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This article was taken from the August issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online
So you've written your magnum opus, and now you need a publishing deal. Only you've had 15 rejections already. Wired asked Jonny Geller, managing director of one of the UK's top independent literary agencies, Curtis Brown, for his top tips for getting published. "I'd like to believe that the good will out," he says, "and although these tips won't ensure you an agent, they will remove the obstacles."
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Be conventional when submitting your manuscript -- clever presentation tricks won't help. Geller doesn't like email, though he says other agents may not mind. "Unsolicited submissions are distracting. We work on email all the time, and it feels like someone's interrupting your day. But if you're sent a stamped addressed envelope, a focused letter, three chapters and a synopsis, it shows that the person who sent it understands the business."
EVERY GREAT NARRATIVE CAN BE REDUCED
Condense your novel into a tight blurb. "It doesn't have to be
'this is Oedipus Rex meets Winnie The Pooh'," says Geller, "but you should know what your novel's about. If you finish a book and you don't know what it's about, then it hasn't worked."
GET EMOTIONAL
If you're looking to make the bestseller list, get in touch with your emotions. "People want to feel something," says Geller. "Think: 'How can I engage emotionally with my reader?' If you look at bestseller lists, whatever your view of those books is, they're all unified by one thing: emotion."
MINIMISE YOUR OWN PAIN
As with writing, quality not quantity is the rule when pitching your book. Find the agents who deal with novels like yours. "If an agency has 11 agents, all specialising in different areas, write to the right person," says Geller. "I might pass on a publishable book that doesn't fit my taste, and the author can only take that as a rejection."
BE REALISTIC
Use every resource to gauge whether your novel is any good.
Community sites such as HarperCollins's authonomy.com will offer a more constructive response than loved ones. "Really good writers are few and far between," says Geller. "Get as much feedback as possible, because you only get one chance to read something for the first time, and if it doesn't work, it's over."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
