"Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold

[Flemcodogmusic]

But that shouldn't stop them writing for their own pleasure.

Absolutely ...

That's really interesting, John. Quite a staggering percentage, isn't it?

How many manuscripts do you see, as an agent, that show some kind of promise?

 

[Troo]

I'd just like to say thanks for all the advice at Alt.Fiction yesterday, John. I was in one session with an author I'd accepted for Pantechnicon and she was getting a little disheartened by all the honesty, but she went away with a lot of focus and positivity at the end, which was fantastic

 

[scalem X]

lol 99.999999999% John? That's one in 99 billion people.
But I do get what you mean. I may be one of them, time will tell.

 

[John Jarrold]

lol 99.999999999% John? That's one in 99 billion people.
But I do get what you mean. I may be one of them, time will tell.

Quite right, I exaggerate for effect! But there really is a minuscule percentage of the population who do have the talent to tell a story in a way that makes sense to a commercial publisher (let alone having the prose, characterisation and invention skills and talents required). I sometimes hear authors I've turned down say 'Oh, Dickens wouldn't be published today', when I've explained the commercial imperatives of publishing in 2008. Firstly, an author writing SF or Fantasy today will be compared to other recent genre authors, not Charles Dickens (and it might be considered slightly presumptuous of an unpublished novelist to compare themselves with Dickens). Secondly, that pre-supposes Dickens would write in the same way if he was around in 2008. Thirdly, it's a stupid comment - and pretty much everyone who makes it can't write worth a damn.

And David - I've taken on 40 clients and turned down over 3,000 writers who have asked me to be their agent. So a little over 1% of what I see works for me, personally and professionally.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Holy smokes!

 

[Susan Boulton]

Holy smokes!

Exactly.

I honestly cannot understand why a writer, who has submitted a work to an agent or editor, and has had it rejected has to “back-chat”. Politely thank them if they took the time to make suggestions, yes, if not move on. Your work has been judged and rejected, on a business level as not good enough to make it in a very competitive market, if you can’t accept it, then really, in my opinion, you should not be submitting. It does not give a very good impression of you, as a person or a writer. If, the said agent/publisher has taken the time to make any comments then you should be grateful, rarely does this happen. I chalk any that I receive, as a success. I had caught their eye is some respects, even if, like a few I have had, they slate my writing. Least it was so bad the agent/publisher was moved to comment.

I am not saying rejection does not hurt, nor should you not mutter under your breath about it just do it in private, and move on. If I commented on, or “back-chatted” to every rejection I would never get my wide backside up from this chair.

 

[Robert M. Blevins]

Mr Jarrold's interview with Escape Velocity Magazine is available in Issue Two of EV. (Our thanks to him)

The eBook editions are always a free download. No strings, forms, or baloney. You can pick up your PDF copy of any issue (including Issue Two) on this page:

The Escape Velocity Magazine

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

And David - I've taken on 40 clients and turned down over 3,000 writers who have asked me to be their agent. So a little over 1% of what I see works for me, personally and professionally.

Thanks, John ...

Yeah, I assumed it'd be something like that.

It must be pretty mind-numbing work, wading through that amount of manuscripts. I find it hard enough to get through a published book, if I don't enjoy the first few chapters ...

 

[John Jarrold]

Every agent and publisher can turn down 90% of the submissions they receive within ten pages...

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

Yeah, I've heard that said before ...

Can you identify whether the plot's likely to be up to scratch, within those first ten pages, or is it purely based on the writing style, characters, etc, at that stage?

I only ask because I've heard that Edgar Alan Poe ( I think it was him, anyway) was so familiar with literary forms, that he was able to predict the plot of one of Dicken's novels, after reading the first chapter ...

 

[John Jarrold]

If the prose isn't wonderful, nothing else matters. I need to be hooked by the writing, first and foremost. And as I say on the website, don't tell me I should read on because it gets better later. That's too late. Your first ten pages are vital - not just to involve the publisher and the agent in the first place and keep them from saying 'no' immediately, but also to entrance the reader.

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

I always seem to spend much longer on my first chapter, than the rest of them, during my first draft ...

