Here are the latest newsletters:
Are you flustered by flash fiction? Sci-fi making you scared? Trying to solve the riddle of romance writing? This month we’re focusing on the genres you might have never thought were for you, learning from authors at the very top of their game.
SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS
Member events coming up in December:
Member ‘Ask Us Anything’ Zoom event
2 December, 16.00 GMT | 11.00 EST
Join us for our regular ‘Ask Us Anything’ event taking place on ZOOM. This is a great opportunity to get to know fellow members from around the world and say ‘hello’ via webcam. Please note there is a 100 participant limit on this session.
Passcode: JWmember
Creative Alchemy: Harnessing the Power of Juxtaposition in Flash Fiction with Kathy Fish
6 December, 19.00 GMT | 14:00 EST
Defined as: the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect, juxtaposition is a unique and powerful tool for flash fiction writers. Expect this session to take your flash writing to exciting new places!
Writing Screenplays 101
8 December, 19.00 GMT | 14:00 EST
Have you always loved the idea of writing a script, but weren’t sure where to start? In this workshop, script editor Holly Race will demystify the process, covering how to present your script on the page, the use of screen genres to guide narrative, and the importance of creating a visual voice. Suitable for anyone interested in scriptwriting, whether you have an idea ready to write or just want to see what it’s all about.
Brave (New) Worlds: Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy with T.L. Huchu
13 December, 19.00 GMT | 14:00 EST
Science Fiction and Fantasy are ever-popular genres, whether they take readers to the stars or alternate dimensions or other worlds altogether. But how do you write magic or starships when you’re stuck here on plain old Earth? T.L. Huchu joins Jericho’s Drew Broussard to talk about writing SFF and giving your imagination room to roam.
Writing Romance with Lia Louis
15 December, 19.00 GMT | 14:00 EST
From finding your hook and creating the perfect romantic hero; to creating a compelling plot and overcoming self doubt, learn how to craft your romance novel with top tips and advice from romance author, Lia Louis.
The Strange, The Weird, The Speculative with Sofia Samatar
17 December, 19.00 GMT | 14:00 EST
Beyond the edges of the map, writers are pushing the boundaries of genre and form in exciting and strange ways. World Fantasy Award-winner Sofia Samatar is one of the brightest lights in the constellation of the speculative and she joins Jericho’s Drew Broussard to talk about what it means to write the weird.
Spooky Scary: Writing Horror with Stephen Graham Jones
20 December, 19.00 GMT | 14:00 EST
Why do we like reading or writing about the things that scare us? Horror titan Stephen Graham Jones (winner of the Stoker Award for both of his 2020 releases, The Only Good Indians and Night of the Mannequin) joins Jericho’s Drew Broussard to talk about writing the things that go bump in the night, how to scare your audience, and why horror matters.
REGISTER FOR THESE EVENTS
We can't wait to see you at the events this month! Follow us on social media (links below) for event reminders closer to the time. Don’t worry if you miss a session as you can watch back on replay at any time. As always, we're available to contact at info@jerichowriters.com. See you soon!
The Jericho Writers Team
Copyright © 2020 Jericho Writers, All rights reserved.
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The joy of other writers
We're all in this together
As we welcome more new members of Jericho Writers, I thought it would be apt to pause to celebrate the joy of having other writers in our lives. In this newsletter, we have events to meet your fellow members this week, opportunities coming up and a passion piece on how other writers can make everything a whole lot easier.
Having trouble with links? View this newsletter in your browser: https://community.jerichowriters.com/page/view-post?id=425
BURSARY: Win a free place on the Self-Edit Your Novel Tutored Course
The deadline is fast approaching to win a free place on January’s sold-out tutored course with Debi Alper and Emma Darwin. If you’re an under-represented writer, we urge you to apply for this one.
FIND OUT MORE
This week on Jericho Writers:
MEMBER EVENTS: Member ZOOM and flash fiction (Member exclusive)
Join us on Thursday 2 December for our monthly member ZOOM call to meet writers from all over the world and ask us your questions (please note that there is a 100 participant limit). On 6 December, we also have an exciting flash fiction event with Kathy Fish.
REGISTER NOW
MASTERCLASS: Masterclass of the week – Sarah Pinborough (Member Exclusive)
One of my all-time favourite keynotes at the Festival of Writing, Sarah Pinborough’s speech is funny, warm, and also shows that there’s never just one track to success.
