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Inspire me!

But they rejected me!

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Crème de la Crime

An interview with
Zoë Sharp

An interview with
Darley Anderson

The X-tra File

FEEDBACK

"Dear Mr Edit,
Thanks for the great advice in your book, The X-tra File. It's still early days for me, and I know that chick lit isn't what it used to be. But your advice is spot on. Of the recent 5 queries I've sent, I've got 4 replies, 2 of them very encouraging. Usually I'm lucky to get 1 reply in 10. Thanks again."
- Linda Hart,
Leicester

"Dear Mr Edit,
Terrific little book. Excellent suggestions. Top man."
- Graham Storey,
Walsall

"Dear Mr Edit,
I'm not sure that I'm ready to follow everything you've suggested. It takes some thinking about. But I'm becoming more and more persuaded every day. In any case, it's certainly broadened my outlook."
- Siobahn Flaherty,
London

"Dear Mr Edit,
I'll admit it, I was sceptical when you sold me the book. Now I'm converted. I've got two manuscripts out with 3 literary agents, and one partial with another. For the first time in almost 2 years it feels like I've finally got a toe in the door."
- Sofia Luptkova,
Peterborough

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The X-tra File

Some time ago I was talking to a number of literary agents, all of whom had had a lot of success in the publishing world and were able to boast of a large number of highly marketable authors on their books.

I could name names here, but much of what they told me isn't exactly the kind of information to go bandying around - not while there are still lawyers alive on the planet.

But some of what they said is repeatable.

For instance, one agent told me point blank what he really thought of his slush pile; in that it was something that each morning he wanted to take a blowtorch to, not least because the standard of literacy was abysmal, and getting worse by the week.

In fact, the standard of literacy from one or two of his (or her) best selling authors was, he confessed, pretty abysmal too but he was "in too deep" to cut them loose now.

Whatever that really meant.

Another agent, speaking with surprising candour, explained one of two of the dirty tricks employed routinely by members of his profession to (a) poach authors, (b) to influence editors, and (c) to get the press firmly on his (or her) side following the launch of a new book.

Heady stuff.

Yet another agent explained that she (or he) was now terminally disillusioned with the whole industry, not least with the current book selection processes utilised by most publishing houses; processes that were "impossibly weighted against anyone with any real talent" (the details of which being enough to make the average writer want to take an axe to his (or her) word processor and pick up a trowel or a paint brush and try their hand in any other industry but the publishing world).

But another agent (partly drunk, and therefore more garrulous than usual) took me to one side and explained that although what the other three agents had said was the truth, it wasn't the whole truth, and that for all its faults and shortcomings, the book trade was still the only industry that he (or she) wanted to be in and couldn't imagine any other kind of life.

I then explained some of my personal experiences, not least the fact that I'd had more rejections than a biegel seller in the Vatican, which prompted the agent to ask me about the exact nature of my approaches, which I was naturally happy to relate.

After fifteen minutes of that, the agent held up a hand and told me where I'd been going wrong all these years.

"But I know all that," I said, when he (or she) was finished. "Everyone does."

"No they don't," I was told tartly. "They only think they know it. And it generally takes me only seconds when reading a query letter or synopsis to see that they don't know it at all. And if they don't know it, they're no bloody use to me and will get a rejection slip without a second thought."

It took me another couple of weeks (okay, months) to realise that that advice was spot on. It was so obvious, I could have kicked myself around the room. I switched on the computer and grabbed my paper files and scrolled and flicked back to my collection of earlier query letters and synopses and saw to my horror just how bad it was.

Time and time again I spotted what that agent had been telling me and quickly understood just how much time and money and effort and goodwill I'd squandered over the years. This new insight, I realised, still wouldn't guarantee that I'd get a publishing deal for my novels. There's no guarantee about that, except major celebrity status. And that agent had, in any case, explained as much himself (or herself); that you're still advised to write a book that the trade actually wants - or, at least, a book that isn't roundly hated.

But beyond all that, beyond mere luck, beyond mere whimsy, and beyond the beyond, there is a technique - or, rather, an attitude and an approach - that will greatly increase a writer's chances of landing a deal.

I telephoned the agent that same day and told him (or her) that I was finally clued in and expressed my gratitude for the advice.

"Your very welcome," came the reply. "Now go and capitalise on it."

Which I am, and in ways he (or she) perhaps hadn't anticipated.

The result is The X-tra File: Essential information for serious authors.

It's an A5 booklet carrying information for those really dedicated writers amongst you who, like me, are absolutely determined to make it to the top, (clawing and kicking if need be). I've had a small run printed and have recently sold almost two dozen at a book fair (which was all I'd taken with me).

The booklet isn't the last word in selling a manuscript because there's never a last word. There's only the next word given the changing climate and conditions. And even with this booklet in hand, there's still no guarantee (especially in these trying economic times) that all your hard work and literary sweat will get you anywhere.

That said, you can rest assured that without this information, you're at a major disadvantage - and unlike everything else on this site, the info is not being given away gratis. This time you're going to have to stick your hand in your pocket and pay for it.

The price is £9.99 plus £2.50 postage and packing, which is cheap at ten times the price because it could (and probably will) take you a lot of years, a lot of heartache, and an awful lot of postage to work out what's really needed to get that literary agent or editor to say "yes" rather  than "thanks, but no thanks".

Remember, the book isn't a magic bullet. it isn't going to turn you into an overnight success (or then again, maybe it will depending on how you handle the information, and how good your own manuscript is). But hopefully it will give you an extra and all-important edge.

Unconvinced? No problem. Don't buy it and spend your money elsewhere (I hear that McDonalds have a good cheeseburger deal right now if you find that easier to stomach). But if you feel that this website has taught you anything at all, it's nothing compared to the simple truths in The X-tra File.

In short, this A5 booklet could make the difference between getting published and not getting published. And for most writers it will, if nothing else, revolutionise your attitude to the whole publishing industry. You'll see editors and agents in a new light. You'll see yourself and your work in a new and more realistic perspective. And your query letters and general approach will change irrevocably - and hopefully for the better.

If you want to get your hands on a copy, drop me an email poste haste. But you'd better hurry because almost a third of these booklets are already sold, and I doubt that the remainder will be here for very long.

But wait a damn minute, I hear you say. If this little booklet is such hot stuff, how comes your own novels haven't sold?

Simple. Because my own books haven't yet struck the right chord with the right editor or agent, which takes time and persistence. Or maybe my own books simply aren't good enough. Or maybe they're the wrong style of books for the current market - although that can change in an instant, and change back an instant after that. The literary world is fickle, after all, and readers want what they want - which at any given time may not be what's you, or I, have written. And my own books may not have the mass appeal that the trade demands these days (which could change too once someone else has a hit with a book similar in style to my own and editors and agents go rushing for their "recent rejections" list).

That said, my query letters and approaches are getting infinitely better responses these days. My focus is better, my responses from agents and editors are mucho improved, and my books are, I'm certain, that much closer to the printing press. Moreover, the advice from the aforementioned (and slightly inebriated) literary agent is having a very positive impact on my new novel - which is exactly how it should work.

Before you decide one way or the other, check out some of the feedback I've been getting over this booklet (see left). Then stick your hand in your pocket or purse, or carry as you are. Either way, keep trying and don't give up. The market is tough, and getting tougher every day.