Thank you all so much for your kind words on the signing of the contract! I was very excited about it. It has been posted off this morning, and I was able to write my own 'rejection letters' to a couple of other agents who were considering my work. They both wished me well, and one said that she had really enjoyed my book and was disappointed that I had signed with someone else, which was very kind of her and nice to hear. Mink would also like to thank those of you who paid him compliments. He is usually quite cavalier about compliments, but then he has never appeared on a video before and I think the excitement rather went to his head.
I thought this might be a good opportunity to ask if you had any questions specifically related to writing, editing, publishing, agent-hunting ... anything of that nature. Not that I'm an expert by any means, and there may well be nothing you're wondering about but, well, if there is, leave it in the comments and I'll do my best to answer!
P.S. Auctions on Trade Me close tonight.
20 comments:
Mink is divine. Cats are the most awesome things in the world. Congrats on your contract. I'd love to write a book but I've no idea what to write about!
congrats on getting your work out there. a great writer can't be who a writer without a few rejections :)
my brothers, husband, mom and dad are all published writers and the industry can be tough, but if you got a yes in the first try, that would take all the fun out of it ;)
That's so cool!
Mink looks to be a very cute cat in the video! I can't think of any questions right now. Yay for you, though. It must have been very exciting!
Hi Andrea,
Great work on signing with an agent, and being very disciplined with the book rewrite! It makes you seem like a Real Grown Up Writer, rather than just a hobby-ist - which is encouraging :)
A question - can you not have more than one agent? What happens if the one you've chosen isn't that great, or doesn't manage to get your book published - can you choose another?
congratulations! how exciting! i have a question; is it a good idea to have an agent before you get published? i don't know if it's common to have an agent in norway, you just send your manuscript to the publishers and hope for the best:)
I'm so excited to read your book! I want a copy ASAP! I'm working on your package! Do you need warm things?
XO!
Oh wow good luck! So jealous! I got into journalism because I wanted to write for a living but writing a book is always a dream - I admire your determination, I suffer from horrible procrastination. But if YOU can do it, so can I!
I used to be a screenwriter though and am currently (well, should start NOW) writing a low-budget script for a local production company on spec. Better get on that!
PS I've always heard rave reviews of your blog but never visited - so glad I did. I will definitely return, linking you asap...plus you're a kiwi and well I used to live in Auckland. Good times :)
*Lusty*
www.ontheblogbandwagon.blogspot.com
PS - I did have a question! Lol - When do you find time to write? I work full-time, I exercise and I like to relax and drink wine with my man, so writing time is few and far between....would love to know how you manage!
Lily - thanks!
Diana - impressive that so many people in your family are published - must be in the genes! ;)
Cathy and Andrea - thank you! :)
Michelle - well, I have considered myself a real writer for a while, as I have published a book already and worked as one in a professional capacity, but I do see what you mean!
You can't have more than one agent - their contract will stipulate their terms, and since they earn commission on your work, it would not be in their interests to allow you to have a second agent. There will be a clause in the contract which tells you how either party can terminate the agreement, however, so if you really felt that your agent wasn't doing the best job for you, you could approach another and end the association with the first.
Alli - Thank you! :)
It varies from country to country. New Zealand is the same as Norway, in that you can send your manuscripts directly to publishers. In bigger markets like the UK and America, however, publishers will only accept manuscripts submitted through agents. I wanted my book to be published in the UK, so I needed an agent.
Amber - ooh, exciting! Yes, warm things would be great. :) I wear that beret you sent me all the time.
Wanderlusting - nice to meet you! And thanks.
Finding time to write can be hard. I think, however, that if it's important enough to you, you will make time. Over the past year I have been lucky enough to write full-time, but before that I worked in the evenings until quite late at night. It was hard and tiring, but writing is the most important thing in the world to me, so I didn't mind. Whenever I hear someone complain about not having time to write (not that you were complaining at all, I'm just speaking in general about some of the people I run into at university), I wonder a) how passionate they really are about it and b) how much time they spend watching television that could be put to better use! :)
It is good training to have to fit writing around your other commitments, I think. When people suddenly have oodles of free time, they can stall and procrastinate even more.
