Following my rejection email, I have given myself a kick up the bum and started approaching a couple more agents. This can be a laborious task, as they are all looking for different things. Some want a one page summary of your novel and the first ten pages. Others want the first three chapters and a detailed synopsis. It is tricky because each submission I send off could be the one, so I need to make sure that they all present me and my book in the best possible light, and deliver everything that is being requested by the agent. And then there's the covering letter, in which I have to sell the whole package, in a few short lines. I quite like the ones where they ask for thoughts on which other writers you might be aligned with, or which books would yours sit with in a book shop display. This takes some serious consideration, and I am anxious to avoid the inevitable pitfalls.
Ever the procrastinator, I thought it might be good to start by writing a list of my ten favourite books in preparation for the task ahead. I didn't have time to order them, and couldn't decide which Fay Weldon or Mary Wesley books I like best, so included their entire works. I had learnt my lesson with Agatha Christie, when I lost a couple of hours googling the one in the hotel and the one in Egypt to see which I liked more. And I came across a couple that I haven't read, so made a quick diversion to Amazon and added them to my cart. Many hours later, I came up with this.....
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
The Rain Before It Falls by Jonathon Coe
The Sacred Art of Stealing by Christopher Brookmyre
The House we grew up in by Lisa Jewell
Scenes from a museum by Kate Atkinson
Paradise Lodge by Nina Stibbe
Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain Fournier
Nemesis by Agatha Christie
Sweet Caress by William Boyd
Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
Fay Weldon
Mary Wesley
OK, so not exactly 10, but why does it always have to be top 10 anyway? There are so many others that I also want to include, that I might copy an idea I have seen on Instagram, where I could just add all my favourite books, with no limit.
And actually, I have realised that this task, whilst pleasant, was a bit of a waste of time because my book is not like any of them. There are elements, in that some of it is quite nostalgic and set in the 1970's. The lead character is a wicked woman (and Fay Weldon and Mary Wesley have written about many of them), but I think the main similarity between my book and all of the above is that it will most appeal to women, particularly the over 40s. Or I hope it will!
In the end, I went for the Liane Moriarty and the Lisa Jewell and threw in Life, Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenny Eclair for good measure. I am hoping that these are good choices, only time will tell.
I managed to send off two submissions today, (and one yesterday) so did eventually do what I had planned to do. There are another three outstanding, who I emailed in October. But it can take up to 8 weeks to get a response, and many of them only reply if they are interested.
I just want to get on with writing the next one. There's more to this writing lark than I first thought!
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