The Long Goodbye.....

Prior to submitting your work you might want to consider the phenomenon that is ‘The Long Goodbye’.....

This devastating rejection can cause severe heartache, especially if other opportunities were lost during that long wait. In order to avoid the agony of rejection, in whatever form, I asked successful authors how they approached their agents. I soon gathered that most had mapped out their careers before they began work on their first novel. Not one of these subjects rushed into the submission process. Instead, they spent many years studying their craft, entering competitions and collecting prizes. Even after they had completed their first draft, these cunning little foxes didn’t trust an agent to be in receipt of their work without getting independent editorial advice. While waiting for feedback, they did a spot of research - staring at profile pictures until they knew every agent by sight. They learned to sniff out influential people at parties and conferences, homing in on their favourites, targeting two or three at a time. Eventually, after years of apprenticeship, they sent off a round of submissions to a selected few. Excitement ensued. Contracts were signed. Publication agreements followed......

A trusting and somewhat impatient person might be tempted to submit three chapters of an incomplete novel. It is perhaps naive, but not stupid for an unpublished writer to trust an interested agent from a reputable agency. No one expects to be published overnight, but what’s the harm in hankering after a little advice? If an agent voluntarily reads your work, invites you to their office and/or provides feedback free of charge you could be excused for thinking that they are committed to developing your career. You might surmise that they are generous souls who work in an agency that is perhaps a tad too overstaffed? However, remain vigilant.

Be curious if an agent asks you to make changes without a client agreement. Literary agents don’t usually have the time to nurture. It’s not the job of publishers either. Publishers rely on established agents to send them work of a certain standard. So you may be asked to make a few alterations in preparation for publisher submissions, but surely not before you have signed a contract? Take another look at their clients. Assess whether your work sits comfortably on that list. Perhaps it’s time to move on before that long goodbye?

Remember, if your work isn’t ready for submission the vast majority of agents will thank you for your interest and bid you a short goodbye. Be aware that there are some unscrupulous agents who might string an aspiring author along: either to prevent their premise going to any other agency or to provide one of their existing clients with that idea? For this reason, I warn everyone to beware of the long goodbye......