tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post8992252639751219125..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: standing out from the crowdJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53120336564974687612019-09-29T16:13:13.304-04:002019-09-29T16:13:13.304-04:00Leaving Liverpool?? As a rootless roamer currently...Leaving Liverpool?? As a rootless roamer currently longing for Liverpool and home, that sentence cannot be written nicely enough to sit well with me. Which I guess goes to show the impact of taste in all of this. Pericula Ludushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12617683990081451479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-46743977476465434212019-09-29T07:57:04.340-04:002019-09-29T07:57:04.340-04:00Katja, I think you have a lot to say, so why not t...<b>Katja</b>, I think you have a lot to say, so why not take your fiance's advice and write in German? If it sells well in Germany, it very well may be translated into other languages. Think of it as a stepping stone to publishing future books in English.LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-23370738064450350702019-09-29T00:47:35.940-04:002019-09-29T00:47:35.940-04:00I loved that book. I loved that book. Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08941043145591116608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55229006146567170302019-09-28T20:57:59.926-04:002019-09-28T20:57:59.926-04:00Read Helen Forrester's Twopence to Cross the M...Read Helen Forrester's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Twopence-Cross-Mersey-Helen-Forrester/dp/0006361684/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=twopence+to+cross+the+mersey&qid=1569718489&s=gateway&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Twopence to Cross the Mersey</a> and subsequent books, and you'll know why someobody'd want to flee Liverpool. Granted, I'm sure things have improved since those were penned.<br /><br />The only Patrick Lee I have read is Runner and I regret having not read more yet. He's on my list! Maybe this puppy will settle down a little in the winter and I'll have time to read again (I love her and she's working wonders for my health I'm sure but geeze)!<br /><br />Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53928854856624339492019-09-28T17:11:20.785-04:002019-09-28T17:11:20.785-04:00Colin(did I manage to get it bold?),
1. Of course...<b>Colin</b>(did I manage to get it bold?),<br /><br />1. Of course I know about this book - as in that it exists (it's been talked about a lot here and on Twitter!). I doubt that I'm able to read it, though, because I doubt it is available in a bookshop here in the UK.<br />I know, everyone will now think "Well, buy it on Amazon, then!!" - and, sadly, here comes my OCD: it doesn't allow me to order online. I can't even order my own book, which I've published through Amazon; all I have are proof copies with a banner saying "not for resale".<br /><br />I have to miss out on WRITING WITHOUT RULES. :( But I very much appreciate what you said!!<br /><br />2. Thank you for reminding me - I needed that!! xx Katjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06393775907417257099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-37310681287382673602019-09-28T12:49:55.222-04:002019-09-28T12:49:55.222-04:00Katja: Hey, Katja! Two recommendations to help kee...<b>Katja</b>: Hey, Katja! Two recommendations to help keep your sanity (and keep writing):<br /><br />1. If you haven't already, read WRITING WITHOUT RULES by Jeff Somers.<br /><br />2. Remember, writing and publishing is subjective. Agents are people with tastes and preferences. One agent's "delicious sentence" is another agent's "weird phrasing." The bottom line is you can only write the way you write. Yes you can improve, and you can always learn and hone your craft. But you will never be another writer. You will always have <i>your</i> style. You will always say things the way <i>you</i> like to say them. And some people will love it. And some will not love it so much. That goes for agents, editors, reviewers, and readers. Just keep writing what you write for as long as you love to do it.<br /><br />That's my 2 pennies. :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-69307592907178372362019-09-28T12:23:00.436-04:002019-09-28T12:23:00.436-04:00Katja I certainly was wondering why anyone would f...<b>Katja</b> I certainly was wondering why anyone would flee Liverpool. Of course, I was busy watching Liverpool FC squeak past Sheffield United and then writing my blog post comparing Liverpool to Unstable Unicorns. Which probably won't stand out from the crowd of Liverpool faithful blogs. <br /><br />Ah well, it is indeed hard to stand out in YA and Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I know. I am worried about it myself. It's tricky finding those words to make your "Stranger comes to town" story stand-out in the crowd. Keep writing. Keep practicing. What else can you do?E.M. Goldsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387494005655553037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-13648588372572446332019-09-28T12:09:27.250-04:002019-09-28T12:09:27.250-04:00First, I was expecting EM Goldsmith to jump in and...First, I was expecting EM Goldsmith to jump in and ask why anyone would need to flee Liverpool ;).<br /><br />Okay, next, I now know (or maybe not, ha ha), why I didn't get an agent (okay, admittedly, I did give up relatively soon..): my writing! BANG.<br /><br />English is my second language and I find it SO SO hard to write. I've still done it, and then self-published my novel. I do believe I have a plot, and even a great opening. But, yeah, my writing will never be as good as a literary agent would want it to be :(.