Glad to hear that I might actually be doing something right! I always feel very un-prolific when I start something new ...

 

[John Jarrold]

I'd just like to say thanks for all the advice at Alt.Fiction yesterday, John. I was in one session with an author I'd accepted for Pantechnicon and she was getting a little disheartened by all the honesty, but she went away with a lot of focus and positivity at the end, which was fantastic

Good to see you, Troo! Yes, a couple of people were getting depressed, I could tell. But I really try to be honest and I don't want anyone thinking it'll be anything other than a long road to commercial publication. Very occasionally it happens quickly, but - once again - that is the exception, not the rule. I LOVE SF and Fantasy, have done for over forty years, and my enthusiasm doesn't wane because I know the actuality of commercial publishing. Writers need to keep their head down and get on with the writing, and also maintain their own enthusiasm despite knock-backs!

If we didn't love it, we wouldn't be here!

 

[lin robinson]

And lets be honest, what percentage of people who sit down and write a book - having never written anything before - actually get published?

I know three. And know OF many more. Harold Robbins, Mickey Spillane are just a couple of guys who decided there was money in writing and just sat down and kicked out the best-selling work of their times.
It's NOT brain-surgery actually. So much of writing is just somebody's way of speaking, of what's going on in their head.

 

[John Jarrold]

Lin, of course there are some - but so many more just can't do it like that. I'm not saying it's totally impossible, but it happens very seldom!

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

I know three. And know OF many more. Harold Robbins, Mickey Spillane are just a couple of guys who decided there was money in writing and just sat down and kicked out the best-selling work of their times.

As far as I'm aware, Mickey Spillane spent about seven years writing for Superman, Batman, and Captain America comics, before he even decided to start work on "I, the Jury" ...

(Not to be pedantic, or anything ...)

Anyway, as John said, it's obviously possible for that kind of thing to happen. On the other hand, it's always possible that I might win the lottery at some point this week. INCREDIBLY unlikely ... but possible.

It's NOT brain-surgery actually. So much of writing is just somebody's way of speaking, of what's going on in their head.

If you do find it that easy to write a novel, and get it published, then I can only take my hat off to you! Well done! But if you do have a collection of rejection letters, like most writers, then surely that's proof that it's not that easy ...

And besides, isn't brain surgery also about what's going on in somebody's head?

 

[lin robinson]

I gotta find out where Mickey studied to learn how to write for Batman.
not to be pedantic

John, I'm not suggesting otherwise, just commenting on the "brain surgery" idea. In fact lots of people have a book in them, and many write them.

 

[Peter Graham]

I gotta find out where Mickey studied to learn how to write for Batman.
not to be pedantic

John, I'm not suggesting otherwise, just commenting on the "brain surgery" idea. In fact lots of people have a book in them, and many write them.

I'd say it was possible to argue that if aspiring writers had to undergo the equivalent of whatever it is that brain surgeons have to do to qualify (eight years at the Pigwarts Academy Of Brain Surgery, during which they have lots of high jinks in dorm and run-ins with Old Cyclops, the fierce matron?), agents and publishers wouldn't be drowning under such a slew of unsolicited manuscripts.

I suspect that many people have an idea in them, but not actually a book, or at least not a book that many people would want to read! I agree that writing isn't brain surgery. It isn't accountancy or plumbing either, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a tough job to write a book of publishable quality. Having a great idea is one thing, but being able to communicate that idea and generate interest in so doing is where it becomes difficult.

Regards,

Peter

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

I gotta find out where Mickey studied to learn how to write for Batman.

Haha! Probably nowhere, but again, just because it's not brain surgery, that doesn't make it easy ... and I'm sure that any comic writers viewing this thread would agree ...

... just commenting on the "brain surgery" idea.

OK, maybe surgeon was an extreme example ... (Do you ever get the feeling you've opened a can of worms?) I hereby apologise to any surgeons, brain surgeons, tree surgeons, etc, that might be reading this ...

Anyway, I can see what you're saying, Lin ... but we should probably finish off this discussion, as it's got very little to do with Personal Questions ...

 

[Havlen]

Personally, I think everyone's got a good brain surgery in them.