RNA CONFERENCE: Meet the agents

The RNA conference 2017 will soon be upon us (14th-17th July, to be exact!) This year there are seven literary agents offering one-to-one pitching sessions. We thought it might be helpful to host the agents here on the blog, so that those people applying for a pitching session can get to know them a little better before they send off an application.
The agents attending are:

• Kate Nash (Kate Nash Agency)
• Lisa Eveleigh (Richard Becklow Agency)
• Broo Doherty (DHH Literary Agency)
• Tanera Simons (Darley Anderson Agency)
• Felicity Trew (Caroline Sheldon Agency)
• Julia Silk (MBA Literary Agency)
• and Isobel Dixon (Blake Friedmann).

Unfortunately Julia Silk was on holiday at the time of putting this article together. We have a full length interview with Laura Longrigg of MBA here on the blog which you may like to refer to. (Of course Laura and Julia will have different tastes, but Laura's interview will give readers an idea of the ethos behind the MBA Agency.) *UPDATE* Julia Silk has very kindly taken time to respond on the last day of her holiday. Her replies are listed separately at the bottom of the post.

Isobel Dixon was also unavailable at the time of going to press. We have an interview with the wonderful Carole Blake of Blake Friedmann here for reference, but please note again that Carole's tastes and Isobel's may well have been different.

A warm welcome to those agents who were able to make it today. Thanks for answering our questions at such short notice!

What is it you are most hoping to find from your pitching session at the conference? Are there any particular genres/themes that you would love to read? 

Kate Nash:You might as well ask me to predict the outcome of a dress shopping expedition! Yes, I have an idea of some styles and colours I like but until I see the dresses on the rail, I simply don't know which one I'm going to absolutely love. However, the number one thing that gets me into a story is realism: real characters dealing with real life problems in real settings. I'd like to see more stories from different regions of the UK and overseas, and stories involving characters from different backgrounds. 

Lisa Eveleigh: I always hope to find an unputdownable story, something that grabs me from the first paragraph.  I would love to find an author writing a multi-layered family story which involves romance, along the lines of Elizabeth Jane Howard.  I also like romantic comedy. Anything with a First World War and/or 1920’s setting is hugely appealing.  I’m also interested in historical romance generally, though later than Medieval.  

Broo Doherty: This may sound trite but in these uncertain times, I am looking for epic stories well told, with engaging, well developed characters and psychological depth. I’m looking either to be taken out of my comfort zone and transported to a place I have never been too, or shown a new, original perspective on a situation I know well.

Tanera Simons: I am really excited to meet with enthusiastic aspiring authors, and am crossing my fingers to meet someone whose work I love and who I could see myself working with. In terms of genres/themes, I am open to anything and everything: rom-coms, thought-provoking storylines, dark love stories, historical romances… the list goes on! I want to get completely swept up in the story, and fall in love with characters so real that I don’t want to say goodbye when I finish reading. I want fiction with strong but fallible female protagonists: the next Bridget Jones or Rebecca Bloomwood, who show us that even the best of us make mistakes!

Felicity Trew: I’d love to find a striking, powerful female voice – one that inspires women whether we’re left laughing or crying.  I’m a huge fan of a good weepy, historical, funny, psychological suspense, saga and anything truly unputdownable!

Have you noticed any particular trends in romance in the past year or so, and if so, what do you think publishers are looking for at the moment? 

Kate Nash:Digital opportunities mean that publishers are quite open to different story types but I think that romance is under some pressure from the popularity of psychological/women's thrillers on the one hand and emotional "women's mysteries" on the other. My "reading for pleasure" pile has got the following current bestsellers on it from both these genres: I See You by Clare Mackintosh, The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena, Lyrebird by Cecelia Ahern and This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell. Having said that sagas are very much holding their own with WW2 and the post war period popular, and there is still plenty of demand for escapist romantic comedies. Beaches, Cornwall and gin all trending. 

Lisa Eveleigh: Cosy romances involving cup-cakes, beach huts, and tea-shops still seem to be going strong though I wonder if this isn’t mainly a digital-first trend.  

Publishers tell me that they are looking for a strong ‘millennial’/Generation Y’ romantic novel.  This is going to be very hard to find, since younger writers with the necessary vocabulary are much more interested in fantasy and dystopia and therefore tend to aim at the Young Adult market in which romance is mostly – but not always – subsidiary to plague, and/or magic and mayhem.  I’ve also been asked for paranormal romance.    

Broo Doherty: Novels featuring diversity seem to be gaining ground at the moment which is not before time, given we live in a multicultural society, and I think that would apply to the romantic genre as well.

