, we usually “round robin” the writing of a pitch. The author gets to give input, too, as we perfect it. I tend to be very transparent throughout this entire process with my clients.
Q:
Does every agent handle every genre? How should I find out which genre(s) an agent represents?
A:
Every agent is different when it comes to genre. I, for example, am something of a generalist, but there are genres I don’t rep.
Start with agents’ websites to see the types of books they represent and are looking for. Publishers Marketplace is another good place to look as agents list what they’re looking for on there. Some agents are also on social media, especially Twitter and Instagram.
And Manuscript Wishlist is also a great resource. I found a now #1 bestselling author from an #MSWL tweet. [Note from Finola: If you don’t know what this is, check out my previous blog post, which contains a full explanation of Manuscript Wishlist.]
If you know a writer who is agented you can ask them to refer you. Agents are also often speakers at events and conferences and may take live pitches at those.
Another easy thing to do is to think about which shelf your book would be on and which writers you’d be next to. Look in the Acknowledgments sections of their books. An author will often thank his/her agent. And flattery will get you far. If you can genuinely compliment an agent’s client’s book, do.
Q:
Do writers need to include comp titles in a query letter? Is there any harm in using them?
A:
The risk writers run in including comp titles is that they’re wrong. But on balance it’s better to try. I love the mash up comp: “X meets Y.” Or if there’s a twist on a genre e.g. “It’s a cosy mystery with a paranormal twist.”
A kiss of death in a query letter is not knowing what it is you’ve written. That would be an automatic no from us.
Comp titles should be fairly recent. And if you’re going to use something old, tell us why this book is different and new. Don’t just say, “It’s reminiscent of The Call of the Wild.”Tell us why we need a new The Call of the Wild. Ideally you should have read the comps you use.
Librarians are also a great resource for finding comp titles. Say you’re writing a historical mystery set in New York City. Ask a librarian to point you in the direction of the most popular books in this vein. You should know who the big players are in your genre, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for you.
Q:
What should writers learn from the American Dirt and RWA controversies?
A:
Readers and publishers are interested in authentic voices. So there are amazing opportunities for writers who bring a different perspective or worldview.
Q:
What makes a query letter stand out for you?
A:
I probably get around two hundred to three hundred email queries a week. Other agents, who are more aggressive about soliciting queries, may get double or even triple that.
First and foremost, query emails need to be well written. Email gives people the licence to be casual, but a query should be very polished, not something written off the cuff.
I want one or two descriptive lines up front, telling me what a book is e.g. “It’s a 95K police procedural featuring a thirty-five-year-old single mom who might have ESP.” That should be followed by a good descriptive paragraph, similar to the back copy on a book. You shouldn’t include every detail of your story, but you should make me want to read it.
After that I want to know about you. I consider both debuts and previously published writers. Tell me what is relevant about you and your writing experience. I like to know if you’re in writing groups, or groups related to your genre, and if you’ve gone to conferences, or entered contests. Also include clear contact information in the body of your email vs. relying on the “reply” button.
Every agent will list their own querying guidelines on their website. Follow these to a tee. For instance, I only want to see a query, not the first three chapters. I don’t open any attachments I haven’t requested. If you’re querying twenty agents you might have twenty different versions of your query.
Make sure you spell check your email. And please spell my name and the name of my agency correctly.
If you’re struggling to write your book’s blurb, switch with a critique partner or within your writing group. Pitch each other’s books to each other. Writers aren’t necessarily marketers and that’s okay. An outside perspective could be what you need.
Q:
Are there rules about what you need to achieve as a writer in your first ten pages? For example, if you write mysteries, do you need a dead body on page one?
A:
How editors and consumers are reading is changing expectations about the first few pages of a novel. Many editors are reading manuscripts first on their commutes, on their phone or tablet. And reading in this format makes it seem like it takes longer to get to the action. Twenty-five printed pages could be a hundred swipes on a Kindle.
I edit by hand and my assistant then types up my notes, using track changes and comments. But I have to be aware that many are reading digitally and you should be aware of that too.
