"Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold

[John Jarrold]

John, do you know if sales tend to pick up as you go on into a series? I'd be interested to know especially with the longer series (more than 3 books).

Two specific examples I can give you. Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series suddenly doubled sales about six books in. And Maggie Furey's ARTEFACTS OF POWER series went this way in sales terms, on publication dates of the four novels in paperback: 12k, 20k, 25k, 42k...

 

[David Gullen]

Two specific examples I can give you. Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series suddenly doubled sales about six books in. And Maggie Furey's ARTEFACTS OF POWER series went this way in sales terms, on publication dates of the four novels in paperback: 12k, 20k, 25k, 42k...

Thanks John, and I do take your point about being the exception. This feels like another variation on the 'How to write what you want to write while also writing what the market wants'. Well, I'd just love to have the opportunity to try, is all I can say! My preference as reader and writer is for the shared world style of Banks and Mieville, for example. And going back a bit Conan Doyle wrote a series, so it's not really a new thing.

How do you see people like Charles Stross fitting into this, as from what I know of his work they are standalones.

 

[David Gullen]

Author groups, I'd say wait for the response here!

If you mean writing groups, then it depends what you want and where you are. Being in a writing group is invaluable to me, having regular contact with other genre writers is great for ideas, for morale, and for getting honest and high quality criticism of your work in progress.
My first short story pro sale came from a throwaway 'I bet you can't write a story about...' in the bar after one meeting. The second challenge like that also sold.

I'm in two groups:
- The T Party (The T Party - Home), a monthly genre group in London, traditional style crit group.
- MillionMonkeys (A Million Monkeys - About) , a weekly writer's productivity session (i.e. we meet just to write, to help build up our weekly word count, also London based.

The T Party is open to writers who have publishing credits. John I think knows one or two members.
MillionMonkeys is free, and open to anyone who wants to turn up and write.

There are other very good groups around the country, but if there's nothing organised where you are, then I would start your own. It will take time to build, you need to keep at it and pull people in and you will get something well worth being a part of.

 

[Ian Whates]

There are other very good groups around the country, but if there's nothing organised where you are, then I would start your own. It will take time to build, you need to keep at it and pull people in and you will get something well worth being a part of.

In addition, there are internet-based groups organised by the BSFA -- the Orbiters, where members are divided into working groups of around half a dozen. You submit a piece each round, read and critique the other members' pieces and return them, all via email.

So not having a group in your area is no excuse. And I can't stress enough how invaluable such peer feedback can be. Every would-be writer should be part of a writing group or two.

 

[chopper]

agreed. i'm no longer like a ship without a rudder and, since i joined my writers' groop, i've written more - and more consistently - than i ever did before.

 

[J-WO]

Hi, john. When you say publishers favour SF/Fantasy debuts somewhere in the region of 100-150,000 words does that include the smaller, independent presses etc? Would they typically avoid such overhead costs or follow the market- the potential revenue justifying the risks?

 

[John Jarrold]

Thanks John, and I do take your point about being the exception. This feels like another variation on the 'How to write what you want to write while also writing what the market wants'. Well, I'd just love to have the opportunity to try, is all I can say! My preference as reader and writer is for the shared world style of Banks and Mieville, for example. And going back a bit Conan Doyle wrote a series, so it's not really a new thing.

How do you see people like Charles Stross fitting into this, as from what I know of his work they are standalones.

Charlie varies - SINGULARITY SKY and IRON SUNRISE are in the same series, as are THE ATROCITY ARCHIVE and two others, and his fantasy series...but then he does write four or five books a year, which is very unusual! And again, NEVER expect everything to fit a template. But series are the norm, in terms of selling well.

 

[John Jarrold]

Hi, john. When you say publishers favour SF/Fantasy debuts somewhere in the region of 100-150,000 words does that include the smaller, independent presses etc? Would they typically avoid such overhead costs or follow the market- the potential revenue justifying the risks?

Depends on the individual indy press...

 

[The Alamo Avenger]

[FONT=&quot]Hi John;

I have two questions.

1) At some point in this thread I seem to recall you saying that although some agents sell work both here in the States and also in your corner of the globe, an author should seek representation in the same region as where he lives. With this newfangled thing called email and other such wonderful technologies (such as the push-button telephone and canned tuna), what is the reasoning behind that? Is it just so it’s easier for us authors to take you agents out for a round of drinks?