WOO! Congrats on your success.
Thanks Cat! I hear you on the procrastination thing - I procrastinate on everything in life, whether it's going to a store to buy my favourite shoes (I know, eh?) or writing or getting work done (hence why I am writing this at work). It's my personal demon and one that holds me back from everything in life.
And so, last summer I was totally unemployed and not busy at all...did I write anything? Nope! But before that when I was going to a really intense film school - I wrote tons! So I know how being busy can totally help. And I do write everyday for my job (oh and I guess blogging counts...maybe) so I should use that fuel.
Thanks for the advice - I needed a kick in the pants. No reason why when my boyfriend goes to his band practice Mon, Thurs and Fri nights I can't be writing :)
PS I went to this seminar by Robert McKee (screenwriting guru, was parodied in Adaptation) and he said "most writers can't write until they have a freakin' gun to their head" - doesn't apply to you, luckily, but it sure does to me!
Congratulations on everything lady!
You are truly an inspiration!
I do want to ask you something writer to writer. I have been working on writing my first screenplay for over a year now. I keep going through periods where I won't touch the script. The question being, what ways did you get over the initial fear of rejection?
Thanks a ton!
Gracie.
Congratulations! I just found your blog through academichic. What is your book about?
I'm kind of curious as to how one goes about finding an agent in the first place. Do you have any tips? Did you need to learn esoteric formatting rules & processes in order to submit your book for review? Thanks.
Congratulations! I just found your blog through academichic. What is your book about?
I'm kind of curious as to how one goes about finding an agent in the first place. Do you have any tips? Did you need to learn esoteric formatting rules & processes in order to submit your book for review? Thanks.
A thousand congratulations! Hi again...long time no comment eh? Well I've returned to blogging again myself, but have continued following your adventures in the meanwhile never you mind. I'm at the other end of the process myself, but when I come out the other side, I will know who to turn to for advice (by that time you will be world famous and a virtual encyclopedia of publishing ins and outs :)
xoxo Danielle
Shenanigans - thank you! :)
Wanderlusting - you're welcome! And I really do get the procrastination thing - I had a couple of years of HUGE procrastination when it came to my writing, then got my priorities straight and gave myself a kick up the pants (anatomically difficult).
Gracie - hmm, tough question. I don't think I did get over my fear of rejection so much as I decided that getting my work out there was more important, and worth a bit of discouragement and even embarrassment along the way. I think you also need to develop a sort of mad bravado as a writer, where you are still open to constructive criticism and the voice of reason, but have an unshakeable belief in yourself and your work.
Diana - thank you! :) My book is based on my experiences growing up in Zimbabwe, and follows a white family living through the farm invasions and violence of the late 1990s.
I have written a post on finding an agent that may be helpful - it's listed on my blog's sidebar. That covers all the basics, but if there's anything else you would like to know, please ask and I'll do my best. As far as formatting goes, yes, you do have to follow a standard. Your manuscript has to be double-spaced and single-sided, in a standard font like Times New Roman, and it should be 12 point. Every page should have a header with your name and the title of the work on it, and the pages should be numbered. The cover page should have the title, your name and contact details, the number of pages in the manuscript and the word count. Hope that helps!
Hi Andrea, I'm happy for you! One of the many things I love about writers is our willingness to share our experiences and knowledge with others. Thank you for that! Here's my question: Do you often work on more than one novel at a time? If so, do you have any difficulty with that? ~ Annie
Hi Annie!
I sometimes try to, but it has never worked for me. When I'm working on something, I need to be completely immersed in it to the exclusion of every other project. This may just be the way my personality is wired. I have been able to write one book while editing another, though, as I suppose I'm using different parts of my brain.
Thanks so much for that bit of advice!
Gracie.
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