WATCH NOW
TUTORED COURSES: Short Courses 2022 dates added (10% discount for members)
For those of you who are eager to kickstart your writing journey in the new year, why not sign-up for one of our short (4-6 weeks) tutored writing courses? The 2022 dates for our Writing for Children course with Eleanor Hawken and our Creative Non-Fiction course with Sam Jordison are all live on our website.
FIND OUT MORE
BLOG: How to find inspiration for your writing
If your creative well has run dry and you’re panicking that you’ll never be inspired again, no need to worry - YA and children’s writer, Patrice Lawrence MBE, shares with us all the fun ways she has ignited her imagination when penning her award-winning books.
READ NOW
SUCCESS STORY: Joanna Cannon
We were recently in receipt of the wonderful news that Joanna Cannon will be editing a mental health collection for Borough Press. In the blog below, Joanna reflects on her time at the Festival of Writing, winning Friday Night Live and it all beginning with seven (!) offers of representation.
READ NOW
The joy of other writers
When the time came to see my book in print for the first time, I felt a weird sense of disconnect looking at my name on the cover. Although I poured twelve years of hard graft into that book, it felt strange to have it just dedicated to me – like I somehow did all of that alone.
But I didn’t.
That book was workshopped on a tutored course, moulded by writers that I still consider to be close friends to this day. It was written in cafes alongside other writers also trying to up their word count. Plot problems were solved on long walks with friends; characters were changed after feedback from mentors; sentences were honed with the help of beta readers.
I strongly believe that my first book would not have been written if it wasn’t for the help and support of other writers. And I believe that for every book I’ve written since, too.
Writing might be something we largely do away from other people, but we don’t need to feel alone. In my experience, the writing community is made up of some of the most generous, brilliant people in the world. It welcomes people who have never written a word, as well as those who’ve written millions.
If you’re new to the writing community, do reach out and start making those connections. We have a Member ZOOM call on Thursday for those of you who like to put faces to names. We also have an online community you can join for free any time, tutored courses and even mentoring (should you need a writer with a bit more experience to lend a hand!) And of course, the Jericho Writers team is made up of writers ourselves – just get in touch.
As always, happy writing and remember, you can contact our customer service team on +44 (0) 345 459 9560* or info@jerichowriters.com for any writing-related advice.
Sarah J, Author
*or if you're in the US, give us a call on +1 (646)-974-9060
Plus, don't miss:
One-to-one sessions (10% discount available)
We still have slots left to chat to top literary agents from the UK and US. Each agent or book doctor will read your work in advance of this fifteen-minute call and is a great way to beat the slushpile. You can even choose your preferred agent and date/time.
Developmental editing (10% discount available)
If you want all the rigour offered by a Big-Five publishing house, but without the contracts and confusion, we’ve got you covered. A developmental edit offers you in-text comments throughout your manuscript offering in-depth feedback on your work, and a sixty-minute conversation with your editor to get that manuscript in perfect shape before you start submitting.
Manuscript Assessment (10% discount available)
Give your manuscript the best chance of succeeding with detailed editorial feedback from a professional book editor.
How to kick your own doors down
Blimey. Every now and then I write an email that gets a tidal wave of responses. Last week’s was one such.
In it, I suggested that submissions to literary agents could be banded into layers. Near the top of that banding lies a stratum of manuscripts which are really good – thoughtful, well-executed, well-written – but ones that nevertheless struggle to find representation.
I talked about three basic approaches for solving that challenge, namely working with a digital-first trad publisher, choosing to self-publish and nailing the elevator pitch.
But from the deluge of responses to last week’s email, there were a few themes that stood out.
1. Small publishers
A couple of small publishers wrote to me, reminding me their universe constitutes another credible path to publication. They’re right. It does. And it’s a good route, too. For literary fiction, especially, there are some brilliant tiny publishers who have an adventure and enthusiasm you might find hard to find at a bigger firm. If you have troubles finding an agent (but have reason to believe your book is good enough), then definitely explore a direct submission to a small publisher in your area.
