"Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold

[John Jarrold]

Excellent point.

Correct. It's the mix of knowing the market and being aware of what you write and knowing that does not have to fit 100% with any one specific author, but within a Venn Diagram - it's a GENERAL point, not specific...

 

[John Jarrold]

Good idea. I'll see what they say.
The advice I've been given in the past (which now seems to be a bit misguided) is that you shouldn't compare your novel to another one because it should be able to stand up on its own. Were they perhaps talking about comparing to obvious stereotypes like Harry Potter or Twilight?

.

Yes, never say your book fits with huge bestsellers (it doesn't). Be more sophisticated and intelligent...but see the authors I have mentioned here - be aware of them and how your work compares to them.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Yes, never say your book fits with huge bestsellers (it doesn't). Be more sophisticated and intelligent...but see the authors I have mentioned here - be aware of them and how your work compares to them.

There's a fine line between self-confidence and hubris

 

[Daniel Ionson]

Yep, I'll be there! Waiting to hear if they want me on panel/panels!

Well, I'll buy you a pint and machine-gun questions at you then! See you there.

 

[John Jarrold]

Cheers, Daniel!!!

 

[John Jarrold]

There's a fine line between self-confidence and hubris

Too right!

 

[Stephen Palmer]

The art of self-editing turns a writer into an author...

 

[John Jarrold]

It's a long process, as you know, Stephen. And you're dead right, every writer has to learn to look at their work objectively, editorially...

 

[Anne Lyle]

That's why it's good to let a piece rest between revisions. I can come back to a passage that I thought was perfect six months ago, and leave it covered in red ink (the manuscript, not me)

 

[Scarfy]

Also, don't forget that there will come a time when you have done everything you can with the story (either because of the story itself or your own current writing ability). At that point, it's best to move on to something else.

You can always come back to it in later years. I believe Iain Banks did this with USE OF WEAPONS.

 

[John Jarrold]

Yes, Iain's first three published SF novels were COMPLETE rewrites of earlier books. And you can also cannibalise earlier books - one plotline or character might work in a later, better novel...

 

[Anne Lyle]

I have a whole boxful of abortive early efforts that I'm planning to cannibalise for my sideline project - mainly worldbuilding, but a few characters may make it through the mill. Waste not, want not...

 

[Scarfy]

I'll be taking CONSIDER PHLEBAS and USE OF WEAPONS to his signing in London in October. Hope he won't mind me asking him to sign four books(!)

 

[anthorn]

Sorry to bore you again with a word count question John. But say if I feel 100k is best to tell my story and it's a fantasy novel debut. I know I said I would compare it to Erikson but that was only in the fact that it had some military action in and multi POV
I really think it's more character driven. Now I am really worried, a friend told me that my 100k wordcount book will only come up to 250 pages. Is this true

 

[Anne Lyle]

I hope John doesn't mind me answering this, but it's something I've had to deal with recently...

Firstly, I wouldn't worry about page count, anthorn - it totally depends on the font and page size used for the finished book. Word count is king at the manuscript stage!

Secondly, have you shown it to anyone yet? It doesn't have to be a formal critique - what you want at this stage is reader response, not grammatical nitpicking. Because you are so close to the story, getting someone else to read your book can be a good way to find out if you have a tightly-written page-turner on your hands or just a rushed draft that needs a bit more depth and detail.

My previous draft was 105k, but knowing it was a bit short for the market I went back and fleshed out some of the conflicts, and expanded the ending which my beta-readers said was too rushed - and got it up to 126k without much trouble.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Daniel Ionson]

Yep, I'll be there! Waiting to hear if they want me on panel/panels!

The Program schedule was just published on their site. I see that you'll be on two of them. Looks like it will be a great conference.

 

[Jennifer Kirk]

I've been slowly reading my way through this thread over the last couple of hours (not read every post here yet - there's a lot). There really is some excellent advice here, and it's refreshing to see an agent so willing to take questions in this way and give such honest answers!

I just wish that I had known about this site and, in particular, this thread before submitting several books over the last couple of years to you. I read with reddened cheeks a few of the Mickey Mouse mistakes I made (and I have the emails to go back and cringe over too - I just did that).

At every level though you were the most helpful, amiable and polite person I ever dealt with in publishing, despite my falling into several of the traps you have warned against in this thread. I did take all you said on board, and it has gone to make my writing far better than the amateur rubbish I used to send you

I didn't realise that Alfred Bester's 'The stars my destination' was one of your favourite books otherwise I wouldn't have dared suggest that I might have had a slightly similar writing style. Still, it was an influential book.

Thanks for all the good advice!

 

[thaddeus6th]

Jennifer, I know how you feel, writ small. I'd submitted to two agents and was checking to make sure Mr. Jarrold wasn't dodgy ( ) when I found this thread. I'd made so many howlers, and the alterations took me a hell of a long time. This forum's a fantastic resource for writers, and this thread in particular is bloody useful.

Hurrah for Chrons and Mr. Jarrold!

[PS I should've written this before submitting to him ]

 

[Daniel Ionson]

I've been slowly reading my way through this thread over the last couple of hours (not read every post here yet - there's a lot). There really is some excellent advice here, and it's refreshing to see an agent so willing to take questions in this way and give such honest answers!

I just wish that I had known about this site and, in particular, this thread before submitting several books over the last couple of years to you. I read with reddened cheeks a few of the Mickey Mouse mistakes I made (and I have the emails to go back and cringe over too - I just did that).

At every level though you were the most helpful, amiable and polite person I ever dealt with in publishing, despite my falling into several of the traps you have warned against in this thread. I did take all you said on board, and it has gone to make my writing far better than the amateur rubbish I used to send you

I didn't realise that Alfred Bester's 'The stars my destination' was one of your favourite books otherwise I wouldn't have dared suggest that I might have had a slightly similar writing style. Still, it was an influential book.

Thanks for all the good advice!

Yes- it really seems that there's a mountain of info to absorb (and I have just begun). I've logged ludicrous amounts of time Googling different issues, and sifted through multiple books on writing (some are great, many are crap).

I'm hoping to learn a lot from the WF Convention in Ohio [ World Fantasy Convention 36 - WFC 2010 ] where I get to meet the man, himself.

Good luck, JK.

Daniel

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Good luck, JK.

Having the tag JK has got to be a good start...