Jenny started off by revealing her 12 years of personal experience as an agent. She feels an agent is a facilitator of writers and an enabler so that they can get published, stay published in any and all media and as many languages long term. She takes the author on (signs them up for representation) only if she feels absolutely sure she can launch/improve their career. She has to meet the writer and see their work (a couple of chapters, synopsis and full manuscript (MS)) and find out what the author sees themselves writing long term, the genre (where they would like to be, other ideas if they have any) and vision for their writing. A letter of agreement is signed (a contract) which that can be altered after a certain amount of time if things don't work out, but she hopes that they stick at it for as long as it is working. It does take time; Jenny revealed that she first met a children's author that is being published this year in 2004 when a first picture book was not placed. This author then worked on a middle grade novel that took elements of it and last year managed to place it. This has taken eight years in total.
Agents are not fairy Godmothers and there are a lot of factors that need to be aligned. Getting the deal is next. She knows a lot of editors and publishing is a mobile process where people move around a lot. Agents take a project and match it to the right editor. They then get an offer (MS presented to editor is submittable but not publishable) and improving it can take quite a long time. For instance, she has an author she is thinking of representing but the whole second half of the novel needs completely rewriting but the first half proves that she can do it.
Being an agent involves a lot of negotiating with editors, as they go to the author with offers and then the author chooses who to go with. It is a very human process, then they work with the editor on improving it. The agent then services the contract, e.g. monies paid, tax issues, foreign rights and the engine of the agency takes off at this point, so make sure that any you approach have a solid track record across the board in these things. Translation, audio, digital, TV, film, stage and dramatic rights, agents look after and try to exploit. Agents can respond to queries by authors either by phone or email, but explanations, corralling and handholding does occur to keep an author on track with deadlines or the lure of the new idea. The agent is there for the author if they cannot deliver on time to negotiate with the editor and various miscellaneous support, for example an author who lives near her writes at her house to stop her going on the web and over the years, some authors become good friends. You are always on call as an agent.
Antonia started by discussing her editor role. In 19 years she has published a whole range of books and she reads submissions from agents to decide if it is right for the company, then she takes it to an editorial meeting to think a lot about the projected sales, marketplace, how much they can offer the author (there is a Sales, Marketing and Publicity team) which is the hub for the whole process of production. Editing covers the brief (designer is about the visual), marketing, champion of the book in the office before even thinking about further afield. Is this the book/author the one you want to enthuse about.
As a child, Antonia read Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson and encouraged all her friends to read it so feels she was an editor at an early age. Fundamentally it is about taste and judgement in the world of books from years of experience. It involves structurally editing the book, telling the author what they already know but don't want to hear sometimes, but an editor is the most positive, supporting but objective reader you can have.
She started doing literary fiction, but has done non-fiction as well and has created a list of her taste, but most focus on one area. The book has to be best served by the right editor and it is very personal even within a genre. As part of the contract an author can have consultation, but not approval, on the cover of the book. She also writes the blurb as an editor, but could not do if for her own book as she was too close to it. Titles are so important as that's what sells. It can take a few months to a year from submission to offer because of deadlines and they are particularly busy at this time of year with Book Fairs.
The floor was then opened up to questions where Jenny revealed that she worked as a PA to get into the agency and she suggests something similar to make yourself indispensable to the agency in some way if you wish to become an agent long term. She worked her way up from part time, to full time, then assistant agent to MD, then agent.
She recommended sending the first three chapters (the true ones) to your book as it introduces your main character, but not give too much backstory and include a hook to draw the reader in. Send a synopsis although she feels this is rarely read by agents (more useful to potential editors when it gets to that stage) and a covering letter. She suggested doing a 1-10 list of events in your novel if you struggle to write a synopsis.
Jenny felt that if a writer writes in different genres, this does not make things awkward for an agent, you can publish different genres under a different name; don't feel limited.
Antonia revealed that a general editorial letter back to the author lists what is working, a chapter by chapter breakdown, theme or characters - revisions, then more deeply and line editing, then minor tightening and tweaking. This is three fold. She finds that mistakes in first author submissions can be too much telling not showing, too much emphasis on external rather than internal, not incorporating backstory (info dumping which can slow a text down) and rushed endings.
Jenny's response time is 3 months and she takes on 2-6 new authors a year (she has 30 authors on her books at the moment).
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