2. Is there a particular problem with literary fiction?
Those of you writing literary fiction seemed to think there was a particular problem in getting your work accepted. Well, yes and no. Yes: in the sense that literary fiction doesn’t generally sell a lot, which means publishers – and you – have to work harder to establish a commercial case for your book. As far as you’re concerned, that means coming up with an elevator pitch which is compelling, albeit literary. The exemplary case here is Hilary Mantel and her Wolf Hall trilogy. Before Wolf Hall, she wrote terrific, but small, books, that were widely respected but of minor consequence in terms of sales. Then an idea occurred to her with clear “tell me more” potential – and the result was the literary phenomenon of the decade.
In other words, if you’re writing excellent literary fiction with a strong elevator pitch, it’ll sell every time, I promise.
3. I’m a man, I’m old, I’m …
Yes, most literary agents are white, metropolitan, left-leaning, middle-class women with liberal arts degrees. But for one thing, they aren’t all like that. And for another, agents’ tastes range right across the market. My own agent represents high-end literary fiction, and serious non-fiction, and heart-warming women’s fiction, and crime fiction … and really any book that tells a strong story and tells it well. In the end, it’s the manuscript that makes the sale not you. One of the glorious democratic advantages of the slushpile is that agents don’t know your age, your background or a great deal else. If you worry (let’s say) that your age is a disadvantage, then don’t mention it. It’s the manuscript that matters. You – thankfully – are somewhat unimportant.
4. How much is personal taste a factor?
It is and it isn’t.
It is, in the sense that an individual agent needs to chime with your book. If your book is set at sea, for example, and a particular agent just has a dislike of the ocean, that’s probably a tough sell. But you’re going to get your book out to 10-12 agents, perhaps even 15. So those personal taste issues even themselves out. And in the end, agents are looking for assets they can sell at a good price. That’s a largely objective question. Any two agents will agree much more than not. Finding and selling manuscripts is their job.
5. Is there a self-pub market for X?
There’s a self-publishing market for pretty much everything, but especially any sort of genre fiction. t’s also a terrific way of selling niche subject-led books that address specific topics. So “How To Prune Fruit Trees”, for example, will sell – in small volumes, but constantly – to people looking for help on that exact subject.
The only area where I think self-pub is not likely to help you is with literary fiction. I don’t know of any contemporary example of successful self-published literary work.
It’s also worth saying that you can’t meaningfully self-publish without also marketing your work. Books very seldom sell themselves. But there are tools for marketing and a well-known, well-worn approach that works. Needless to say, Jericho members can get all the help they need there, and for free.
6. Can I make a living from genre X / publishing approach Y?
Probably not. Across the whole of publishing history, it’s rare for authors to make a living from writing. That remains true today. You can go into your local flagship bookstore and look at the books on the front tables. Most of the writers there, aside from the world’s major bestsellers, won’t be able to rely on writing income alone.
That said, the people who make the most money these days are successful and hard-working self-pub authors. If you’re happy with the marketing challenge, and write good quality genre fiction, then a regular six-figure income is within your grasp.
7. Your emails are too long
They are. This is.
Till soon.
Harry
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How to kick the doors down
A couple of weeks back, I wrote an email entitled How to Beat the Rejection Blues. That email was inspired by one of you writing, ‘A newsletter on beating rejection sadness would be very helpful … How do we little minions of the lit world who don’t have sisters or aunts or cousins called Araminta or Rowena navigate this vast cess pool of pirates and peddlers?'
Well. I gave some thoughts which, I hope, were mostly helpful. But I did also say: ‘Although the demographics of Planet Agent are deeply skewed, the planet is fundamentally meritocratic. It’s not looking for writers-with-contacts. It’s looking for manuscripts to love.’
I stand by that, but one of the brilliant things about communicating weekly with a huge pool of serious writers is that you lot always sense-check me. You tease out the qualifications and the ‘all very well, buts’.
The fullest and most interesting response I got was from Natalie Tay, who wrote to say:
'As someone who has experienced endless rejection, frequently accompanied by notes assuring me that it was an "incredibly close call", I simply can't sit back and agree that a rejection means "you're not there yet".
I've spent years and months believing that [but] sometimes you get rejected for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of your work. I can't even tell you how many agents I've had who have told me that my pitch was intriguing and the quality of my pages was excellent, but this "wasn't the book for them". And the thing is, because the world of traditional publishing is so fickle, this happens. Probably all the time.
I'm sure you could argue that my book must have been missing some sort of je ne sais quoi or needed one more draft or who knows what, and with some of my manuscripts I can agree with that assessment. But with others, I can't. Not to say I'm done learning or above needing help, but at some point when I've produced multiple manuscripts that match the quality of existing published novels, I have to believe it's not me.
