A few years ago I left the literary agenting world and formed a publishing and editorial consulting practice for two major reasons:
- I felt there was a disconnect between writers and the (often conflicting) publishing "how-to" advice, the "what-to-do" and "what-not-to-do" stuff
- I wanted to fix it. This column, Q&A with The Lit Coach is my attempt to fix the disconnect between writers and the world of literary agents and publishing.
Here’s how it works: The first and third week of the month, I’ll call out for your questions. You send me your questions pertaining to writing, agents, publishing, author platform, book promotion, etc., and I’ll answer them during the second and fourth week of the month. Keep in mind, the more specific your questions, the more detailed my feedback will be.
Click here to submit a question for the first issue of Q&A with the lit coach!
Here's a preview of what's to come
Question from Elizabeth S
Here is my dilemma: I have worked on a manuscript for 2 1/2 years, taking feedback from my writers groups as well as working closely with two editors. With their help, I feel I've written a solid YA fantasy and to make sure it was good enough, I enlisted the help of my target demo by asking a group of seventeen year old avid readers to take a look and give me feedback.
I didn't know them personally so I knew the critiques would be honest and not a sugar coated "friend-like" response. I was beyond excited with their reactions -- all said they loved it -- so I began to send out queries and sample pages. Here is my question: Do you have any advice for my next steps because I have already received a few agent responses and although they say my writing is good, they pass explaining the time for angel stories has come and gone. I feel like I'm so close and yet it sounds like I may have missed my chance.
Few things are as frustrating to a writer than getting oodles of promising feedback from their peers beyond mom and dad, their “target readers," only to have their work and hopes shot down by an agent or editor who says with regret, “Sorry, the market is already flooded with X, so we’ll pass. But we like your writing and would like to see your next novel.” Suddenly the time, energy and resources you put into your first novel seem like a monumental waste of time. And who’s to say you’re not too late for the next trend? The great news is you have not wasted your time and here’s why - you have options.
Traditional publishing is very much driven by trends in the market, as you’re experiencing. And the feedback you’re getting from agents is correct for the most part. I’ve confirmed with literary agents Bree Ogden and Kristin Nelson (who both represent some amazing YA authors) – angels are out, as are ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and other paranormal entities. Nelson also hinted that the dystopian market might be nearing glut status (sorry, folks). That said, both agents are optimistic for you writers, which is consistent with my own past experience as an agent handling adult trade titles – if the writing is super stellar, the pacing keeps them turning pages, the characters jump off the page, there is hope for the work. It’s a long shot, but few agents will turn away something amazing because they’ve been there done that. They want books that will sell and that really is the bottom line.
Here are your options (take your pick)
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If you feel totally confident about your work, continue to submit it traditionally. You never know what will happen if you give up after a few passes.
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Shelve it for now and begin to work on your second novel. All that work you put into your first novel was time very well spent; you learned about craft, what it takes to make your work solid and what resonates with your target audience. Well done! Perhaps after you've published your second attempt at a novel, your first attempt will follow close behind.
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Begin to build your author platform by e-publishing through Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s self-publishing platforms. And then start marketing and promoting your e-book to your target audience. What is highly recommended for this: professional copyediting; a professional looking book cover; e-book conversion; and a professional author photo. To make this option really work for you, be totally prepared to spend an enormous amount of time promoting your work once it’s available. And this doesn’t look like, “Hey, let me tell you about my book.” Rather, it’s about getting active and vocal in the YA blog world, writing communities, organizations and anywhere else you feel you and your work fit in. The goal is to make long-lasting friends and connections. Be authentic and most of all, understand there are no shortcuts. Come to think of it, you’ll follow much the same path if you publish traditionally.
Writing for the market is like predicting whether the star you saw last night will be there again tonight. Behind most new releases is at least 18 months of behind the scenes work between the author, editor and publishing team. And you can bet there will be more titles popping out on the shelves similar to it – so there’s your market. Bam! It’s already happened. Marketing teams in major publishing houses are moving on to the next hot thing.
So what do you do?
Agent Kristin Nelson shares, “An author has to create a trend and honestly, no one knows what the next trend will be until it happens. So the best advice is to write a great book. Be aware of where things are in the market but then see what moves beyond it. There is really no such thing as staying atop a trend. Once it's a trend, it's too late.”
Write what you love, what moves you. Be aware of what’s published (and I’d recommend a membership to publishersmarketplace.com for this purpose), but let your gut direct you to the story that needs to be told. Given today’s publishing climate, your options are only going to improve and your readers will be waiting for you, whatever route you choose!
Good luck, Elizabeth!
If you have a question related to writing, literary agents, publishing, platform or promotion, send it to me at erin@litreactor.com. I'll choose a few to answer in my next column. Remember, the more specific you are, the better I can direct you.
About the author
ERIN REEL is a Los Angeles based publishing and editorial consultant, writing coach, columnist, blog host of The Lit Coach's Guide to The Writer's Life and outspoken advocate for writers. A former literary agent with nearly 10 years in the industry, Erin has worked with a wide array of writers worldwide. She has contributed to Making The Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent's Eye (Sands, Watson-Guptil, 2004); and Author 101: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents (Frishman & Spizman, Adams Media, 2005).
