Agents

I've been busy in the mornings of late finishing my manuscript and identifying Literary Agents to pester to take me on. I wanted to get the first submissions out before the end of January, so I'm late for my self imposed deadline.

I think that a Literary Agent is best for me after researching the various routes into the business. An agent will offer a friendly, supportive figure that will be able to deal with the business of publishing which would be completely alien to me. They work up a relationship with the author and help to develop them into a marketable commodity. They can also pursue the book with other mediums like TV or Film.

I like the idea of having an agent that I can trust and that I can continue to work with for the future as well. Someone that I can bounce ideas off, and who shares a common goal.

It's about being professional as well. To be a novelist, I want to be professional with it. It's not about sitting at home all day dreaming up stories and then writing when I feel like it. I want to be professional and disciplined and stick to deadlines. I also don't want to waste my time writing something that has no marketable value whatsoever. The agent will also secure the best deal with the Publisher, at the end of the day this is there business and it is in their interest to do this. The other important role of the agent is to secure publishing deals overseas, and to arrange translation services etc. I have no problem with giving someone a commission if they are working with me, and for me, to get the best outcome on all of this.

On the morning after Torres has just been sold to Chelsea for £50m, wouldn't it be great to have a similar kind of bidding frenzy for my book between a couple of publishers one day. With an Agent in the middle brokering it, and me at home just waiting for the call to tell me how many noughts there are at the end of the contract.

I hope to have completed my research soon, and then I need to write a specific letter to each application really selling my situation to the individual agency concerned, acknowledging other authors on their books and why their agency is the one for me.

Location:London Rd,Alderley Edge,United Kingdom