It is rare that anything really good arrives on a slush pile, it is equally unusual that it is passed across to a publisher a month and a half later, says Caroline Wood at Felicity Bryan. But such was the case with Simon Lelic’s Rupture.
Plan Your Pitch
Prior to mailing his submission, Simon Lelic did his research. He only sent it to six agencies: those that represented writers similar in style to himself, or authors who he particularly liked and admired. Each submission followed agency guidelines to the letter and the finished manuscript was in exceptional shape.
“When it arrived, our administrator Jackie – who reads all unsolicited manuscripts – was very enthusiastic about it and urged me to read it very quickly,” explains Caroline. “I was on the train to London when I got to page 37 when I thought ‘This is really brilliant, I’ve got to get this guy’s number.’
Caroline phoned Simon and they arranged to meet the following week, but he called back the next day to say that someone had already offered to represent him. “I urged him to wait,” said Caroline. “And, thankfully, when we met we got on really well.” Simon took a day to think about Caroline‘s offer before signing, then they cracked on.
Create a Strong and Unpredictable Plot
Rupture is set in north London and centres on teacher Samuel Szajkowski who walks into a school assembly and opens fire. He kills three pupils and a teacher before turning the gun on himself. Detective Inspector, Lucia May is assigned the case and tries to unravel why it has happened. At first it seems Samuel was a psychopath beyond help, but as the testimonies are pieced together the picture becomes more complex.
“It’s a story about bullying,” Caroline explains. “The teacher had been bullied by the children and Lucia, the only female in her office, is being bullied by her colleagues. The plot is strong, unpredictable and topical, and the narrative style is brilliant. It’s a compelling page-turner but very literary in the way that it is written.” Alternate chapters are testimonies of teachers and pupils who knew Samuel. They are addressed to Lucia and written in dialogue. In between these, is the story of Lucia, which is told in the third person.
Be Open to Criticism
When Caroline and Simon first met she expressed in general terms what she loved about the book and suggested some areas for potential improvement. Later they met again and went through the manuscript very closely, although she admits that the changes were minimal as the book was in “very good shape”. “It was a case of making a couple of the voices slightly more distinctive and strengthening the ending a little. Plus I thought Lucia’s character was a little hard. I wanted to get under her skin, to make her a little warmer, more human.”
Simon was easy to work with, he was receptive to Caroline’s feedback and quick to make the edits. “Interestingly, I find authors tend to be really receptive,” says Caroline who previously worked in the film industry for 15 years. “Many have had a pretty lonely solitary experience writing their book and so they’re grateful that someone is reading their work closely; they’re nearly always open to suggestions. It’s far more of a partnership unlike film, where the production process is far more controlled. An agent, particularly for the first book, is an author’s creative ally.”
Be Select in Your Choice of Publishers
Four weeks after Caroline and Simon met, she submitted Rupture to a collection of different publishers. Grove Atlantic, Hodder, Harvill Secker, Quercus, Picador, Simon & Schuster were all interested and offered and so there was an auction between the six parties.
“What was interesting is that the publishers were very different because Rupture is both literary and commercial,” says Caroline. “I was targeting individual editors who I thought it would appeal to rather an image of an imprint if you like. So the offers ranged from small independents to large commercial publishing houses.”
Maria Rejt from Picador won the final bid and is set to publish Rupture as a lead title in 2010. Rejt commented: “[Rupture] is a tour de force of storytelling and marks the debut of a great new voice in literary fiction.” The book has since sold in nine territories.
Partner With Your Agent and Editor
In spite of the recession, where time is now a commodity, Caroline still finds time to work with her writers – as was the case with Simon. “It is a real interest for me and the first novel is incredibly important so I would never submit something if I knew I could improve it. You don’t want the writer to be written out and what I can never do is improve their writing but I can help with structure and pace. Once I’ve sold a book, and a second follows, the publisher is much more editorially involved at the outset. I will give my comment but essentially at this point I hand over the baton.”
Rupture will be published on 15 January 2010 by Picador. ISBN-10: 0330511637. ISBN-13: 978-0330511636.
Want to read more inside tips? See:
writing-novels.suite101.com/article.cfm/managing_deadlines_novel_writing
writingforchildren.suite101.com/article.cfm/anything_goes_when_it_comes_to_book_publishing
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