As part of the inaugural FWA ALUMNI AWARD, the winners of each round will have the opportunity to pitch their novels to UK literary agents at one of three industry days organised by the Faber Academy, UK. They’ll also have the opportunity to receive a one-on-one consultation with one of three Australian literary agents. Why do you think it’s important for an author to be represented by an agent?
Alexandra describes her role as “strategist and advocate” – someone to help authors navigate an “opaque and intimidating” publishing world. According to Alexandra, an agent can “offer developmental editorial advice, assist in securing the best home for an author’s work, negotiate contracts, and guide writers through the publication process.” Abigail further adds, “your agent is Team You. They’re the person you can vent to about anything happening during the publishing and submissions process; the one who will go in to bat for you when necessary. They are there specifically to help you and your career. They can be your cheerleader and your confidante, and their loyalty is to you.”
Writing can be a lonely business. If you’re looking for a champion, a confidante, an editor or a business manager, then maybe you are looking for an agent!
What do you look for in a manuscript when deciding whether to represent a writer?
Alexandra tends to consider how she might describe a book to others, where it might sit in a bookstore, and whether it feels new or familiar. “I find I’m drawn to intelligence, humour, economy of language, depth of emotion, and a sense of confidence on a line level,” she explains. “Above all else, I need to be utterly absorbed by the writing from the very first page.”
Abigail similarly describes the need to be absorbed by the writing. What she’s looking for, first and foremost, though, is a spark of interest. She elaborates: “I don’t necessarily have to fall in love, but if it sparks my interest and it’s difficult to stop thinking about it, that’s step one. Good writing – by which I mean readable and captivating, rather than perfect spelling and grammar – is also important. If you can get me to forget that I am reading a submission rather than a fully-realised book, that is key. If I connect to the voice of the work, that often suggests I might feel a connection to the writer as well. An agent and author are a team so you need some kind of connection and mutual understanding – which is also why I will always meet an author first.”
What are some common mistakes writers make when pitching to a literary agent?
Some hot tips from both agents include:
- Before approaching an agent, it is important to research their taste and gain an understanding of the type of writing they wish to represent.
- Always be courteous and formal in your approach and don’t follow up with new versions of the manuscript unless requested.
- Be specific about why you might be a good author-agent pairing.
- Don’t ignore the pitching or submission guidelines.
- Never put down the genre you’re pitching in to emphasise how your work is “different”.
- Don’t pitch before the work is complete – have the whole manuscript finished and polished before you start pitching.
Which is why it’s especially important to enter a polished submission to the FWA Award!
What advice would you give a writer who has been rejected by an agent?
Both Alexandra and Abigail stress how subjective agenting is. They urge writers not to give up, to keep submitting and never take rejection personally. Abigail adds this invaluable advice:
“Keep track of any reasons you are given for a rejection. If you start seeing the same comments, take a step back and consider if the manuscript needs further refining. That said, if you do get feedback, even if it’s a rejection, that’s a positive thing! Agents have very little time, so if someone has taken the time to provide feedback it means they cared enough to do so. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to agree with what they say, but it does mean your work provoked a response and that’s a really good start.”
Are there any trends in the market that you are excited about at the moment?
Alexandra, an agent with primarily literary tastes, is not all too fussed about trends. She explains: “By the time a book is published, it has usually been in development a long time, so it’s impossible to reverse engineer success based on the current bestseller charts. There is nothing more exciting to me than representing an author that no one saw coming.”
Whereas Abigail, an agent who represents genre writing first and foremost, painted this picture of the market for us:
“Horror is making a bit of a mainstream comeback, which is kind of fun and I am interested to see how that actually translates in the market. I’m still enjoying the cosy trend, although that is starting to taper off. In Australia I am excited to see that fantasy is coming back to the big publishers – not before time!”
What do you love about being a literary agent?
Abigail’s absolute favourite thing is chatting with authors about their characters and brainstorming stories with them. “I can spend hours doing fictional what-ifs with an author… and best of all, I am not the one who then has to go and actually write it.” Alexandra, who began her career as a literary agent in the New York office of the Wylie Agency, is particularly passionate about getting recognition for Australian writers in the international market. And she adds: “there’s nothing quite like calling an author to tell them you have a deal – that’s the best feeling of all.”
Are you currently open to accepting submissions?
As a rare treat in the agenting landscape right now, Alexandra tells us that she is! She has posted her guidelines here: https://www.curtisbrown.com.au/submissions.
Abigail Nathan, unfortunately, is not. She explains: “the sad truth of agenting is that all the reading takes a lot of time, and I am only agenting part-time so I am still catching up on existing submissions.”
This is why the opportunity to pitch to her via the Alumni Award is especially rare and exciting.
Find out more about the FWA ALUMNI AWARD.
Alexandra Christie
Agent, Curtis Brown Australia
Alexandra Christie began her career as a literary agent in the New York office of The Wylie Agency where she represented both debut and established bestselling writers, including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Awards, and the International Booker Prize.
A passionate advocate for her authors, she is an omnivorous reader with a particular interest in literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. She finds it difficult to resist a beautifully written cookbook or a future classic for children. Above all, she is drawn to distinctive voices with an underlying intelligence, a precise eye for detail, and a sense of curiosity.
Previously, Alexandra was Rights Director at Giramondo Publishing Company and Editor of HEAT, Australia’s international literary magazine; she is now on the magazine’s editorial advisory board. She has also held positions at Pan Macmillan Australia and Allen & Unwin. A graduate of the University of Sydney, she has presented at the University of New South Wales, the Faber Academy, Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, the University of Florida and The Wheeler Centre.
Abigail Nathan
Agent, Alex Adsett Literary
Abigail has been working in publishing since 2001. She started Bothersome Words Editing & Writing Services in 2004 and has edited for various Australian publishers including Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Harlequin, and Simon & Schuster, as well as UK publishers including Angry Robot, Hachette and Gollancz.
As an editor, Abigail’s work with publishers has been on commercial fiction and non-fiction, with a particular focus on genre – including speculative fiction, crime, romance and erotica – for authors such as Tea Cooper, Alastair Reynolds, Louise Carey and many others. She also works regularly with emerging and self-publishing writers as an editor, mentor, and book coach.
As an agent, Abigail is looking for engaging plots and convincing characters. Something that will keep her turning the pages and that will stay with her after she’s finished reading. There are some rules and conventions it pays to follow, but something a bit weird or slightly (or very) unexpected will pique her interest, and characters that touch a nerve or worlds that make us question the status quo are always welcome. Above all, she’s looking for great stories, told well – fiction in general and all things genre: sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, horror, crime, thriller, romance (and any combination of those), for adult, YA or middle grade.
Apply to the FWA ALUMNI AWARD.