After a couple of years with an agent I'm moving on. It's a week since we parted on good terms. It took a fair while to get an agent in the first place, so deciding to part company was a difficult one. In the end, it was time to try something different as what I was submitting was not fitting the 'big commerical thriller' brief and the feedback from publishers was the material was 'too Irish'. To be honest, I'm not interested in writing big commercial thrillers and think Ireland is a fascinating place in which to set stories. I want to write to my ideas rather than to the seemingly narrow, mainstream publisher's perception of the market. I write fiction for enjoyment, not simply profit. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind some success, but I also want to have integrity. Naive? Probably. Anyway, I'm going to have a bit of a think and a re-group and work out how to proceed. I've four novels in the drawer - the third McEvoy novel and three comic crime capers. The first thing I'm doing is releasing a collection of short stories. After that we'll see.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Moving on
After a couple of years with an agent I'm moving on. It's a week since we parted on good terms. It took a fair while to get an agent in the first place, so deciding to part company was a difficult one. In the end, it was time to try something different as what I was submitting was not fitting the 'big commerical thriller' brief and the feedback from publishers was the material was 'too Irish'. To be honest, I'm not interested in writing big commercial thrillers and think Ireland is a fascinating place in which to set stories. I want to write to my ideas rather than to the seemingly narrow, mainstream publisher's perception of the market. I write fiction for enjoyment, not simply profit. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind some success, but I also want to have integrity. Naive? Probably. Anyway, I'm going to have a bit of a think and a re-group and work out how to proceed. I've four novels in the drawer - the third McEvoy novel and three comic crime capers. The first thing I'm doing is releasing a collection of short stories. After that we'll see.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Rob- Good on you to decide what's best for you even if it isn't a commercial blockbuster. I admire that integrity, if you want to call it that. I wish you only the very best as you decide what your next steps will be.
I agree - it is good to reassess every now and then. Good luck.
What's wrong with Ireland? I'm American, and I find books that are set in another country much more interesting. Stories should be set in the place they make sense. Good luck!
Thanks for the comments and encouragement.
Beckster, see this post, where a number of Irish authors discuss the same issue (it also links to an article in the Irish Times on the same issue).
http://avidmysteryreader.com/2012/04/10/irish-writers-setting-their-books-abroad/
Rob, I am also from the USA and I loved your first two books set in Ireland. I wish you all the best in finding a new agent and look forward to the next McEvoy book in particular! Bill
What's wrong with Ireland? Half of my family originated there, and I so enjoy reading books set there.
I liked The White Gallows, not only was it a good read, but I actually learned something about WWII history and Ireland which I had not known.
Good for you that you're coming from a point of artistic integrity and pursuing another agent. It's so hard these days with sales and profits the main goal of publishing, rather than telling readers a good story, with interesting characters, a sense of place and people.
One just wants to read a good book!
I just have to shun the library's best-seller shelves; they have no relevance or interest to me and so many other people.
Too Irish? Jesus, that's a bit discriminatory, isn't it? Does the Western media think Irish arts are limited to Angela's Ashes and Lord of the Dance?
I read your work because it provides a unique voice, one that is unlike anything I get here in the States.
To hell with the mainstream publishers if they aren't buying. I read one story and I was hooked. Keep it up, Rob. I'm sure there's a publisher out there who can appreciate what you do without trying to usurp your artistic integrity.
Reminds me of one of Canada's bestselling crime/thriller writers, Linwood Barclay. He's Canadian and lives in Toronto but sets all his novels in the U.S. No doubt it makes his agent (and his bank manager) very happy.
Post a Comment