Keirsten Clark (12 February 2007)
How to sell yourself and your book
Keirsten will be talking about what it is an agent is looking for in a submission and in a potential author and piece of work. This talk will also look at how to present yourself to an agent when submitting your work.
Keirsten will then look at the alternative to going through an agent and approaching an independent publisher. She will also explain how the indies work and what they are looking for in a submission and how they differ from a larger publishing house both in the way they work and the type of work they take on.
The session will be largely focused on a Q&A period on any of the areas the audience feels will be most helpful to them
Keirsten Clark WWN Talk - 12 Feb 2007
BUILDING A NEW HOUSE
An insight into the world of independent publishing.
Report by Jean Moran
At February’s WWN meeting, author-friendly agent and publisher Keirsten Clark, founder of literary agency Writing Ltd and independent publisher Paperbooks told us her story, and gave us an insight into her world of independent publishing.
Keirsten’s working life started in one of the most prestigious publishing houses in London, Curtis Brown. Her course seemed fair, but she soon realised her frustration with the “global corp.” style of publishing needed a remedy. The next step was a significant one and led to an independent career in two major fields - publishing and literary agency. Keirsten founded the Writing Ltd Literary Consultancy to provide writers with a place to come for advice and informed editorial feedback on their writing.
“Part of Writing Ltd's editorial services are to give an honest and thorough report on a writers work,” said Keirsten. “We work at providing a constructive criticism and specific examples to work from to enhance strengths and work on weaknesses in the writing.” In answer to a question Keirsten said they charge £150/100 pages then per page. “But we do not charge a reading fee if the MS is submitted to the publishing side.”
Paperbooks is the publishing arm, and is an independent publisher with three books to its catalogue in the fiction field, although as a principle, Paperbooks will consider all types of authorship. “I do occasionally pass a promising MS on to a house I know would be interested – but it has to be a good manuscript. Non-fiction is a vast area and I'm looking for something a bit unusual from the marketing viewpoint – for example one of the items I have at the moment is a cookery and nutrition book for people working in ski chalets.”
“What do I look for in a submission? Well, I do receive a large amount a week, and like everyone else I look for the unusual and the arresting.” Presentation is important and as an agent too, she is interested as much in the author themselves. “Tell us your writing history, what makes you want to write, and specifically THIS book, now, at this time.” She emphasised that with so much competition to be noticed, it is important to sell yourself as much as the work. The trade press, such as “Publishing News” can be a good source of inspiration for the author to self-market to a publisher, and will help to target the work appropriately.
Keirsten’s Q&A
What is the length of manuscript for the different areas you handle?
Historical fiction around 140,000 words, popular fiction 70 to 90,000 words, and crime novels around 90,000 words (all estimated figures).
Do you accept novellas, and how do you develop a novella from a short story?
Novellas are about 150 pages – this is not a target area for us – go straight to an independent publisher and go for it. Sometimes there is a possibility of developing a short story to this form but it is difficult to guess and difficult to market.
What makes you reject a manuscript?
Perhaps the main thing is a feeling of detachment by the author or no contact with the reader through the prose. I also need to decide if they're writing for themselves or for a market.
Do we have to be young and beautiful?
No, but newsworthiness is always useful. For example one of my authors sent emails from inside a tent deep within the Sudan while editing her book with us.
Can you tell us about payment?
While payment in advance helps an author complete the work, some can miss out on the best deal on royalties. We can offer from £4,000-£8,000 as advance payment but please don’t hold me to this – these are only estimated average payments. Make sure you get good royalties based on a recommended retail price not on net receipts, as these will be very small if the book is remaindered at a small price. A flat fee deal means you have handed over all rights remember.
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