If you are writing a mystery, you certainly might not want to wait until 30% through your novel to introduce a dead body, but, on the other hand, not every mystery needs a dead body on page one. I understand writers’ worries about becoming too artificial. We see the same problem in romance. Often editors and readers want the hero, heroine, and romantic conflict all introduced within the first few pages.
Part of this is being driven by genre fiction having a huge readership in e-book. E-book readers have their own demands and a quick opening is one of them.
Q:
You mentioned that your approach as an agent is pretty editorial. How much editorial work are you willing to invest in a new client and/or manuscript?
A:
I like to do editorial work but still a manuscript needs to be pretty sound for me to take interest. I always compare it to a cake—it needs to be baked enough. That means don’t query me with an early draft.
However baked it is, if the writing is problematic, lacking rhythm or cadence, I can’t fix that. Other agents may have a different view, but, if the writing is creating an obstacle to reading, if I’m seeing a lot of odd sentence structures and it’s not flowing well, the book is not something for me.
I do a represent a lot of historical fiction writers and, for historicals, there is a big difference between dramatising the life of a historical person and writing a historical novel. A historical novel is meant to bring historical characters to life in a way we don’t know, not just dramatise what happened to them.
It’s important to remember that agents work on spec. Good agents never charge writers an editorial fee. We get paid only when we sell your book so I need to believe that the manuscript is something I can sell.
The relationship between a writer and an agent is like a marriage. You have to trust each other. After all, your agent will be the one advocating for you in the marketplace. When it comes to the editorial process, if you don’t like my feedback, then we’re probably not the right fit. A manuscript has to become “submission ready” and if I’m still finding things that bother me, an editor will probably feel same. I’ve learned that from experience. One or two editorial passes is common for me, though sometimes it’s more.I talk to writers upfront about how many editorial passes I think it’s going to take before their manuscript is ready in order to set expectations.
Q:
How is COVID-19 affecting the publishing industry and, in particular, agents’ ability to make new deals?
A:
Great question. This crisis is continuing to evolve on daily basis, but right now I think it’s great time for writers to query agents. Agents are very actively looking and we have to believe that editors are going to keep buying.
Books being sold today will be published eighteen months to two years in the future and we have to believe that 2022 will be better than 2020.
At my agency, March was a rollercoaster. We were meant to be at London Book Fair. There was all sorts of drama leading up to it, before we withdrew, and it was eventually cancelled. My son had to move out of college on three days’ notice. I am fortunate that my son is old enough that I’m not home schooling but some editors are, and I have to be aware of that.
I was personally catatonic for a week or two, with everything going on, but I’m motivated now to make some good sales during this crisis. I have several projects on submission. This agency will turn fifty years old next year and it’s made it through all sorts of difficult times including the 2008/2009 economic down turn. We’ll get through the coronavirus pandemic, too.
Lots of writers are struggling to write in the current climate and so many have told me they’re incredibly distracted. My authors have certainly had events cancelled, but we’ve had no book releases rescheduled as of yet. I expect we will continue to see cutbacks at publishers.
One thing I am not doing is virus-related books. I’ve received so many queries about those so far. Please don’t!
Q:
How are audio books changing the publishing industry?
A:
Audio books are the biggest area of growth in the industry. Amazon has made it so easy. People can now listen to books while working out, in their car, or on their commute. In the past you read a book first, then maybe listened to it, but not anymore. We’re seeing audio-first consumption.
As an agent, it is now very difficult to negotiate away audio rights from the publisher. For most imprints at the Big Five, having the audio rights is now mandatory.
Q:
Can you talk a little more about the business side of the business—rights, contracts etc.?
A:
The relationship between writer and agent is a significant business relationship. I am a member of the AAR (Association of Author Representatives) and we have a code of ethics, which, among other things, addresses how agents should handle their authors’ money.Messing up the money is the best way to get a bad reputation as an agent.
I have a fiduciary relationship with my clients. For many, I receive all their advances, royalties etc., and I personally write every cheque and issue 1099s. And an AAR member, I have to pay out monies due to authors within ten business days.
