Agents

7 Years in 1776

Many years ago, when I worked at a corporate job, my employee review indicated I was doing well, but “lacked patience.” I was not surprised. I’d heard it before, and was well aware of both the positive and negative aspects of such a trait.

Fast forward, and this week my novel, in the hands of my agent, is going out for the next round of feedback from publishers. As I wait, once again, I’m reminded of that review, and I wonder if this novel shows how my lack of patience was probably not a trait, but a symptom of circumstance.

Back then, I wanted to my career to advance faster (now), because I was working jobs that fit me about as well as that too-tight pair of wool pants I can’t seem to part with.

But this book, set during 1776, is a passion project. Potentially a new career. And so it’s more like a cozy sweater-dress I bought at Goodwill a couple months ago–it fits so easily, and makes me feel fantastic. Consequently, my dedication to it can been seen in the numbers:

I began researching 7 years ago, worked with 5 different editors, 9 early readers (friends who gave advice and corrections), 100s of historians, librarians, museum directors and more. I wrote and rewrote a total of 8 drafts. Went through 6 months of agent-query rejections, and now, after 1.5 years editing with my agent, we’re heading for the final gate–a publisher.

I’ve grown. I’ve matured. And yet all I can think is, “Now? Have you heard from a publisher now? How about now?”

(I will indeed let you all know when I hear, per this old post about getting the agent, I will fly the Canadian flag when I have a publisher.)

Let That Banner Wave!

KarenAChase_AgentAmericanFlag

I have an agent!

About eight weeks ago I promised I would fly the Canadian flag and replace it with the US flag when I found an agent. I can scarcely believe it’s happened so quickly, but last week the joyous news came in. A call. Early morning. Area code 212. New York.

“Hi, this is Rebecca Gradinger with Fletcher and Company.” My ears thrummed. Once my composure returned I found Rebecca saying things all writers hope for. “I was reading it on the subway… I only got to page 100… I just had to call…”

However, it was not her praises that made me say yes. She was professional and warm. Thoughtful and engaging. She knows this business well, but she is also known for being nice. I said yes, because I feel like she is going to be someone to count on. With Rebecca and her assistant Jennifer in my corner, the next rounds are going to be less of a fight. More of a joy.

She’ll be here to help with editing, finding a publisher and more. Rebecca best describes the role of an agent in this post from Poets and Writers.

So, I have another enthusiastic partner in the building of my literary career. That’s only right for I did not get here alone. Freelance editors. Early readers. Researchers and historians. Other authors. Even finding Rebecca came with help. I was introduced by another historical fiction author, Kathleen Grissom (a Canadian). Rebecca (also Canadian) has been her trusted agent.

Isn’t that ironic? After six years writing about the American Revolution, among those helping me find a publisher are two other Canadians. So here is promise to them.

I will fly this American flag until we find a publisher, at which time that Canadian flag will go back out.

For now, let these stars and stripes wave! Carrying Independence and I have an agent.

. . . . . . . . .
Stay tuned for more posts about what comes next. How does a writer work with an agent? What is the process toward publication? I hope you’ll follow along. Sign up for the blog (in the right-hand column) and the tales will come right into your email.

A Dickens of an Agent Search

 

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I have decided that querying agents is a lot like reading Dickens.

First, you must enter the process knowing it is going to take some time. Our book club read David Copperfield last year. 1019 pages! I hope I have the patience of my friend who read that whole thing on her iphone.

Second, there are pages and pages of characters. And you don’t get to know much about them in the beginning. I query agents based on what I can find in Google searches and in websites like QueryTracker and AgentQuery. I have to be prudent and savvy. A couple of weeks ago I chose poorly. The rejection from the agent’s assistant said readers already know “what really happened to the Constitution.” Yeah… uhm… my book is about the Declaration.

Third, Dicken’s dialogue is polite, even when things are going poorly. So are my rejection emails. “We wish you luck with finding a home for this intriguing work.” That’s so nice, but it leaves me feeling like Oliver Twist. “Please, Sir, I want some more.”

Lastly, (and I hope this is true), a darn good ending is coming. I read Great Expectations many years ago, slogging through that thing for weeks. The ending left me stunned. The anticipation, and the unexpected ending with one person showing great character, made me rethink and appreciate all the writing that had come before.

So on I will go. Happily. I will revel in this moment. For this is the best of times. It is the worst of times.

Men’s Fiction Part III (of III): Why we (all) should read it

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I’m back for a final chat about men’s fiction with West Coast Don of MenReadingBooks.

Karen: It’s discussed on the website, The Art of Manliness, why men should read fiction. Another article from a couple years ago speculated why men weren’t reading novels anymore. Why should we, men and women, read men’s fiction? For compassion? For understanding? Why do you read fiction?

Don: It’s different for everyone. I really do read for fun. Given that I deal in real life human trauma, both emotional and the emotional impact of big physical traumas, I like stories in which there is usually a favorable outcome and where there is less ambiguity than in real life. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, was both unfavorable and ambiguous.

Karen: I know for me, some of the men’s fiction allows me a true escape into another life. They’re adventurous. Wilbur Smith and his tales of South Africa and elephant hunts for instance.
Don: It is the vicarious thrill of adventure, and yet these stories–this men’s fiction–can still include human drama.

Karen: In the end, regardless of genre, male or female-focused, what is it we all hope to find in well-written fiction?
Don: Real life stories. I know I’m constantly drawn to them. I think, in the end, we all like to hear and read real human stories.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you missed our earlier discussions you can find Part I here, and Part II here.

