FionaW
...who should be writing
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
- Messages
- 115
Assuming I can get away from work (that's a big assumption), I've been accepted onto a course in September that includes a meeting with an agent, and a publisher (UQP).
Now UQP will not be interested in SFF, so I'm going to have a frantic month where I try to finish my fantasy novel for the course and brush up either a contemporary or historical MSS to show them.
My question is this: having spent so much time learning about synopses and hooks and query letters, what on earth do you say when your first meeting with an agent/publisher is not via the written word, but face-to-face?
I have met agents before, especially when I did the Arvon selected fiction course, where several came and had dinner with us. But although it was flagged as 'meet an agent' all we were allowed to do was chat with them about the industry. Actually offering manuscripts was looked on as behaving like a little naif.
So - has anyone had a 'cold' meeting with an agent/publisher to discuss a manuscript? I know they don't bite (well, John doesn't, and I'll assume he's representative) and are fairly human, and I'm going to try not to do anything stupid, like shove a 500-page manuscript at them, or beg, or cry. But some tips would be good.
Now UQP will not be interested in SFF, so I'm going to have a frantic month where I try to finish my fantasy novel for the course and brush up either a contemporary or historical MSS to show them.
My question is this: having spent so much time learning about synopses and hooks and query letters, what on earth do you say when your first meeting with an agent/publisher is not via the written word, but face-to-face?
I have met agents before, especially when I did the Arvon selected fiction course, where several came and had dinner with us. But although it was flagged as 'meet an agent' all we were allowed to do was chat with them about the industry. Actually offering manuscripts was looked on as behaving like a little naif.
So - has anyone had a 'cold' meeting with an agent/publisher to discuss a manuscript? I know they don't bite (well, John doesn't, and I'll assume he's representative) and are fairly human, and I'm going to try not to do anything stupid, like shove a 500-page manuscript at them, or beg, or cry. But some tips would be good.