How to get a true-life book deal

Everyone has a book in them... The old saying may well be true but having a great story to share with the world isn’t the same thing as actually getting a book published and displayed on bookshelves around the country.

We try to help people who have sold stories through us explore book opportunities and have compiled some of our top tips to help you turn your dream of being a writer into a reality.

 

Do your research!

It is really important to do your research when you are trying to get a book published. Look for literary agents and publishers that deal with real-life books – you may have a great idea for a book but if you send it to a specialist poetry publisher, you aren’t going to get very far!

Check out the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. Available in both print and online, this famous directory lists contact details for publisher and literary agents, making it a great place to being your search for representation. The website is also packed full of expert advice and informative articles.

It can be a struggle to stand out in the “slush pile” of unsolicited book proposals publishers receive, so try looking for an agent first. Having someone who knows the publishing industry inside out on your team can be an extremely valuable. 

 

Presenting your proposal

Once you’ve made a list of potential agents and visited their websites to help you get a feel for what they do, its time to start preparing your proposal. Most agents will tell you exactly what they need from you on their website. This often includes a short synopsis of the book you want to write, a sample chapter, a covering letter and some biographical details about yourself.

Make sure you follow their instructions exactly. Failing to do so can make you look like you aren’t really invested in getting your book published and can be extremely frustrating for busy agents.

When you are writing your synopsis, remember to clearly explain your story. Make sure your synopsis is clear, accurate (no typos!) and engaging. You want your agent to sit up and take notice, not shrug with indifference.

 

Be persistent

Hopefully, your fabulous book proposal will attract the attention of the first agent you send it to and you will soon be signing a book deal with a reputable publisher. But even the strongest writers may not find instant success.

If an agent rejects your book, try not to be too disheartened. It may be that the book simply wasn’t right for their list or they recently accepted a book on a similar topic.

Rejection is unpleasant but it is part of the writing business. Remember that twelve publishers turned down J.K Rowling’s manuscript for the first Harry Potter book before one finally accepted it. You’re book might not be Harry Potter but the principle holds. Keep your chin up and keep trying!

 

 

Fifteen Tips on Approaching an Agent, by literary agent Andrew Lownie.

Authors are often angry, frustrated or shocked by the responses or lack of responses from agents and it might be useful to give some background and advice which might help with pitching to agents. Your book is special to you and may one day be to other people but at the moment it is just another submission. Authors need to remember that agents are inundated with submissions. Most have full lists already and need to concentrate on their existing clients. Of course we are looking for new talent but the chances of selling books from the slush pile are small.

 

Some agents claim they have never sold anything from the slush pile though I take it very seriously, and personally look at over twelve thousand submissions each year. That said, authors could help themselves if they did some of the following as the decision whether to look more carefully at a submission is taken quickly:

1. Address the agent correctly. I often receive proposals meant for other agencies, Mr Brown, Mr Mooney, Ms Lownie, the Andrew Lownie Litter Agency , the Andrew Lownie Literacy Agency. Sometimes the letter claims to be addressed to me exclusively but refers to another agent in the body of the text.

2. Make sure the agent actually handles what you are offering. Well over half my submissions are for genres which, in all the reference books and on my website , I categorically say I don’t represent. I don’t know any agency which handles poetry and short stories.

3. Pitch by email or letter rather than phone as it’s the writing which will sell you. If leaving the phone message, explain why you have phoned. You are unlikely to receive a return call to Australia if you simply say “Steve called”.

4. Try and personalise the letter. It is easy enough now agencies have websites to find out the authors they handle. Look at the acknowledgements page of books which are comparable and try the agent who handled the book. Any email submission which I see has been copied to hundreds of other agencies is immediately discarded. A submission which shows the author has done research on the agency and comes with a recommendation is always taken seriously.

5. Follow instructions. If agencies have a preferred format then follow it and customise your proposal. The format is generally the one that they find works with publishers and helps everyone assess the proposal most effectively. Don’t insist they read the whole manuscript.

6. If the book is categorically rejected then don’t respond pointing out they have made a ‘mistake’. Move on to the next agency. It is a subjective business and agents turn down proposals, even perfectly publishable ones, for all sorts of specific reasons even if they don’t always give you those reasons.

7. Agents understand that authors need to make multiple submissions to agencies but dislike ‘beauty parades’. It is not flattering nor encouraging to be told one is simply one of a hundred approaches . Time is limited and if one suspects the author may go elsewhere then one simply says no at the beginning. Keep quiet about multiple submissions and only send a few at a time so one can adapt submission in the light of response.

8. Agencies are keen to find and nurture talent but they are inundated with submissions. Remember they are businesses not Citizens Advice Bureau, manuscript evaluation services or a branch of Social Services. Don’t expect them to recommend other agencies within or outside their areas of expertise.

9. Presentation is important. Check spelling and punctuation. Don’t underline or use exclamation marks. Word process rather than write, especially in pencil or green. Plain not lined paper on A4 paper. Envelopes should be at least for A4 and still have gum.

10. My rule is that the longer the parcel takes to open, the quicker it is to discard. Anything with too much sellotape and staples suggests a mad person. Manuscripts should be loose leaf. Ring binders break in the post so pages can’t be turned.

11. Be clear. The concept of the book should be apparent in the opening sentence. Don’t use euphemisms “I would like to share with you my completed novel” etc.

12. Don’t boast -the agent will be the judge of the quality of the material - but do highlight in a covering note what you think makes your book different and special.

13. Not every idea makes a book. It might solely work as a television programme and long article.

14. Not every book is sufficiently commercial for an agent or trade publisher. There are now plenty of opportunities to self-publish without being ripped off.

15. Make it easy for an agent to respond. Return postage is important but enclose British stamps. The Americans, in particular, assume US postage works throughout the world. Paying sufficient postage so the agent is not surcharged is also a good idea. At least include e mail address for a response. Send an envelope into which the manuscript will fit and which is sufficiently strong not to break.

 

 

Useful Links

The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency - One of the leading non-fiction literacy agencies in the UK. Andrew’s website contains lots of fascinating articles for aspiring writers.

 

Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook  - An amazing resource for anyone who hopes to publish a book.

 

HarperTrue - One of the most prominent publishers of real-life books in the UK.

 

 

Where would you like to go next?

 

Back to our resources page?

    (QUICK LINKS: how to get publicity for a charity, handle press attention, be famous, become a journalist, get publicity for a business)

 

To read about the Talk to the Press team?

 

To see our recently sold stories?

 

Back to the home page?