One of an agent’s biggest roles is to negotiate a contract on your behalf, so an agent has to have an understanding of what the negotiable points are within a contract. Some large agencies have contract departments. I handle all contracts myself. This is something that it’s fair to ask about if an agent has made you an offer of representation. Most agents aren’t lawyers, but some are. I guess my early interest in law went to some use!
An agent should always look out for the author’s best interests and be able to explain why this a deal is a good one or not. Most agencies have a boilerplate contract which is a good starting point for negotiation.
When it comes to rights, there are a lot to think about. We have to think about the territories the publisher wants to sell in, foreign translation rights, audiobook rights, e-book rights, film/TV rights, large print rights, first serial and second serial rights and more.
Typically, the publisher wants to take everything, and the agent wants to give nothing and the negotiation starts from there. So it’s important to know what all the rights are worth.
Q:
How do you stay up to date with the types of books acquiring editors are looking for?
A:
Normally, I see editors several times a year, for example at BEA, various conferences, the London Book Fair, and during other trips to NYC and LA. I’m always reading deal posts and the trade publications and I stay in touch with a lot of editors via social media. I am also established enough that I get contacted by (especially younger) editors, so they let me know what they’re looking for.
Q:
What do you appreciate in relationship with client?
A:
It’s important that we hit it off personality-wise. I appreciate honesty and friendliness and I think I have such cool authors! I’d love to have them all at a great cocktail party. Lots of my clients are now friends and talk to each other as well.
Q:
What’s a red flag from an author that makes you less likely to want them as a client?
A:
I have a good radar for high maintenance people and a mantra that “life’s too short” to deal with them.
For me, an author wanting to be famous is a red flag, as is a writer who sets their own expectations about money. I love to make money for an author, but money isn’t always the best leading motivation for a writing, or any creative, endeavour.
I want to work with writers who are talented, pleasant, hard workers, goal-oriented, and who I genuinely like.
Q:
Can you explain what a bidding war is?
A:
It’s typical to go out with a manuscript on what’s known as a “multiple submission.” For instance, I might send a manuscript to six editors at the same time. Some agents may send to twenty editors or even more but I don’t typically go that high.
If multiple editors want to buy a book, it then may go to auction, which the agent conducts. I always set auction ground rules that include that the writer can take any offer at any point for any reason. It might not just be about money, but about whom a writer wants to work with and whether an offer is for one book or more.
The more a publisher spends on a book, the more the book has to make to be deemed successful.
We were all very grateful to Danielle for taking time out of her day to talk to us, and I hope this write-up has been helpful to some querying writers out there.
If you want to read the query that helped me get an offer of representation from Danielle, you can check it out here. For more information on my forthcoming novel, Bronte’s Mistress, click here. And, if you want to be alerted about news, giveaways, events and more, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or sign up for my newsletter below.
In August 2020, my debut
novel, Bronte’s Mistress, about the older woman who had an affair
with Branwell Bronte, will be published by Atria Books. It’s been a long road
to getting traditionally published and I’ve had to learn a LOT along the way.
So, in this Writers’ Questions series, I’m sharing some advice about the
process to help fellow writers.
Signing with a literary agent is
the most common first step if you want a contract from a major publisher. In a previous blog post, I wrote how to find literary agents that might be a good
fit for you and your novel. But once you have your dream list, what next? I
hate to break it to you, but it’s time to write the dreaded query letter.
Query letters are almost always
query emails in today’s digital-first
era of communication. Think of them as similar to the cover letters you might
write when applying for jobs. The role of a cover letter is to get you an
interview. The role of a query letter is to get an agent to read your
manuscript.
Different agents may have
different requirements for the queries they receive so it’s ALWAYS important to check out their
agency website to understand their specific asks, but there is formula that
will work pretty universally.
It goes like this:
Dear AGENT NAME,
I am querying you because PERSONALISATION [This is where you can mention how you found
them. In Acknowledgments of a book you loved? On Twitter? Via #MSWL? Don’t know
what these things mean? Read my earlier post.]
