Feature One to one
In LBF’s agent one-to-one sessions, prospective authors are given 10 minutes to pitch their books to literary agents. A golden opportunit... but is this new form of the slush pile really worth it? Roger Tagholm reports
Starter for ten
I
T COULDN’T BE more daunting. You’re used to being in your study/kitchen/bedroom at home, silently immersed in your precious story, communing only with your characters. The idea of having to talk about your work, having to sell it to a complete stranger, is terrifying. Well, perhaps that it is to overstate it. There are undoubtedly some prospective authors for whom talk- ing about their work in progress is not a problem— indeed, geting some to shut up about it might be the issue. For others, though, swapping the natural seclu- sion of the writer for the bark and bustle of the London Book Fair is potentially difficult. This year the fair will once again offer both tpes of aspiring writer the oppor- tunit to pitch their work to top literary agents at Olym- pia’s Author HQ.
The fair began running these sessions in 2014 and this year prospective authors will enjoy 10-minute slots with agents from Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD), Conville & Walsh, Sheil Land and Janklow & Nesbit. But how useful do agencies find such meetings, and what advice do they have for the anxious writers? “Meet- ing writers face to face is a very different experience from siſting through the slush pile,” says Laura Williams at PFD. “It’s an opportunit for us to see if there’s that click which is necessary for agents and authors to work together, and for writers it’s a great way for them to get feedback on their chapters.” Writers needn’t be nervous, she adds. “We understand that verbal pitching is not the natural comfort zone for writers, and for lots of people it’s going to be their first time talking about their work to a stranger. [But] it’s all about the pages—don’t worry too much about talking about it. Also, sometimes nervous authors want to pitch their story for the entire session, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for feedback.”
The process begins with the book fair asking prospec- tive authors to categorise their proposal (as in women’s fiction, science-fiction/fantasy, etc) so it can match candidates’ submissions with the best agent for their genre. Williams says that, in her experience, the qual-
www.thebookseller.com
A busy Author HQ at the London Book Fair; this year the area will again host one-to-one sessions for authors to pitch to agents
it has been high, and notes that “if writers are engaging with LBF and the opportunities they might have there, it shows they’re serious about their writing”. Are such events replacing the slush pile—and are they more effective? “We read everything that comes in to us, no mater how we receive it,” adds Williams. “It’s great to be able to meet people face to face, and to be able to give the personal feedback that we can’t in email exchanges because of the volume of submissions we receive. Also, in a strange way, if we call in a full manuscript following a meeting, then it does oſten rise to the top of the pile, as you’re able to put a face to the name.”
Approach with ease
Piers Blofeld at Sheil Land takes part in similar one-on- ones two or three times a year, including at the Festival of Writing in York, which takes place every September— and although he thinks they are more useful to authors than agents, he has found one client this way. And, he says, it is good for agents to be visible, to connect with writers in this way. “It is all too easy to retreat into an ivory tower. This business can come across as unap- proachable and snobby, and I think it is important to make an effort to be approachable.”
Although Blofeld has only found one client through such meetings, Hellie Ogden at Janklow & Nesbit reck- ons “you only need one”. In fact, Ogden has found two clients in this way, and she says the meetings are useful for “generally geting a sense of what people are reading and what trends seem to be coming out in people’s writing”.
She doesn’t think it is necessarily more effective than the slush pile—“it’s all effective for us. Not everyone is
23
Agents Laura Williams top and Hellie Ogden advise authors pitching to agents to keep their explanations of plot and style brief, in order to maximise the time available for feedback and discussion— which both are keen for
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40