I recently made the
decision to invest £225 of my hard earned therapy money on a half hour `Beat
the Rejection’ clinic through the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. There was a
handful of agents who were offering these slots at the Bloomsbury offices in
Bedford Square. I picked Danielle Zigner, a junior agent at LBA, as it
mentioned in her profile that she was interested in psychological thrillers
with a unique hook.
It was a warm day and I
arrived early. I pictured myself sitting on one of the benches in the lush gardens
of the square, but it was locked- for Residents and keyholders only. Instead, I
walked around the Georgian square, with its beautifully preserved Grade 1
listed buildings, fantasising about a different life.
With 15 minutes to spare
I was buzzed into Reception at the Bloomsbury offices and sat admiring the
intricately moulded ceiling and the new Harry Potter editions on display. Silent
young women with long legs and swinging hair moved swiftly through the doors at
one end, while clusters of men in dark suits ushered each other along, talking in
hushed tones, as if this were a library. I had a Visitor’s pass which would
only clip on back to front. I was anonymised.
Danielle arrived, looking
exactly like her profile picture, so I introduced myself and we chatted about
the sun, Harry Potter- she’s a big fan- and her own nearby, rather more cramped
offices in an old townhouse.
She was collected ahead
of me and when I was fetched, I followed a young man down into a basement
warren of corridors and tiny offices, moving- I surmised- into the adjoining
buildings. I was asked not to push the table at which Danielle was sitting, as
it had been found propped against the wall and was very unstable. A little how
I was feeling. We both had several glasses of water, for which I was grateful-
it was very stuffy in these nether regions. We were definitely in the servants’
quarters.
Danielle had prepared
well and immediately handed me a revised submission letter. She said that the
next day she had 200 submissions to get through and a letter of my length was
not going to get read (it was just over one A4 double-spaced page), which meant
my chapters might not even get considered. She added that there was no point in
telling me why I’d picked her, as everyone said the same thing. All she wanted
to know was the genre, the length, the pitch and any relevant courses (only
selective ones) or publications. She said I should also mention that I’m a
therapist because that gives me credibility.
She didn’t like the fact
that my book is 120,00 words and said I should cut it down to 100,000, which is
quite substantial editing, but I wasn’t there to argue or defend myself.
She told me my synopsis
was well written, but it posed a number of questions about the plot,
particularly concerning the characters’ motivation. She asked good questions
and made strong points about the links between characters, which made me feel
she knew what she was talking about.
I agreed with most of her
observations, although I struggled with her saying my protagonist, Rebecca, is too naïve
and self-deprecating. I need to make her more likable. I like my protagonist
and yes, she is naïve and self-deprecating, but she’s only 22 and can’t speak,
which doesn’t do a whole lot for your self-confidence, I imagine.
Danielle said that
psychological thrillers weren’t really her thing- or rather, she’s yet to find
one she likes- she’s more into YA, science fiction and fantasy. However, she
did say I should send it to her once I’ve made my revisions.
I can see I have a lot of
work to do, but I still think it’s worth the effort. I owe it to Rebecca.
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