historical fiction agents

lkp

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Speaking of blogs... I've been going through the agents listed in this thread, and although I'm not quite done, I've noticed quite the paucity in blogs among them. Okay, I don't think I've found one yet, at least not one prominently linked to by their agency or high in the google rankings for a search on their name. Am I missing something here? Do many of them blog anonymously, or do agents representing historical fiction just not usually do that? Or is this a sampling primarily of older, established agents who don't see any benefit to it? I've read blogs from agents -- it just seems conspicuous that I'm not finding any from this list.


A tiny, tiny number of reputable, successful agents blog. I suspect that on my spreadsheet of some 100 agents who seemed plausible for historical fiction, maybe five to seven of them blog. There are some wonderful agents who blog but for others, their blogs have let me know I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. If you're restricting your agent search to agents who blog, you're making a big mistake.
 

Minister

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If you're restricting your agent search to agents who blog, you're making a big mistake.

Nah, not restricting a search at this point, and certainly not by anything so sweeping -- I don't have anything agent-ready yet, anyhow. Outside of the outlet for procrastination they can provide,;) the agent blogs have two main values to me. The first is to get a more personal look at the inside of the publishing industry. I've read PW, Writer's Digest, and probably most of the other usual references in print and online. But I get a better sense of the dynamics and color, not to mention the terminology and lingo, when I see it through the eyes of one individual. It can help prevent rookie mistakes when I get a feel for how things are working, rather than a grocery list of attributes. Think of it as wanting to see in tight 3PLO what I've gotten in generic 3PO. I learned a lot from reading Chip McGregor's and Andy Zack's blogs. Doing a heap of reading online has helped me a lot in the short-fiction world, but apparently short-fiction editors and the like are more inclined to blog than agents are.

The second value is the one you're alluding to when you talk about limiting my search and seeing from blogs that you wouldn't want to work with someone -- I like to feel like I know someone I'm proposing a major venture (and possibly a lasting relationship) with. It helps me know how to approach them, and in some cases, it shows me I don't want to approach them at all. I don't have the money or time to scoot around to the conferences to meet everyone in person. A few lines on a website of what genres they take, don't take, and what they've sold lately doesn't tell me much about them as a person or what they'll be like to work with.

At the moment, it's not a big deal -- like I said, I don't have anything ready for an agent yet. But even as I write, I'm trying to do my homework on the industry as a whole, so the pieces comes out as close to ready as they can be, and I don't then have to sit with a completed novel for months, trying to figure out who's who and what they want and how to present it to them.

As it is, though, if you've got 5-7 blogs from reputable agents on your list, you're doing better than I am.
 

Viking

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Questor2000

Question: If I submit my ms to this publisher, and if (fingers crossed) they decide to accept it and publish, presumably, I will still need to find an agent to look after my interests. I'm assuming, also, that this should then be a piece of appelstrudel. Maybe if I had a publishing deal, I wouldn't need an agent? I think I would prefer to have an agent to protect my interests.

American authors can't submit:
Do you accept submissions from authors outside the UK?
Owing to advice from our accountants regarding the tax aspects of administering international royalty payments, we are currently unable to accept submissions from authors not ordinarily resident in the UK.
 

pdr

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No yanks!

euclid's Irish so he can submit to Quaestor. There are several of us here who can submit to Quaestor so I thought it worth posting.

Past Midnight is living in Scotland so she could submit too. Are you still with us Pastmidnight?
 

euclid

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Outside UK

euclid's Irish so he can submit to Quaestor. There are several of us here who can submit to Quaestor so I thought it worth posting.

Past Midnight is living in Scotland so she could submit too. Are you still with us Pastmidnight?

Hi pdr, Are you sure I could submit to Quaestor? Ireland is not actually part of the UK anymore (since 1922), so I am "not normally resident in the UK".
 

euclid

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HNS. Rejection no. 4

Yep, I know that but I believe Ireland is acceptable. Check in to the comments on the HNS e-mail group,

Hi pdr. I had a look at the HNS website. It looks promising. Maybe when I have more time I might dip in there, and also take a look at all the related links shown in there.

