WRITER'S FORUM

A blog-reader asks if she should approach literary agents before committing herself to self-publishing on Amazon-Kindle. Only if you have ten years to kill and can take more rejection than a timeshare salesman does.

I am sure her story is as good if not better than most books being published. This is not the issue. The problem is getting an agent to look at it. Whoa! It is then that your problems begin.

Before finally going to print, your book will go through a laborious process of elimination. This scrutiny will include market analysis before it finally goes to what is known as an agent’s reader. He or she will read your book and give it either the thumbs up or the thumbs down.

Publisher’s readers are the arbiters of reading trends. The same useless breed infests the world of art and music too. How many great artists and composers were dismissed by the trend fashionistas? That some books, like Fifty Shades get through, is clear indication of the lack of fastidiousness shown by literary agents’ readers. Will your pride and joy successfully negotiate the agent’s labyrinth? Here are three I tried so far without success.

SHAMELESS. Memoirs of a Swinging Prostitute. A true and revealing chronicle of a hooker’s encounters and experiences. Unique, far better and much more candid that Fifty Shades. One of Barbara’s clients was famous for his royal connections. No agent interest.

ZYGMANT. Check Bill Zygmant on Google. Arguably Fleet Street’s most iconic photo-journalists. His memoirs, content and photography are truly unique. His images of the Beatles as a group and as individuals are world famous. No agent interest.

A TIME TO SHARE. Toni Muldoon. This 66-year old crook, now on remand, is soon to be sentenced for his part in a £7.6 million fraud. Muldoon boasted of being the most successful timeshare scammer in the Mediterranean region. His book is a frank but hardly a penitent’s record of a lifetime of crime. Agents? No interest.

Do you give up? Of course not. My recommendation is that your first step, which offers higher chance of success, is to self-publish on Amazon-Kindle. We do that bit for you. The outlay is only €150. Some literary scouts scan Amazon-Kindle self-published titles, searching for novels and memoirs that fit their needs.

For just €100 extra, you have your novel’s own website, the perfect shop window to sell your book. Another thing to keep in mind. By doing it this way you can still contact agents but can do so more easily. All you need do is send a brief introductory one-liner and the website’s link. Let the website do your selling for you. It really is that easy and cost effective. Do get in touch. Michael.

www.michaelwalsh.es

quite_write@yahoo.co.uk

There are two ways to getting your book published. The conventional way is to contact a publisher direct or to send your stuff to a literary agent. The agent is precisely what it says on the can, they are agents. They do the weeding out process and leave publishers to - publish.

Agents filter incoming titles, separate the good from the bad but are not good at doing it. Literary agents cherry pick authors with titles they think are most likely to succeed. They then sell them to publishers who they believe most appropriate for the book.

Unfortunately agents are inundated with MSS. Many have fallen into a comfort zone, keeping and encouraging authors already on their books and sniffy about new writers. Trying to attract an agent’s interest, even if one does have a better book than Fifty Shades of Grey, can be soul-destroying.

This is why most new authors, and established writers too, have turned to self publishing on Amazon-Kindle. You are the author, the agent and the publisher. Sure, you are competing with many others but you do that when publishing in conventional ways.

The fact is that some of the biggest successes in online publishing are first time authors selling on Amazon-Kindle. Yes, the bestsellers the agents missed. Agents make their excuses but they would wouldn’t they.

Wasn’t it Decca that turned their noses up at The Beatles? Leslie Thomas, one of Britain’s most successful authors, said that before he ’cracked the agents code’ he could have wallpapered his home with publishers rejection slips. Thank God for online publishing. We offer it for just €150. Eat your heart out, literary agents.

YOUR STORY NEED NOT BE PAPERBACK LENGTH

When we think of leaving a bequest we tend to think in terms of money or possessions. However, it is far better to pass our advice to those we leave behind. We all know that the best way to help our fellow man is not to give him a fish but to teach him how to catch fish.

The Costa communities are not short of mature residents. Many have a wealth of experience from which others, especially the young, could benefit enormously. I still put to good use advice given to me many years ago. Good advice is passed from generation to generation. This is why we as a human species survive.

If you have benefited from work or any experience gathered over a lifetime why not put it in writing. In this way you can pass the benefits of your experience to the next generation.

Your story does not need to be paperback length of 75k words. It can be in booklet form with as few as 24-pages of 10k words. I self-published my poetry collections, each about 36-pages in length. I didn’t make a fortune but it was great fun and brought me and hopefully its 3,000 buyers, a great deal of pleasure.

Is it affordable. To be honest I am out of touch with booklet printing prices. They should be about one-quarter of the cover price so 1,000 copies at €1.95 about €500. But check that out.

I charge €20 per 1k so you can work that out for yourself. That is it really. If you want it online (Amazon-Kindle) and your book’s own website add €250. Not bad all things considered. ©

WHY WRITING IS IMPORTANT

When applying for a job, writing to a newspaper, getting your point over to a community president or lawyer, it is essential that you make the write (sic) impression.

As a professional writer I am often invited to apply my keyboard cosmetics to a rough draft.  A pressure group had a point to make to its city’s consulates, a mayor needed to address ambassadors. It was important for the lobbying group's letter and the mayor’s address to be worded appropriately. They were pleased with my improvement to their rough copies.

A residents group was keen to get the local bus route amended to save them a walk. Needing to set out their appeal in a straightforward and professional manner they asked me to re-write their copy. They got their bus.

A lady in the Sol found herself in the deep end when having to explain, through her lawyer, why she had a frosty exchange with National Police officers. She had to get it right. Having sent me the rough account of what had happened I ‘did it my way’ and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was money well spent.

The client's get out of gaol option cost just €40 and was cheaper than a fine. The fee I charge is relative to the time I spend on it. It costs nothing to ask.

If you have a problem presenting your thoughts then let me see what you have in mind. Perhaps you know someone who needs my help. I will see what can be done and offer a price. If it is acceptable then let me know and we can take it from there.

Best wishes, Michael email quite_write@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 662 067 490

REASONS FOR WRITING

It is natural to want to make money from writing and of course many do so. Good luck to them. However, it can be difficult to grab a literary agent’s attention. This is why Amazon Kindle self-publishing is so popular. You are in effect your own publisher. You may or not make money but you are a published author so well done you.

There are other reasons for using your keyboard finger rather than your tongue to express yourself.

People paint pictures not because they think they will become famous or will sell their pictures. They do so because painting (and writing) is therapeutic and it gives them a sense of achievement.

People take up photography. Their images often win prizes but they love photography for the same reasons artists paint pictures.

Artistes. These are those drawn to theatre, acting, singing or otherwise entertaining. They may not get paid for their performances but again it is human to express yourself in ways that please you.

You could indulge in such as mountaineering, socialising, building models many things. However, setting one’s thoughts down by writing one‘s memoirs or a novel costs much less and lasts much longer. I ask myself is laziness the reason I write or is it just a pursuit I prefer?

Do feel free to comment but do please keep it positive or reply direct through my email. I love hearing from readers.