So please, for the love of all of the souls who have been crushed one too many times, own up to the fact that luck is involved.'
Well, OK. That’s a fair challenge. So I did my due diligence. I looked at Natalie’s books on Amazon I looked at her website. I read a few pages of one of her books.
And she’s right. Her writing has a crisp professionalism. There’s nothing in the pages I read that gives the book away as unsuitable for Big 5 publication. On the contrary, you could find any number of Big 5 books that are either of the same standard, or a shade less adept. (As a matter of fact, you could probably find some major bestsellers that were less adept. I can think of a few...)
So let me give you a somewhat more detailed view of how Planet Agent makes its decisions. As far as agents are concerned, books fall into roughly the following strata:
Nowhere close to good enough
These books have obvious problems on the first page, and probably the query letter too. Those might be as bad as basic spelling and grammar, but it’s more likely to do with a crunching awkwardness over word choice, a basic failure in terms of approach to story, or, mostly, a combination of disasters.
If I were an agent, I wouldn’t read more than a paragraph of that stuff before discarding it. If you’re reading this email, you probably don’t live in this category.
Not good enough (manuscript)
These books aren’t as bad, but the problems do reveal themselves – and usually on the first page. Because (have you noticed?) I’m fantastically pedantic and alert to minor clues, I’d discard these books as well on a very cursory inspection. Agents are mostly nicer than me and will read several pages, but they too will end up rejecting the manuscript.
Not good enough (synopsis)
A niche category this, and not a much populated one, but you’ll come across some manuscripts where the prose comes across as acceptable, but perhaps not quite compelling. The agent wonders whether to read on and turns to the synopsis. The synopsis, however, fails to deliver a convincing story arc and the agent is left feeling that the book is unsaleable.
Strong
Once you’ve discarded the books that are clearly not strong enough, you’re left with maybe 1-2% of the total slushpile, where the reasons for rejecting just aren’t that clear. The prose? It’s fine. The story? All present and correct.
But the agent is only going to take on perhaps 1 in 1000 manuscripts, so just 0.1% of what comes her way. That means she has to discard 9-19 of the 10-20 strong manuscripts she comes across. Some of the reasons for dropping those submissions would include:
Too similar to an existing client.
Submission comes when the agent is busy or stressed.
Submission arrives just when the agent is blown away by a genuinely stunning manuscript.
Submission fails for reasons of personal taste, rather than objective critical judgement.
Submission fails because when the agent is thinking of who to sell the manuscript to, and how she would pitch the sale, she can’t quite see her way to a compelling strategy.
Luck pretty obviously plays a part here – and for that reason it’s vital that you query 10-12 agents, not merely 3-4. That said, the fifth bullet point on this list is not to do with luck and we’ll talk more about that in a moment. Before that, though, there is a fifth category of manuscript to deal with …
The outright stunning
With really strong manuscripts – let’s say, Where the Crawdads Sing, which we discussed recently – it’s obvious that the manuscript isn’t just publishable, it’s excellent. Any sane agent would pick that book up. Any sane editor would, at the least, be seriously tempted. Yes, there will be some luck-based rejections nevertheless (agent too busy, too stressed, no personal click, etc), but the author’s experience is going to be essentially one of doors flying open, rather than doors slamming shut.
Please note that the book could easily still fail in terms of sales. A bad cover could sink the hardback, causing retailers to reject the paperback. That book would be dead and beyond rescue, and you wouldn’t even know what a great book had got away, because you’d never have read it. But in terms of the journey into print: yes, manuscripts like that find it easy.
***
OK, so that’s the overview. What does that mean for you?
Well, pretty clearly, if you’re in one of the lower categories, you just need to fix your writing. Mostly, that’s a question of writing more and getting more practised. But it’s also a matter of (your choice) taking courses and getting your manuscript assessed by a proper pro. Naturally, Jericho Writers can look after you on both counts. More details below.
But what if your manuscript is strong? Natalie’s manuscript is definitely strong. (Or at least, it looks that way from the chunk I’ve read. Some books fail badly in terms of story and you can’t tell that without reading the whole damn thing.)