2) Regarding query letters: While attending high school (many, many years ago) I completed a correspondence course at the Institute of Children’s Literature. And in my senior year I received a partial college scholarship as a result of a fantasy story that appeared in my school’s paper. Are those things worth mentioning in my query letter? They say you are to include a short writer's bio, but other than that I don't have any publishing credits to list. Since (A) neither of those things are directly related to the novel I’m currently shopping, which is science fiction, and (B) that was so long ago, would they at all help or should they be left out? [/FONT]

 

[John Jarrold]

An agent in your home country will first approach the local genre editors, who he or she probably sees at least once a month. As a UK agent, although I am in regular touch with US genre editors by e-mail (and I've known many of them for twenty years because I was an SF editor and visited the US regularly), there is nothing like the personal, face-to-face, touch...thus I always approach the UK editors. US publishers are still more interested in new US authors, first and foremost.

You might as well mention those facts, making it clear you're aware they don't impinge directly on your present submission, but saying that you want those to whom you are submitting to have as much information as possible. Good luck!

 

[SpaceShip]

Hi John. Can you please advise me of the correct layout of a letter to an agent to get his/her attention. I'm getting a bit disheartened but my small fanbase tell me to keep at it as my work must get taken up eventually. Perhaps there is some magical formula? I have digested the Writers and Artists yearbook and have followed their advice but haven't even had a request to go further than the initial letter. I have sent three book covers (as I have self-published the first three in a five book series) plus a synopsis, some sample chapters, a bit about me and info on my website but all to no avail. Can you help me please?

 

[John Jarrold]

The letter is not a magic key, to be honest - as long as the basic infomation is there and you sound both professional and intelligent, no specific layout will make any difference. The agent has to be interested in what you are writing, in general terms, before they ask to see chapters. There isn't a magic key. I know that several agents are looking more and more to concentrate on the authors they already represent, but I'm sure others are still interested. As I've said before, every agent is an individual - so check out their websites first, because I imagine some say that they are not presently accepting new submissions, so it's pointless getting in touch with them. If it took Iain Banks over ten years, I don't think anyone else can expect fast results...

 

[ctg]

I just want to add that there are exceptions like Hannu, but that's a very rare exception.

 

[John Jarrold]

And it is an exception, as you rightly point out! The rule is that for over 99% of authors it's a hard slog, and any new writer must be prepared for that, and not point to the exception and say 'that will work for me'. It won't. As I've said before, in twenty years working in SF publishing, I've never known a deal like Hannu Rajaniemi's, for a debut SF novelist.

 

[The Alamo Avenger]

An agent in your home country will first approach the local genre editors, who he or she probably sees at least once a month. As a UK agent, although I am in regular touch with US genre editors by e-mail (and I've known many of them for twenty years because I was an SF editor and visited the US regularly), there is nothing like the personal, face-to-face, touch...thus I always approach the UK editors. US publishers are still more interested in new US authors, first and foremost.

I find that very interesting. It also brings to mind a couple more questions.

1) Do agents typically meet their clients face to face during the initial stages of signing them up? Or do you often sign contracts with authors you have never met in person? If so, what percentage of your clients have you never actually met?

2) You say US publishers are more interested in US authors. Makes sense. Is the converse then also true....that UK agents are primarily interested in UK authors? More specifically, and hypothetically speaking, suppose you found a US author that you really liked and thought you could get him/her published in the UK, would you take them on as a client if they were not concerned about getting published in the US?

3) Regarding your UK clients, what percentage of them, if any, have their work published in both regions?

As always, thanks for your insight, John!

 

[John Jarrold]

1 - It varies. I haven't yet met around half-a-dozen of my forty-odd clients. But I've known others for the best part of twenty years.

2 - UK publishers can be less involved with their own country. For instance, Scott Lynch and Robert V S Redick (I represent the latter, which answers the other part of your question) were two US authors first published recently in the UK.

3 - I've done eleven deals for debut novelists in the last three years (nine UK, one US, one Canadian). So far, five of them have US deals. And various other clients also have US deals. But being published in the US isn't seen as the be-all and end-all, by any means.

 

[John Jarrold]

Oh, and several of those debuts have not yet been published! Again, there is no template in the regard of the timing of a US deal. Sometimes they are not done until after the first or second book is published in the UK, sometimes they are done pre-publication - and sometimes you never get a US deal...

 

[Scarfy]

and sometimes you never get a US deal...

Really? Why's that? Tastes?

 

[John Jarrold]

Many, many reasons. Not every book works both sides of the Atlantic, for one thing. About 80% of the books published in the US are never published in the UK. The US publishers of Brandon Sanderson, for instance, are amazed that no one in the UK has picked up his fantasy novels, but obviously no UK genre editor has a real feeling for the writing yet or believes they will sell in large enough numbers in the UK to take them on. Like everything else relating to the subjectivity of publishing, there is no simple answer to your question...

 

[Scarfy]

I'll confess right now that I've never heard of Brandon Sanderson! His website says he writing the last Wheel of Time book though, so that might be a boost for his own work.

By the way, what is considered good sales for a first time novelist? I know that's a rather broad question, but are we talking 3,000 - 7,000 copies?