dropped by my literary agent

[theotherfossilsister]

because my work 'just won't sell in this climate.'

I fought so hard to get an agent, and I am floored. Struggling with infertility too, and now this.

I feel like I have been hit.

I would say that spending this time on it won’t be wasted and might/should/will feel better than spending the time worrying. Personally, I have to change my writing routine all the time to stay motivated - I’d never be able to do four weeks of 9-5 and if I set my goal too high I’m likely to self sabotage early on. I’ve also found the anxiety of lockdown not conducive to great creativity!

So I set myself mini goals - a modest word count for a morning, maybe. Or to get up and write for two hours early on and then do something different. Any day that you write is an achievement, that’s how I look at it. It’s also useful and important to take plenty of time to read for inspiration and pleasure and remind you of why you want to write at all.

Good luck with it, it really sounds like you have something worthwhile and you will be glad you persevered with it in the end. I think of how many times I might have given up and I’m so glad that something made me keep going.

Thank you, both of you.

DP is working til six so I am getting my manuscript/s (I have two, one which my colleague edited, one untouched since I printed it last month) and going through them until he is ready for our daily walk.

I just got Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell for reading inspiration, although I have fallen into rereading old comfort reads at the moment. I also have How to Fail by Elizabeth Day.

Hamnet is incredible! I absolutely loved it. It’s completely heartbreaking but so beautiful.

Really? Ah that is wonderful news. Maybe I will dive into it today.

I love to feel like I am swimming in a novel. It's the getting into it I don't like. Like getting into a cold sea, then it warms up round you.

I also have Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, which I might reread as like my novel, it's a coming of age story.

One of the things the agent said was that she couldn't go forward with my novel as it's not 'obvious.'

youve had some good advice here so i hope youre feeling more positive.

this may one day be part of your writer's anecdotes- 'my first agent disappeared...etc' it is very painful but horribly common- my old agent had to give up agenting and move country to shake me off 😩 i have one much better suited to me now.

it does sound like youre coming pretty close which is brilliant. commercial womens fiction is a good genre to be in- and agents are still looking to represent right now. also dont rule out the digital first publishers who are far less affected by the virus and can (sometimes) pay well.

A friend of mine was dumped after her first novel, even though it won an award. She finished up her second book, sent it out, got another agent and sold straight away. She's in talks for a TV option now.

She really likes her new agent and feels like they are more in sync than she was with the first.

@HarrietTheShy @Helmetbymidnight Thank you both so much, I would love this to be an anecdote one day, but at the moment it does hurt. It's better today though, less of a wound. And you're right, the advice on here has been amazing.

Has she definitely dropped you and just not the book? I’ve written a few that my agent hasn’t liked but enough that she does like to pitch.

@HerefortheHouse pretty sure she has dropped me, sadly.

i'd love to read the blog op!

I'm writing commercial/women's fiction, and I did change tack after our initial agreement

This bit concerns me - can you explain what you did? When an agent takes you on they want to make sure that you can be marketed in a particular genre - they want your books in the same part of the bookshop/website, so if you're writing romance and your next book's a horror, then you'd need a different editor for your second book, meanwhile your first editor would be expecting another book.

It might be more to do with the current state of publishing - my sister works for a publisher and has been furloughed. They were told that 50% of staff had to be, and they’ve cancelled huge chunks of the books for this year. They’re only publishing anything completely topical or by very well-established authors. Book sales have dropped through the floor, and although ebook sales have increased it’s not enough to make up the difference. Add to that the difficulty of getting stuff printed due to print staff having to social distance, and distribution warehouses shutting down.

I expect as agents work on commission that yours is probably panicking about her own income and has maybe had to tell a large number of her clients that books have been cancelled.

Honestly, I doubt it’s a reflection of your writing. I know it’s really hard and I’m sorry, but I really don’t think it’s because she’s decided she doesn’t like the book.

Thanks @TooExtraImmatureCheddar - she did say that it is a particularly difficult time.

I am going to fight for my book though.

Sorry about your sister, I really hope publishing gets back on its feet soon, for the sake of all the people who work in it.

Love your name, OP - loved Ballet Shoes!

@Hollowtalk Yes. I always wanted to be found by uncle Matthew (Gum) and be one of the fossil girls. I always thought the writer girl was missing, you have the actress, the dancer and the pilot/mechanic but no writer. x

There’s some brilliant advice on this thread, OP.

What I’d say (working in this area for a long time) is that you need an agent who will support your work, your ideas, your direction, not an agent who asks you to write to order. It sounds as if the non-fiction was the ‘hook’ that caught her but then you changed tack (fine) and she’s not actually that interested in representing you as a novelist. You are better off out of this relationship because whilst a good agent will advise on trends, and help shape the arc of a writing career, they shouldn’t be directing you in a position of power.

You’ll find an agent you love and respect and where it’s mutual. If you don’t, consider small presses too. Keep going.

Would love to read your article (nosy!) but don’t worry if you don’t want to share.

Thank you @Nosquirrels - there is some great advice, you're right, and I think on balance there were earlier indications we weren't right for one another, which I chose to ignore because of the wonderfulness of having an agent.

Will send you the piece now x

Hi,
It's tough now but will work out in the long term, I'm sure. Sounds like the agent was squeezed and yours was the one to drop off. I know of a VERY successful author personally who had this and went on to find a great match after a couple of years, who liked the book she had written without changes, who 'got' it.
I'd like to read your blog too.
Working on your book whilst furloughed can't hurt. OR - go for a walk and try out a new idea, start your next book!

Thank you @Longlockdown - am feeling better this week, and have decided to go and pull the book to pieces, structurally and put it back together again.

Someone just sent me this, and while my book has nothing in common with Star Wars, I love the lessons on editing here - www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=GFMyMxMYDNk&feature=emb_logo

A few people from here have also sent lovely advice, it's been such a supportive forum x

That really sucks OP and I can only imagine how much that hurts. But it just shows she's not the right agent for your work. You need a champion, and fingers crossed you can find one.

Hi, sorry I know this is an old thread but I'd love to read your blog please. I think I'm being ghosted by an agent who asked for an R&R back in June. She sent some notes and I submitted new draft and heard nothing since. Nudged her last week but hasn't replied. She's active on Twitter and I've seen on QueryTracker that she's requested some fulls recently and rejected people. She has time read other submissions but hasn't got time just send a quick email, it seems! It has left me so disheartened as she seemed to love the book and sounded very excited about it - we even had a phone call. Just don't understand why she's now ghosting me. It does seem to be a common thing with her though as other writers have left comments on her QueryTracker page and also quite a few of her thriller authors are no longer clients- bit of a red flag!