DESCRIPTION OF YOUR NOVEL [This should be similar in length to what you might find on the
back of a published book. It begins with the main character vs. a long
description of the setting and/or backstory. Who are they and what is their
predicament? Don’t give away your ending. This is a spoiler-free zone.]
TITLE, LENGTH, GENRE & COMP TITLES [Unless you mentioned any of these in your personalisation
section above.]
DESCRIPTION OF YOU [Don’t
overthink this. Your bio should be one to two sentences mentioning anything
relevant. For example if your novel is for children and you have children,
mention it! If your main character is a cardiologist and so are you, wonderful!
If you’ve had stories published in the New
Yorker, shout it from the rooftops. Otherwise, simply saying “I live in PLACE and work in THIS DAY JOB” is
fine.]
Thank you for your consideration, [Or other appropriate sign off.]
YOUR NAME
Some common mistakes to watch out
for include trying to be quirky (e.g. writing the letter from your main character—don’t
do this!), getting the agent’s name wrong (I addressed my letters by first name
since I didn’t want to assume whether agents were Ms/Miss/Mrs/Dr etc.),
spending too long on your biography (the query letter should be about your
novel more than about you), and not leading with character in your novel
description.
It should also go without saying
that you shouldn’t be rude to or threaten the agent (you wouldn’t threaten a
recruiter in a cover letter!), yet agent horror stories pop up about this all the
time.
Below, I’m inserting my query
letter, which led me to signing with an agent. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but
it did the job:
Dear Danielle,
I am querying you as we have similar
reading taste (I also love Wuthering Heights, Rebecca and anything by Jane Austen) and I thought
my historical novel, BRONTË’S MISTRESS, might be of interest to you.
Yorkshire, 1843. Lydia Robinson is mistress of Thorp Green Hall—or
at least she should be. But her daughters are rebelling, her mother-in-law is
scrutinising her every move and her marriage is hanging by a thread following
the death of her beloved younger daughter a year earlier.
That’s when Branwell Brontë arrives to act as her son’s tutor.
Branwell is imaginative, passionate and uninhibited by the social conventions
that Lydia has followed without question since her girlhood. He’s also
twenty-five to Lydia’s forty-three and oh so very easy to manipulate.
A love of literature, music and theatre soon bring mistress and
tutor together but Lydia is being watched—and not just by her husband. Her
servants and the governess (Branwell’s judgmental sister Anne) are starting to
ask questions. Her daughters are embarking on romantic entanglements of their
own.
With her husband’s health failing, Branwell’s behaviour growing
more erratic and exposure threatened from several quarters, it’s up to Lydia to
create a chance for her own happiness. Can she find meaning in her life without
losing her children along the way?
BRONTË’S MISTRESS, complete at 80,000 words, is the true and
previously untold story of the woman Mrs Gaskell called "that bad woman who corrupted Branwell
Brontë". The novel is the result of my meticulous research into the
time Anne and Branwell Brontë spent at Thorp Green Hall. I have two degrees from
the University of Oxford, including a Master’s (with Distinction) in
nineteenth-century literature. By day, I work in advertising. By night, I write
fiction and run a successful blog on nineteenth-century literature and
culture—the Secret Victorianist.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Finola
You might have noticed that I used a
rhetorical question, which some writers say is a no-go in query writing, but I
think one can work (though definitely not more than one!).
I also didn’t include comp (comparative)
titles as I couldn’t come up with recent novels I thought were a perfect fit.
Once we “went on submission” with the manuscript to publishers, we did include
comp titles, thanks to my agent’s knowledge and guidance. These were Longbourn (2013) by Jo Baker and Z (2013) by Therese Anne Fowler.
Writing a query letter can be
tough but it’s a wonderful exercise in discovering the heart of your novel and
how best to sell it to others. It’ll help you answer that dreaded question
“what’s your book about?” from now until forever, hopefully without boring
those around you. Even if you’re not quite ready to query, starting to draft
the letter can be really useful.
Do you have any other questions
about finding, querying or working with a literary agent? Let me know—here, on
Facebook or by tweeting @SVictorianist.
And if you want to learn more
about Bronte’s Mistress, including
pre-order and order links, launch events and more, sign up for my email
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