How to Hook an Agent
Today, I attended the ‘How to Hook an Agent’ event.
I’m glad I did. I picked up some useful tips in both workshops. The knowledge gained has helped me to avoid future pitfalls. I, particularly enjoyed my one-to-one session. I learned that the target audience for my novel is Y/A, and not as I had mistakenly thought for children of nine years and upwards. I’m grateful to have been informed of my error, and I was also pleased that my synopsis was well-received. I shall reduce it to a paragraph for my covering letter.
How could I have previously believed my action-adventure novel was for a younger audience? It’s because my protagonist, a noble knight, is 22 years of age, which means that my novel is better suited for a teenage audience and upwards.
There are no sex scenes, but there are battle scenes in my novel. Apparently, violence is not suitable for a young audience, even though young children can easily be exposed to violence in films, in video streams, in computer games and in news bulletins. However, I’m happy to change my target audience to Y/A.
I’m glad to report that ‘How to Hook an Agent’ was a worthwhile and positive experience. A few minor adjustments to my writing and I march onwards.
My sincere thanks to all four Agents, who gave us their time and their expertise to guide us would-be authors.
In my teen years I covered Hamlet and Othello, which contained scenes of violence, Henry V - which contains scenes which today would be considered war crimes - and a seminal play set in Scotland about the bloody usurpation and re-usurpation of the crown, and where there is a murder scene of a woman and child. That's for YA and adults too. Nevertheless, if your niche has been found by your agent, one would be loathe to ignore their advice. As for death, well, that can be depicted, surely, for YAs without it being too 'sanglant'. Good luck.
Paul, thank you for your kind words. I don't have to change much. All I have to do is target an older audience. After many re-writes, edits, cuts and additions, I can see the finishing line. But I'm in no hurry to cross it.
I still have scenes to polish. A list of add-ons which will add more depth to my Aristotelean plot. By that I mean, a line or more of description here and there, and some creative-expansion where necessary. I hope to finish by April 2018.
Then, I'm going to put my neck in the groove of the executioner's block and submit to Agents. I shall submit to a dozen Agents, and then prepare to submit to another twelve.
I shall post their responses and my experience of the entire nerve-wracking process in a series of posts, here. In doing so, I realise I risk self-humiliation. But that's a risk I'm prepared to take, because I have the utmost faith in my novel.
A would-be author should never make bold statements, but I'm quietly confident my novel will be published traditionally.
Hello Adrian, not been o for a while. I like yourself find it surprising when I discover something new. Usually in this world (writing) it is something that has been said many times for example "show don't tell"
I made exactly the same error as yourself. I thought my novel was for that younger age until I watched quite a few youtube interviews and comments by agents. My protagonist is only fourteen therefore I thought the age for readers would be younger than he. Not so!
(forgive my rubbish punctuation by the way, I know you are red hot on that and grammar. My wife sorts that out for me later)
The comment about the one paragraph to sell your idea in the letter is something else close to my heart (so to speak) I struggled and struggled with that concept until I understood they want to know how it starts and finishes. You have to be brutal don't you.
I think we have the same ideas about Y/A stories, exciting no swearing no sex, maybe a death or two and exciting scenes of danger and derring-do, which of course our "heros" always escape.
I wish you all the luck in getting your novel published. We know it is NOT about money but about getting someone to read and enjoy what our minds have allowed our inner thoughts to escape from our imagination and into the real world. Well onto paper anyway.
Hope that makes sense.
Again good luck with it regards Paul G