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Athelstone replied to the topic Very Serious Consequences: Harrow and Wealdstone, 1952 in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
How astonishing that an event with so much loss of life has faded from memory. I mean, not literally, it’s still there in the records – and you’ve just blogged about it. That said, it’s coming up to 70 years, I suppose. Great blog as ever, Richard. I shake my head when you write about the prevarication and penny-pinching over AWS. Then I remember…[Read more]
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Hilary replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Thanks, Jill and Philippa. I’m getting over the experience! But I still want to find a balanced overview about 1) whether book club fiction is a thing, and 2) whether age matters. I’m prepared to accept that it isn’t (as far as pitching to editors is concerned) and it does, but I’d still want an agent who said ‘We’ll show them …’ rather than…[Read more]
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I think if Debi says Book Club/Reading Group fiction is a thing and other agents identify it as something they’re looking for, you can be 100% sure it exists. For the age, maybe it does make a difference to some editors/agents (although I haven’t seen any examples of it and I am MUCH older than you) but, if so, they are not the sort of people I…[Read more]
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RichardB started the topic Very Serious Consequences: Harrow and Wealdstone, 1952 in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
We all make mistakes. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we get away with it. Even if we don’t, sometimes the results aren’t too disastrous. But once in a while particularly unfortunate circumstances conspire to give a momentary error consequences that are catastrophic out of all proportion.
In the foggy early hours of Wednesday 8 October 1952 the…[Read more]
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Philippa East replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Oh Hil, I’m so sorry. You know my thoughts on this through the messages we’ve exchanged, and I just send my commiserations again xxx
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Hilary replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Thank you for the beta read offers. I’m not sure I’m ready yet, but I will keep you in mind, and return the offer. Swapsies!
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Janette replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Wow, thank you, everybody, for your kind, supportive words. I only relayed my experiences to show @Hilary that she was not alone, but your responses have touched me deeply.
@Debi – thank you for your support. Of course, you know all about my MS, and you really are the best.
@Hilary – re the suggested beta read, I’m happy to put my name forward…[Read more]
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Janette replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Congratulations, John, and thanks Libby for the challenge.
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Hilary replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Congratulations, John! Well done to all – and thanks to Libby for the comp and the perceptive comments.
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Hilary replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
And thank you for your comments too, Mad Iguana.
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Hilary replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Debi thank you for this. Yes, I do think you’re right about the agent giving her time and it’s true that my disappointment is down to my expectations and hopes more than anything else. As I say, she was perfectly ‘nice’ and of course her prime motivation is going to be can she sell it. But in the meeting, I felt her doubt about this came across…[Read more]
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John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Thank you Raine. Yes it turned out to be a pretty cunning ploy.
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Raine replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Well done @johnalty – much deserved. Perhaps writing two stories then being forced to choose is a sound strategy to adopt 😀 And Thankyou Libby for an intriguing challenge 🙂
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Sandra started the topic Especially recommended books in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Yes, there’s a load of ‘How-to’books out there, and how useful they are depends very much upon the user, but I thought there might be a place to list not every book we use, but the most useful.
To start, and more specifically for crime writers, I can thoroughly recommend ‘The real CSI’ by Kate Bendelow. Kate did a workshop at the ‘Crime &…[Read more]
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John S Alty started the topic March competition in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Well, I think the subject is obvious this month – Spring. Interpret it any way you want in under 400 words. I know you’ll all be brilliant. Good luck!
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Well done John, and thank you Libby for a competition which led to so many brilliant stories – what richness!
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Debi Alper replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Oh Hilary! I was alerted to this thread by Ath. I can see you’re taking this well but I know how much it must hurt. I’m going to try to take a step back and see where the agent might have been coming from. Don’t shout at me!
Agents love books, of course, and get very excited when they are part of the process that leads to publication. For some,…[Read more]
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Mad Iguana replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Jeez that’s shocking behaviour. Both from your agent @Hilary and @janette.
I’ve never got that close – I mean, I’ve had full requests but no more than that – but I’d have thought you could at least rely on agents to be honest.
We’ve all been blanked on a submission – which is par for the course, even if I don’t particularly like it. But to bring…[Read more] -
John S Alty replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 1 month ago
Wow, thanks Libby! Well done to the other participants. I’ll think up some devilishly difficult competition for March and post later tomorrow.
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Hilary replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
Thank you everyone for your solidarity and kind comments about my writing, and for the encouragement to realise all the positives in this tale as well. And, @janette, for someone not to reply properly having suggested revisions – that is, indeed, unprofessional.
I am taking a step back from that experience and that novel, and working on the…[Read more]
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RichardB replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 1 month ago
One thing I’m taking away from all this is that it’s never safe to assume you’ve made it until you’re actually holding the book in your hands.
I used to be contemptuous of writers who go off on hostile rants about the arrogance of agents, assuming they were being paranoid, were unable to face up to not being good enough to be published, and were…[Read more]
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