Received rejection no. 4 today. Quite discouraging. He said, out of over 2,800 unsolicited submissions received last year, he took on 15.

Onwards and upwards. :)
 
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judi girl

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AHH! My story is set in the 1967-68 era. I thought I was going to sell as historical fiction...now what?
 

pdr

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Were you...

growing up in the 60s? Were you around in 1967-8?

If not, then you had to research it and according to the HNS you've written an historcal novel.
 

euclid

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I found this, Jack King's experiences seeking agency representation.

http://www.spywriter.com/getpublished.html

He sent queries to about 400 agents, got about 50% replies, no takers.
He then tried querying publishers directly and got lucky first time!

Some of the comments he picked up along the way about what publishers think of agents are worth reading.
 

lkp

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Yes but...I find it odd that he nowhere (so far as I could see) mentions the name of the publisher on his site.

That raises a big red flag for me.
 

vsrenard

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The best bet is to look at what they've sold in the past and see if your work fits their portfolio.

FYI, my agent, M.arly Ru.soff accepts HF
 

aruna

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Bump.

If you have anything going please count me in!

[email protected], is the group where agents drop in to request something. I have to say that it's been quiet agent wise for a while but Elizabeth Chadwick, Bernard Cornwall and some other well published writers drop in and sometimes there are interesting discussions.



.

Interesting. I have a lead here...
I am writing something set in the Mughal period in India, an inter-cultural love story. Five years ago my ex-editor asked me to write just such a novel but I couldn't/didn't; far too daunting a project, little time for research, and no knowledge of the subject. Suddenly, very spontaneously, just such a novel ignited in me and I am 33000 words into it.
My ex-editor happens to be Bernard Cornwall's editor, and she worked on his with a US Penguin editor called D.an Conaway. Dan moved to Writers House as an agent a year or two ago and I was referred to him with other novels through a writer friend, so we have corresponded.
Anyway, I told Dan the story of my editor asking for that kind of book and wondered if he would be interested in submitting an unfinished ms to her.... which is what she would have accepted 5 years ago. He said it's worth a try and asked for the ms. He says it will take time for him to read as he's very busy.
I'm actually thinking of ringing my ex-editor myself. Your Thoughts on this?
ANyway, D.an Conaway definitely likes historical fiction.

The reason I want to submit an unfinished ms is because I really, really need to go to India for research but I need a contact first.
 

pdr

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Would you...

PM me, Aruna. I'm in the midst of UK agent negotiations and also have a list of accessible Small Presses, plus a few editors. I might be able to help.

How well did you get on with Ms Editor? Is she likely to remember you with affection? If so e-mail her and ask if you can talk to her about your new historical.

If not let Dan do it.
 
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euclid

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I asked the same question a while back. I was told 6 weeks is the accepted minimum time before prodding an agent.
 

PublishOrPerish

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There have been a lot of examples of very successful historical fiction (just look at the success of Jeff Shaara (more male readers) and Phillippa Gregory (more female readers) or Sharon Kay Penman (readers of both genres). But historical fiction, like any fiction, has to really connect with an agent. Agents, like editors, are looking for writing style and historical accuracy.

Then there were the classics of historical fiction like Michener and Uris that broke all barriers. Most of what they wrote were bestsellers. And Regency romances, and Louis L'Amour have probably sold more books than most contemporary novels of other genres.

One of the issues might be that, like a lot of fiction, you need to hit the right combination of an agent that knows that they have a Rolodex of several editors that will respond to a specific time period. Even if the writing is stellar, there are a lot of internal hurdles to overcome. A lot of people within the publishing house need to get on board and that goes on down the line - marketing, publicity, sales staff - booksellers - consumers. And like non-fiction, certain periods are more popular that others. American Civil War - very popular. English Civil War, not so much. Tudor England - very popular, Gustav I of Sweden, not so much.

But, hey, if you have a spellbinder on Gustav I, I'd be interested in looking at it. I hear his run in with Nils Dacke was pretty traumatic. :)
 

euclid

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Hi Roger, I took a look at your web site. Your questionnaire seems geared towards US writers (high school details etc.). Do you take on writers from other parts of the world (I live in Ireland)?