If you’d like a comprehensive list of men’s fiction to read, The Art Of Manliness has that, as of course does MenReadingBooks. Please share your favorite titles, new and old that have been your best adventure stories in my comments below.

My favorite titles, written by  men or women, include the following. I include them because of their history, great writing or context, and their ability to inform not only my intellect by my character. Are they men’s fiction? Perhaps. (Just not when I read them.)

The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway
The Courtney series by Wilbur Smith
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Laguna by Barbara Kingsolver
The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore
Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Shogun by James Clavell
The Odyssey by Homer
(Yes, I’ve actually read both of those last two. All. Of. The. Pages. Whew!)

Men’s Fiction Part II (of III): What makes it great?

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I’m back with West Coast Don of MenReadingBooks to continue our discussion of men’s fiction. Like all genres and books, there is good fiction, and there is bad.

Karen: What makes great men’s fiction great?
Don: The same as all fiction. I think it comes down to three things. Plot. Character development. Quality of the writing. If the author doesn’t handle those well, it’s weak.

Karen: If those apply to all fiction, what makes it great men’s fiction?
Don: I think with the third point–quality of writing–male authors focus on combining the right amount of complexity and timing. Too many twist and turns in the plot, and it’s a soap opera. The timing refers to when I’m fed information. I want details, but facts and background have to come at the right moment for the reader.

Karen: Does that mean that men’s fiction is fact-based or can it be literary?
Don: Definitely it can be simply literary. Ken Bruen is an amazing example. He writes crime set in Ireland in his Jack Taylor series. Great plot but his writing is so good. Again it goes back to quality, and reading him is a very literary experience. It’s prose. He doesn’t try to impress with vocabulary, but it’s not too elementary.

Next week, in the final Part III, we’ll chat about why men (and women) should read more fiction. If you missed it, here’s Part I of this series on what male fiction is and isn’t.

Readers: Is men’s fiction on your reading this summer? Who are some of your favorite male authors and why?

 

Men’s Fiction Part I (of III): What it is and isn’t

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Two factors recently made me wonder if fiction could be categorized into male and female.

First, two weeks ago James Franco’s summer reading list came out and he received some flack because it was almost entirely male authors. Second, based on a couple agent rejections, I’m worried how my historical fiction is being viewed–both as a female author and because of a male protagonist. Historical novels authored by women often have female leads and are targeted toward female readers. (Like The Other Boleyn Girl.) They are often represented by agents who also handle romance, not military non-fiction. In reality, my novel has more battles than bodice-ripping (think, Jeff Shaara), but would that alone make it male-focused fiction?

I am clearly not a dude. So in an effort to explore the topic, I spoke with Don Houts of the blog MenReadingBooks. In this three-part blog series, “West Coast Don” and I will talk about:
I: What men’s fiction is and isn’t.
II: What makes it great.
III: Why we (all) should read it.

WestCoastDon

MEN’S FICTION PART I: WHAT IT IS AND ISN’T

Karen: So, what would you consider men’s fiction?
Don: It’s easier to define what it’s not. It isn’t overly detailed about relationship stuff. That’s not to say it doesn’t include it, like in Kathryn Stockart’s The Help. But drilling down on relationships just isn’t the focus. Her story primarily captured the human experience of racism from different perspectives.

Karen: She is one of a handful of female authors included in a very long-list of male authors on your site.
Don: I would guess close to 90% of books that appeal to men, are written by men. But women like Louise Penny are in there. She’s an example of how women don’t need to write like they think a man would write in order to appeal to men. She has a feminine touch, yet she doesn’t try too hard. Her fiction is not brutal or grisly. Even male authors can overdo that.

Karen: Colleen McCullough with her factual-fiction about Julius Caesar might be considered male-fiction. Is that partly because of the genre? Or is it her historically accurate details?
Don: Often male fiction is historical. Or it’s crime. Thrillers. War. Some mystery. But again, it’s about the content. It’s about how artfully the amount of detail is handled. Academic books are often too dense. It doesn’t always have to, but men’s fiction tends to inform like non-fiction. Dan Brown is a good example of fiction that includes a large volume of data, but in a way that’s compelling.

Next week in Part II, Don and I will discuss what makes men’s fiction great.

In the meantime, readers, do you read what you would consider to be male fiction? If so, why do you think it’s male fiction? Or is there a distinction to you?

The Canadian Flag is Out

My Canadian flag, it stands on guard for thee.
My Canadian flag, it stands on guard for thee.

Hello again readers. I’ve missed you!

Summer is here and the Canadian Flag is out. Yes, Canada Day is just around the corner on July 1st, but it’s not the only reason this flag waves.

My historical novel about the Declaration of Independence is edited and I’ve begun the work of pitching suitable agents (more on this in the coming weeks). Friends and family have graciously begun inquiring about the process.

“Get an agent, yet? How about now? Now?”

Not only did a receive a rejection 1 hour and 35 minutes after submitting my first query, I know there are more to come. Even famous writers get them. Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, revealed to More Magazine that she was rejected a whopping 60 times. 6-0!

Rejections are part of the process. I’m not trying to sell this book to agents and publishers, I’m trying to connect with the one agent who sees the potential in it as much as I do. Given that agents respond between 24 hours and 8 weeks, the process is unpredictable.

My friend and neighbor (another Karen), suggested I put out a sign so she didn’t have to keep asking. Brilliant!

The Canadian Flag will fly while I am still submitting to agents and publishers. Once I receive an offer on my 1776 historical novel, I’ll put out the American Flag. (Funny, right?)

I, too, look forward to seeing it wave over the home of the brave.

 

 

 

 

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