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