<br /><br />If it's okay to mention, I submitted my book to The BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly last month, and it got a score of 7.5 out of 10. I wanted more, was disappointed, it all looked pretty poops when I read the critique saying "Uncommon turns of phrase..."<br /><br />I carried on reading once recovered from the initial shock as it said "Uncommon turns of phrase and the novel's European setting add a beguiling patina to the story."<br />Well, nice of them to give me a bit of there, there ;).<br /><br />Someone on Twitter then built me up, saying there are SO many books that get lower marks than 5... and those books' critiques are kept private by the authors (I've read there were 800 entries last year).<br />Fiance has suggested I'd write in German instead and then translate into English. But I've objected because I feel I won't improve if I do it that way. He did say that when I had expressed, like OP-Hunter, that I'd abandon writing altogether.<br /><br />The last book I read was AN UNWANTED GUEST by Shari Lapena. Has anyone read her books? I have read 3 by her so far, and boy, they leave me FRUSTRATED when I read today's blog post!<br />In AN UNWANTED GUEST, it says near the beginning "He smiles his charming smile at them."<br />I do not understand how this could get editorial approval.<br />Lapena's books are full of simple writing. But she's a bestseller. Despite sentences like that, her books sell, sell, SELL.<br />Not even the opening of AN UNWANTED GUEST was great, and after chapter four, nothing was at stake yet. NO THING.<br />How is this possible??<br /><br />I have created a tiny YouTube channel recently, and I'm going to make a video on this (posted my review of this book on Goodreads already) because I'm so interested in what other people think of these (seemingly??) broken writing rules.<br /><br /><br />Rant over ;). <br /> Katjahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06393775907417257099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-3253378817855634772019-09-28T10:24:22.821-04:002019-09-28T10:24:22.821-04:00Timothy Couldn't have been Mormons that late. ...<b>Timothy</b> Couldn't have been Mormons that late. The missionaries have curfews. More likely aliens with a terrible disguise. 😉<br /><br />And now I wanna track down Runner so I can finish reading it.Jill Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15260600727956409597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-91072786029208509112019-09-28T10:21:43.252-04:002019-09-28T10:21:43.252-04:00It's not easy to stand out.
Have a hook.
Ha...It's not easy to stand out. <br /><br />Have a hook.<br /><br />Have a great opening.<br /><br />Have a great query.<br /><br />Have a great synopsis.<br /><br />Have great opening pages...followed by great other pages.<br /><br />In other words, be great.<br /><br />When I pick up a book at a bookstore, I read the jacket flap. I read the opening pages. Then, I read randomly to see if the writing holds up. <br /><br />It's surprising how many times the interior pages are not as promising as the beginning. It's not nearly as shiny when that Dolly Parton wig comes off.<br /><br />I agree with Timothy, that might make a pretty good ending line. <br />JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-79718006180250850662019-09-28T10:21:29.053-04:002019-09-28T10:21:29.053-04:00Yes.
Also, YA fantasy is a highly tropey genre so...Yes.<br /><br />Also, YA fantasy is a highly tropey genre so it pays to research. Since it's my genre, I googled "YA fantasy tropes" and variants ("YA fantasy tropes to avoid", "YA fantasy tropes everyone hates", "YA fantasy tropes THAT SHOULD DIE ALONE AND BE EATEN BY STRAY DOGS" etc.) It helped me decide whether or not my MS was so tropey it would leave everyone with a deja-vu-induced migraine. (Hint: love triangles where one girl has to choose between two hot guys = BURN WITH FIRE. Bonus rejection points if at least one guy is a secret vampire.) You can't avoid all the tropes (it wouldn't be YA fantasy otherwise) but it helped me see what was overused and what would make a good twist on a trope and would surprise the reader.<br /><br />(P.S. I love how so many of us write YA fantasy but know Janet would rather enter a kale eating competition than rep it. Sigh!)NLiuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00184714542401822508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15231711226126748762019-09-28T10:18:00.280-04:002019-09-28T10:18:00.280-04:00Something to aspire to, for sure.Something to aspire to, for sure.Beth Carpenterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02447148196867821907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42933222367733994882019-09-28T09:57:38.794-04:002019-09-28T09:57:38.794-04:00And to emphasize the impression this passage made,...And to emphasize the impression this passage made, I knew exactly where it was from when I read the first sentence. I've read his other books, and they stay with me precisely because of the language.Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17478393430722574447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-58238627116697226892019-09-28T09:34:27.571-04:002019-09-28T09:34:27.571-04:00I, too, never tire of Patrick Lee.
To add to wha...I, too, never tire of Patrick Lee. <br /><br />To add to what Janet pointed out: sometimes, less is more. Her first sentence, for instance (She sailed on the high tide) would serve as a wonderfully succinct closing to a chapter. When the meaning is bigger than the words, let the meaning do the talking:<br /><br />The bell shrieked, rattling the door in its frame. Janet started and clutched her terry-cloth robe close, shaking off the last drops of her shower. Who the hell could it be at this late hour? The IRS? Some weird stalker with a manuscript to schlepp? Heart galloping, she unbolted the latch and hauled open the door. <br /><br />Mormons.<br /><br />She sailed on the next tide. Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.com