The Professionals

Next month we have the London Book Fair coming up (20 - 22 April). 'Be there when the market springs to life!' is this year's tagline. The big fairs are like the catwalk shows of the book trade - huge deals, the sexy supermodels of the writing world on parade, but are they a place for new writers? I remember reading an interview with an agent who advised writers to give them a wide berth - he described how tough it can be for authors to see books traded 'like sides of bacon'. However, one element of the show is designed for writers - I'm hoping to attend the Publishing Masterclass on Saturday 18th. For anyone else in London, here are the details:

The London Book Fair Masterclass sessions have established themselves as must-attend events for the public and are designed to place a focus on creative writing and provide invaluable tips for aspiring authors to get their work published.

HOW TO GET PUBLISHED MASTERCLASS 2009:
Saturday 18th April from 11.00am – 1.00pm

Chaired by Danuta Kean - Freelance Journalist and Publishing Commentator; Simon Trewin co-head of the books department at United Agents, will speak about the role of an agent and what they look for in a prospective new author. He is joined by Bill Swainson, Senior Commissioning Editor, Bloomsbury who will speak on what a publisher looks for and what goes into making a new author known. Bestselling authors Kate Mosse (Orion) and Andrew Miller (Hodder) will talk about their traditional publishing experience and author Gareth Sibson will talk about self-publishing and offer top tips to the audience. The cost of a Masterclass ticket for the public is £30.00 (incl VAT), to book tickets they need to telephone the LBF booking line 020 8271 2421

Several of you already writing professionally have been good enough to share your experiences about getting published on WKDN. Others have been asking recently for advice about approaching agents and publishers. An excellent starting point is the series of Video Jug clips from Jonny Geller, MD of Curtis Brown (Books) in London. The clips are brilliant - they cover everything from approaching an agent to contracts.

The time honoured advice is to arm yourself with an up to date copy of the Writer & Artists' Yearbook (or the Writer's Handbook in the US), and draw up a wishlist of your dream agents. You can also look through the 'acknowledgements' pages of books you have loved - authors often credit their agents by name, and if you love the work of one of their clients and write in the same genre it's a safe bet that if it's good enough, your work is suitable for their list.

Above all, be professional, and follow the agent's (or publisher's) submission guidelines to the letter. This morning's headlines from Bookseller.com included the cautionary tale of the agents who have been Twittering about how NOT to get published. '#Queryfail' saw agents and editors sharing the worst queries from their slush piles. Jacketflap has helpfully gathered together the worst - read and learn, (or weep - pity the soul who included whisky and a 'cammo fanny pack' in his agent query).

As Pat commented yesterday, it's important to remember that editors, agents and publishers are human too - and just as un-godlike and fallible as us. They are snowed under with work - just like us. They make mistakes - like us. Yes, writers screw up, (I cringe to think of some of the mistakes I made starting out ten years ago), but so do the professionals. If it makes anyone feel any better, in the past I've had other people's queries returned to me, articles sent back with readers' notes still stuffed in the middle, and confidential emails designed for a celeb's PA also called Kate sent to me with details about fees and contract wrangles. It happens. There are good agents and bad agents - as Kathleen said yesterday, it's a learning process. I'm overjoyed to be working at last with an agent who is incredibly professional and a pleasure to work with, and will do everything I can to make her job easier. We said the other day - writing is the best job in the world, and if we're lucky enough to get a shot at doing it professionally it's a dream come true.

TODAY'S PROMPT: So how do you turn your query model from average to Super? Tara Lazar helpfully rounded up the good advice to come out of the Twitter feeding frenzy. Here's the summary of what your query letter should include:

First sentence hook
Wordcount/genre
One- or two-paragraph blurb
Relevant writing credits/background
Polite closing
Solid writing sample

If you've been sending queries out and getting rejections, why not have a look today at how you are presenting yourself, and the people or publications you have been targeting. It's a tough and competitive market out there - if you want your book to be the next big thing, a great query letter is the first step, and you need to tailor it precisely before hitting the catwalk.