Luck certainly plays a part, as some but not all of those strong manuscripts will end up getting commercially published by capable publishers. Nothing you can do will eliminate that luck completely. It’s part and parcel of the writing game, as it is with any artistic activity.
That said, here are three decent strategies to deploy:
1. Query a digital-first publisher.
Those guys accept more like 1 in 100 manuscripts than 1 in 1000. They’re hoovering up the almost-but-not-quite manuscripts from elsewhere. That doesn’t mean they’re second-best as publishers, however. There are some absolutely first-class publishers amongst their number … and I know people who have gone from a print-led Big 5 imprint to a digital-first one, and seen their sales go through the roof. They’ve also, nearly always, had a better outcome in terms of author care. In effect, those guys take some of the luck out of the question. They take the top 1% of manuscripts and let readers choose their favourite. It’s a brilliant model.
2. Self-publish.
Natalie, in her email to me, said: “It's true that those of us who aren't chosen by the world of traditional publishing may never make a living off of writing, and we may need to define our success differently, but I wish that someone had told me just a little earlier that self-publishing is not a sign of failure. It's a choice to make your own success.”
I agree with some of that, but not all. The bit I agree with is about self-pub not being a sign of failure.
Of course it isn’t – I’ve made a more regular, dependable income from self-pub than I ever did from trad. I’ve had stronger relations with readers. I’ve had better marketing, better book covers, more flexibility, more control. As it happens, I made my biggest film and TV sale via self-pub not trad. What’s not to like? Self-publishing is an outstanding route to market and no one should feel embarrassed to take it.
The bit I can’t agree with is the bit about never making a living off writing. The fact is that there are more self-pub authors earning a decent wage from writing than there are trad authors. There’s a lot more media yadda-yadda about the trad authors, but the self-pub guys don’t care – they’re too busy earning cash.
Self-pub too is a brilliant route to market. (Main proviso: you do actually need to market your books to get anywhere. You can’t leave it to chance.)
3. Nail the elevator pitch.
The trouble with most strong manuscripts – the ones that get rejected – is that they ask, politely, to be admitted to Publishing Towers. The stunning manuscripts don’t ask: they kick the doors down.
Competent writing + a workmanlike premise = a book that might or might not get published
Competent writing + a stunning premise = a book that can’t be ignored.
The elevator pitch essentially does the agent’s work for them. How do I pitch this to publishers? How do I set out the path to sales?
With a book that’s merely strong, those questions have fiddly, failure-prone answers. With a kick-the-doors-down book (Crawdads, Gone Girl, Light We Cannot See), those questions have answers that are blazingly obvious.
That’s where luck stops being a factor, or almost. Yes, you might hit an agent who’s too busy or stressed or drunk to notice the bar of gold that’s just struck their toe. But go to more than a handful of agents, and one of them is bound to pick it up – and be delighted that they have.
***
Natalie has two books out and a set of three-year-old twins. (Halfway there Natalie: I’ve got two sets.) She’s about to move across the country and she’d really love some book sales. So, folks, if you want a decent read or if you just want to drop a penny in the hat of a deserving author, go check those books out:
Natalie Tay on Amazon.com
Natalie Tay on Amazon.co.uk
Let’s bump her up the sales charts, just to prove that an author’s luck can move in both directions
Till soon.
Harry
PS: Reckon I need a bit more sense-checking? Feel free to harrass, harangue, and tell me off, here:
https://community.jerichowriters.com/page/view-post?id=420
(Or just reply to this email).
PPS: You may have realised already that I'm a big advocate for self-pub. As it happens, we at Jericho have just launched a brand-new tutored course, Simply Self Publish. Ten whole weeks with author and indie expert Debbie Young, taking you from finished manuscript to full, publishable package - complete with author brand and marketing plan. It's a great, centralised way to learn the myriad skills self-pub requires.
Go forth and make that cash.
PPPS: Oh, that course doesn't take your fancy? Want something a bit shorter? Luckily we've added 2022 dates for our Creative Non-Fiction and Writing for Children short courses. These both sold out and had great feedback last time. Get involved.
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Jericho Writers
4 Acer Walk
Oxford OX2 6EX
United Kingdom
UK: +44 (0) 345 459 9560 US: +1 (646)-974-9060
Jericho Writers
4 Acer Walk
Oxford OX2 6EX
United Kingdom
UK: +44 (0) 345 459 9560 US: +1 (646)-974-9060
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