Welcome to Pageturners, a book I’m writing in which I share what I’ve learnt – and am still learning – about comic writing, film writing, novel writing and how new writers can sell their stories. I publish a chapter or a section per week, for free here on Iconoblast. And I welcome your feedback or questions, so do leave a comment below!
Missed the Pageturners intro? Read it here.
Last week was Part Two of creating villains.
As I said earlier, Marketing is rarely talked about in ‘How to write’ guides, except to suggest that it’s easy. And very occasionally it is, so let’s start with a potential success story – the kind we all dream of.
As I was writing Pageturners, a friend of ours came to see me with her true story proposal that I’d been encouraging her to consider writing for some months. Let me first give you her CV, because it’s relevant. She had written a successful treatment of one true story that had been optioned three times: one of those options took her to Hollywood, all-expenses paid, to start writing the screenplay, with a famous director lined up for it. But external events beyond her control, brought it to an abrupt end. She has a strong showbiz background with many valuable and supportive contacts in media. She hadn’t written for years, but she mentioned this true story idea she had for a book, and my reaction and that of Lisa, my partner and publisher, was ‘Wow!’
Now she came to us with more details of the project and Lisa and I were both as excited as we were originally. It was a dead cert, very funny, very juicy, and likely to get media attention. All she really needed from us was a little encouragement and some pointers on the way forward which we duly did. We felt it was too big for us and a major publisher would snap it up. We’re so confident that will happen, we told her to just write the first chapter and an outline of the rest of the book. In our view, that should be enough for a publisher to make an offer. Not only that, but because she has past experience of contracts, she would be able to know the ball park figure she should be asking for.
So we’ll see. I’m thrilled for her – and envious, too. Remarkably, her CV, her contacts and her project tick all the boxes any writer could dream of. Inevitably there’s bound to be setbacks – probably if she shows it to the wrong publisher who ‘doesn’t get it’, but I still believe it will be fast-tracked.
This compares with other writers’ experience, including mine, and so – with that shining example to encourage us – here’s how the rest of us need to market with all the potential pitfalls.
THE AGENT
So many authors congratulate their agents in the Acknowledgements section of their books, it would seem that it’s 100% necessary to have one and they will undoubtedly make your journey to publishing success happen.
It clearly does in many cases, but it’s still open to serious scrutiny. I have the example of a famous American producer, director and writer who told Kevin O’Neill and myself that he’d never gotten any work through his agent, plus my own example and my writing peers who were similarly disillusioned by their experiences with agents.
A very successful computer gaming exec wrote and drew a very appealing and emotional graphic novel that I found a delight to read. The potential publisher – who is renowned for raining on writers’ parades – predictably rained on his parade, just as I feared. The publisher in question does this because he just loves cutting authors down to size and, once you know this, you just ignore him and look elsewhere. I told the author to ignore him and self-publish. He wouldn’t listen.
He next went to an agent who suggested massive changes that completely altered the tone of the series. He tore the heart out of the story, making endless critical creative suggestions that shook the creator’s confidence and so he lost interest in his project. I told my friend to ignore the agent and self-publish.
He wouldn’t listen. For some reason, many creators fear or hate self-publishing, even though you have to do just as much work if you’re on a publisher’s list. That was about six years ago, so the project is well and truly dead.
Another example: my well regarded agent, from a very prestigious agency, suggested Accident Man should be changed to an insurance investigator because 80s hitmen were ‘a bit passé’. Since ignoring his advice, two successful Accident Man movies – starring Scott Adkins – have appeared and there’s likely to be a third.
As you can see, agents’ creatives opinions are often wrong and can put you off your stroke. Of course, there are others who are brilliant. I haven’t met them, but I’m sure they must exist.
It’s like criticising publishers and agents is a taboo subject to write about, because everyone seems so scared of them, which has the effect of preserving a misleading myth.
The bad ones seriously need calling out and exposing, otherwise you’re going to think you are the problem
You’re not. The bad ones are the problem.
As you can see, I have a lukewarm view of agents, although I recognise they’re often a necessary evil.
And there are other challenges regarding agents which may not have occurred to you. They certainly hadn’t occurred to me. So let me share them further with you now.
If it’s a top British agency they may turn you down. That happened to me. Twice. In both cases, because ‘I wasn’t famous enough.’ When I went back to them the second time with improved credentials, they said, ‘Sorry. You’re still not famous enough.’ But I was accepted by another ‘lower’ British agency that didn’t have the connections to make things happen.
Setting out terms of reference is also important. They need clearly defining before you start. What exactly are you asking them to represent? One story or all your stories? And what about stories you’ve written with a partner or are drawn by an artist-creator – are they okay with the agreement? Thus I was also accepted by another famous British agency and, although we’re all friends now, there was a communication gap on our terms of reference which led to some conflict between us. They also represented me on two projects which they came close to selling, but no cigar. I have subsequently been able to sell both projects myself since then.
I found time and time again that an agent would settle for a low advance and poor contract conditions. I’ve turned down numerous examples of poor offers recommended by agents.
A top Hollywood agency took on Marshal Law for Kevin O’Neill and I, and got it into the Warner Brothers boardroom where it was then turned down. But we didn’t realise that every part of the project – actors, producers, director and writer, most of them famous – were also on the agency’s books. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but it certainly took me unawares. It’s worth knowing that the agent may not just be representing your book, but a host of other people he has connected with it.
Other numerous offers on Law, brought to us by agents, we have turned down flat. They just weren’t financially strong enough. And we formed the impression their clients didn’t really understand our character and might do something awful with it.
In my experience, when you’re successful and don’t need an agent, is actually the time when you’re most likely to be accepted by one.
But some companies may even insist you have an agent, so you have no choice but to find one, I’m afraid. This applies to major TV companies and some publishers. It’s Catch 22.
I turned down the prospect of working with a top film agent who was keen to work with me, even though I was assured by one of his famous clients, ‘He’s actually okay: although you wouldn’t want to be trapped in a lift with him.’
I also turned down the prospect of working with a top film agent who was keen to work with me, even though I was assured by one of his famous clients, ‘He’s actually okay: although you wouldn’t want to be trapped in a lift with him.’ I turned him down because I wasn’t convinced by his impressive C.V., which didn’t seem to add up to as much as it appeared. I also got fed-up working with people who often have only the most rudimentary idea of what I write and what it stands for. I’d have just been another name on his list.
Of course an agent will be useful elsewhere for progressing payment and scrutinising contracts, but, even there, I’ve found I have a sharper eye for spotting problems in the small print. Ditto Kevin O’Neill before he passed. Between us, we easily did an agent’s job for them.
So agents are a necessary evil and that’s it; which means, as I was saying earlier, I won’t be dedicating any future book version of Pageturners ‘to my agent’ as so many writers do.