Thanks very much for stepping into the spotlight, Amanda, and for taking the time out from your busy job to join us.
Please tell us a little about the LBA Literary
Agency and how you came to be a part of it.
I set up LBA in 2005 with Luigi Bonomi and it’s one
of the best decisions I’ve ever made! Before that, we’d both been at another agency
for just over 8 years. While LBA is one
of the smaller literary agencies, we definitely punch above our weight and have
a wide variety of best-selling and prize-winning authors and journalists on our
list.
What do enjoy most about your job? And least?
That’s a tough one to answer as there are so many parts of the job that
I love. I love reading and discovering
new authors; I love helping existing authors get to the next level; I love
negotiating and I love brain-storming ideas with my authors. What I don’t love is when an author doesn’t
get the publishing experience that they deserve. While we, as agents, do everything in our
power to prevent that from happening, sometimes it does happen and when it
does, it’s very disappointing.
What
is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any
specific plots or themes you’d like to see?
I want to be hooked
from the start and I need to be able to identify with the novel. Whether it’s through a character, a plot
line, or a setting, I need to be completely connected and immersed in the
book’s world. And once I’ve finished reading the whole novel, if the characters
/ plot / writing still stay with me and won’t let go, then I know it’s
definitely something for me.
What advice would you give someone submitting to
you? And what do you look at first when you receive a manuscript - query
letter, first chapter, synopsis?
Do research who to approach: There is a comprehensive list of agencies
in the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, lots of information on the internet and
you can also check acknowledgments page of the authors you like to see if they
have mentioned their agent.
Do write the book: I know this
might sound obvious but before approaching agents, aim to have a complete draft
of your novel. (Non-fiction is slightly different: you need to have a detailed
overview, chapter breakdown and sample chapters of the book).
I look at the query letter first so do make sure it’s as polished as
possible. This is your chance to pitch your book so use it wisely.
·
The first
paragraph should be on what the novel is about (including the word count). This
paragraph should immediately give the agent a clear impression of your setting,
your character and the conflict / plot premise - just like the blurb on the
back of a book.
·
The second
paragraph should be on yourself and remember to include anything that is
relevant to what you’ve written and to you as an author. For example if you have completed a
well-recognised creative writing course, then say so. If you are a professional writer in any other
capacity i.e journalist, tv, radio etc then say so. If you’ve won any writing competitions or
belong to any writing groups, then say so.
If you are writing a crime novel and you have a background in policing
or forensic psychology etc, then say so.
If none of the above applies to you, then focus on the authors / books
you love to read. For example, if you have written a historical romance,
mention other writers in this genre as this shows the agent that you know your
competition / market and that you read
in this genre (there is nothing more off-putting than an aspiring author saying
they’ve written a novel in a particular genre but have never actually read any
books in that genre). The publishing
industry is all about selling so you need to sell your book to the agent…
·
You’ve
already researched the agencies you are approaching so mention some of their
authors who are similar to you i.e if you are writing a saga, mention the saga
writers on their list. Show the agent
that you’ve done the research.
·
DO say if
you’ve been referred. For an example, if
an author advises you to try their own agent and says, "mention my
name," then by all means do so.
·
DO NOT lie
about being referred because we will know!
·
DO NOT go
into detailed personal history about yourself, your pets, your
relationships. Listing every name of
every pet you’ve ever had does not add anything to your submission, rather the
opposite.
·
DO NOT
criticise any other authors (one of them might be represented by the agent!).
·
DO NOT be
over familiar in your letter or brag about how many books you are going to sell
etc!
·
Finally, focus
on only one book in your submission letter. You'll dilute the impact of your
submission if you get lost in a long explanation of the eight other books
you're currently writing or planning to write.
Do you think these days aspiring romance writers
have a better chance of being published if they are planning a series? Are
stand-alone novels more likely to be rejected by publishers and agents?
Not necessarily but I do think that publishers need to know what aspiring
romance writers are writing next and if it is in the same genre to what they’ve
just written. For example, if an author
is trying to get a historical romance published and their second book is a
science fiction novel, that makes it a much tougher sell!
Ever since The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, book titles containing the word “girl” have
been immensely popular. Have you noticed any other recent publishing trends and
(the million dollar question!) what do you think will be the Next Big Thing?
Words that are easily identifiable and descriptive in a title always
work – so in the psychological suspense genre along with ‘girl’ we have ‘mother’ ‘husband’ ‘wife’
‘sister’ used again and again and the reader straightaway knows it’s a story
about a girl, a mother, a husband, a wife etc.
Or if you look at this year’s Christmas romances, apart from the
seasonal references there are a lot of cosy cafes or little teashops , bakeries
etc - again the reader can easily identify the setting of the novel. As to the Next Big Thing, I wish I knew (!)
but I do hope there’s romance at the heart of it.
What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?
Ooooh, while Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of my favourites, I
think my favourite childhood romance is Anne of Green Gables. Not only is Gilbert Blythe incredibly
handsome, he also has a great sense of humour and would get all of my
jokes. I don’t think Darcy would quite
get my humour…
Apart from your own authors, which book have you
enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?
I loved The Square Root of Summer
by Harriet Reuter Hapgood - I couldn’t stop thinking about it once I’d
finished.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spending time with my family, discovering something new, reading and
hanging out with my colleagues at Nashville concerts!
If you could describe your working-day in just
three words, what would they be?
Fulfilling, busy and creative.
Thanks for joining us, Amanda. I'm totally with you on Gilbert Blythe :) And thank you so much for your thoughtful responses, in particular on how to submit. This is exactly the sort of useful advice many of us are looking for.If you've enjoyed Amanda's interview or have any questions or comments at all, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you!
About Helena:
Helena Fairfax's engaging contemporary romances have been shortlisted for The Exeter Novel Prize, the Global Ebook Awards and the I Heart Indie Awards. Her latest release is a boxed set of romantic suspense novellas called A Year of Light and Shadows, now available on Amazon and from other e-book retailers.
Thank you, Helena and Amanda for a most interesting interview. The RNA blog is brought to you by,
Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman
If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com
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