Writing Bonds

Posted on July 6, 2011 in Uncategorized

When: Thursday 26th May 2011
Where: The Compass (Islington)
Who: Ellie Irving – debut children’s novelist
         Jodie Marsh – Agent at United Agents
         Becky Stradwick – Editorial Director of Random House Children’s Books

We huddled around together in The Compass, a quaint fairy lit pub near Islington, to learn a few trade secrets: how does an author establish a relationship with an agent and how does that journey pave the way to a high class publisher? If you are imagining an expedition of soul destroying meetings, suits and unfulfilled aspirations than you will be pleasantly surprised – this was a partnership made in publishing heaven.

“Keep it simple, crack a joke and let your personality sparkle.”
 
As with many start out authors Ellie Irving suffered a few rejections, but determination kept her creativity cog turning. Hard work and enduring perseverance finally paid off when she grabbed the attention of agent Jodie Marsh. What’s the secret to stand out in an inbox full of submissions? For Jodie, Ellie’s email query was concise and well targeted, but the ultimate selling point was that it made her smile. Never underestimate the importance of the cover note, but also make sure that you don’t oversell yourself. Keep it simple, crack a joke and let your personality sparkle. Once Jodie took Ellie on as her client, the procession of events went into overdrive and after two hard-core edits Jodie felt the manuscript was ready to pitch to publishers.

Becky Stradwick, Editorial Director at Random House Children’s Books, was the one to receive the email. She read the first few pages, fell in love, and passed it onto the editorial assistant. It’s no secret that the higher up the publishing ladder you climb, the more you find yourself in meetings with less time to spend on a manuscript. This opens up a fantastic opportunity for any young publisher striving to make their mark in the industry. Case in point, the assistant championed Ellie’s novel, For the Record, and in a quick chain of events Ellie’s book was sold to Random House with a two book deal.
 
“By the time you’ve written your vampire novel the market has moved onto space opera”.
 
Ellie, nervous, prepped and ready to charm the pants off her new publishers, did a complete u-turn when she arrived to a welcoming reception of bunting and donuts. At this point Jodie took a step back, letting the editorial department do what they do best: the polish. Ellie wished she had more antidotes for an upward struggle but she counts herself as one of the lucky ones. Becky stressed that this is not at all unusual in the book business as long as you have enough passion, willingness to collaborate and compromise, and do not, under any circumstances, follow the trends. By the time you’ve written your vampire novel the market has moved onto space opera.
 
Chasing bandwagons is not always the sure fire way to success. It’s a lot of buzz talk and 9 times out of 10, publishers don’t realise what they want until they are presented with something completely different. Perhaps this is a realization that many authors have to go through. Ellie admitted writing in the third person because that’s how Harry Potter is written. Whilst it’s great to have aspirations to hit the jackpot, you need to be true to your characters and your own voice rather than trying to replicate a formula that doesn’t exist. For any budding children’s author, her advice was to read as many children’s books as you can get your hands on to hone your skills. Practice really can make perfect.
 
“In the digital age publishing is becoming more and more about the personality behind the manuscript”.
 
As an agent Jodie gets her kicks from spotting raw talent, helping an author see their true potential, and through an undeniable love of contracts. Ironically Jodie is spending much more time editing and Becky is spending a lot less. For those of you who are dead set on entering an editorial career don’t disregard the agency route as they really do get to shape a writer’s career from inception. 
 

As for any budding writers, be prepared to work for the success of your book. In the digital age, publishing is becoming more and more about the personality behind the manuscript to the point where social networking and a willingness to take part in events can become a remit on the contract. Don’t be disparaged; writing is such a solitary experience that it is healthy to get out amongst potential readers and can even produce new ideas for future projects. From visiting schools and interacting with her intended readership, Ellie found that children are far brighter than many may give them credit for and that her language didn’t need to be dumbed down.
 
“The Price is in the pudding – relationship! – you can’t go wrong if you bake a good Victoria sponge…”

The key to a successful professional relationship? The price is in the pudding – relationship! Becky looks out for emails from agents she trusts, and Jodie looks for authors that are eager to work twice as hard as they already have to contribute to their own success. Even if an author gets a big pay out, if they don’t earn out that advance, publishers will not want to work with them again. Want to know the recipe for a long lasting partnership? All three of our speakers were in agreement: you can’t go wrong if you bake a good Victoria sponge.

The SYP would like to thank Ellie, Jodie and Becky for an enlightening, endearing and enjoyable event. We hope all of you that attended had as much as fun as we did.