Tanera Simons: I always find the subject of trends a tricky one: I would always advise writers to write what they’re good at rather than attempt to follow current trends. If your writing is good enough and story compelling enough, you will always succeed! However, at the moment I definitely think that people want to read escapist, feel-good fiction, that takes them away from the stresses of politics and news of terrorism. Readers want to be transported into a fictional world of warmth and positivity. I also think that editors are on the look-out for anything a bit different, that takes the classic love story and introduces a new element: perhaps more diversity, so not just a ‘boy meets girl’ love story, but a ‘girl meets girl’, or love across different cultures etc. Of course, trends will come and go and these are just some themes that I’ve noticed.

Felicity Trew: Any of the above genres I’ve mentioned are getting on publishers’ radars but they do have to have that competitive high quality to them. However, sagas in particular are having a wonderful revival at the moment (which I’m very excited about).

What's been your favourite romance novel recently?

Kate Nash: I've actually been reading a lot of psychological thrillers but I did enjoy The Judge's Wife by Ann O'Loughlin which was shortlisted for the RoNAs. A mystery, I was completely sold on the realism of the setting and the characters.

Lisa Eveleigh: I’ve recently been on holiday so read a fair few, and it’s impossible to name one, so if I’m allowed? 

The House on Bellevue Road – Rachel Hore 

A Secret Garden -  Katie Fforde

Are My Roots Showing? – Karola Gadja 

An Unconventional Act – Jan Jones

Broo Doherty: That’s an impossible question to answer – too many to choose from!

Tanera Simons: Again, such a difficult question as there is some really exciting romance fiction around at the moment! I would have to say Paige Toon’s The Last Piece of My Heart, though. I haven’t read her for a while, and reading this latest one reminded me just how brilliant an author she is. Bridget (the protagonist) is just such a wonderfully warm character, and I completely fell in love with her story.

Felicity Trew: I was extremely lucky to receive a proof copy of Dawn O’Porter’s The Cows (HarperCollins, 2017) just before its publication, which I utterly devoured – one of those books you just don’t want to finish because it’s become like a friend to you!

Julia Silk MBA Literary Agency

1 What is it you are most hoping to find from your pitching session at the conference? Are there any particular genres/themes that you would love to read? 

I grew up on Georgette Heyer and 80s bonkbusters - I'd like to find a great Regency romance, and I still love the glitz and glamour of authors like Shirley Conran and Judith Krantz, so anything that brings to mind either of those genres would make me happy. I'm also always on the lookout for something with a touch of the gothic or ghostly - not supernatural/paranormal so much as hinting at unusual goings-on.

2. Have you noticed any particular trends in romance in the past year or so, and if so, what do you think publishers are looking for at the moment? 

Subjects that have come up a few times recently are stories with an international feel featuring interesting locations. Also, sagas sent in the 1920s/30s or earlier. Timeslip also seems to be on editors' wishlists and I suspect this genre is due a bit of a moment. I love Barbara Erskine myself, so I'd be really pleased to read something that brings her work to mind.

3. What's been your favourite romance novel recently?

I'm a big fan of Rowan Coleman and adored We Are All Made of Stars. I really enjoy novels with interconnecting stories and for me the range of age and life experience of the protagonists, combined with the clever structure, made for an unusual and satisfying read. I also love anything by JoJo Moyes and Marian Keyes - the combination of serious subjects with humour and the perfect slow burn to the romance storyline gets me every time.

* * *

Thank you all so much for answering our questions today. We appreciate you taking the time out at such short notice, and we hope you have a successful - and enjoyable! - time at the 2017 RNA Conference.

Questions compiled by Helena Fairfax

If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

RNA CONFERENCE: Meet the Publishers

With the RNA Conference fast approaching the RNA blog today welcomes Industry Professionals who are offering 121s to delegates. We have asked all IPs a series of questions so that members can get to know them prior to interviews.

A warm welcome to Rosie de Courcy (RdeC) Head of Zeus; Julia Williams (JW) Mills & Boon; Pia Fenton (PF) ChocLit; Natasha Harding (NH) Bookouture; Emily Yau (EY) Ebury and Laurie Johnson (LJ) Mills & Boon.

What would you not like to see in a submission?

RdeC   Anything paranoral

JW      We are looking for fresh original voices in the line, who can bring a new twist and dimension to a classic love story.  We don’t want stories where there is no emotional depth or where the characters don’t grow. And we do want to see stories that target our series effectively and give our readers the HEA they’re looking for.

 

Pia Fenton

PF      I don’t want to see stories with unhappy endings (it should at least be a positive one), or stories with weak heroes, TSTL heroines and too much ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’.  And no YA, children’s books, non-fiction or poetry please.

NH      I’m looking for complete novels to discuss not partially written books.

EY      One of my most frequent complaints is that a story is passive – when a novel is made up of a series of unfortunate events (pardon the pun), which our protagonist must overcome. I like to know the main concept of a novel from the first few chapters, with the primary dramatic tension being introduced in one (or a few) events early on. A character driving their own narrative is much more interesting to me and helps to make them more engaging and likable.

LJ       Clichéd and untargeted storylines with two-dimensional characters and unfounded set-ups. The common misconception is that it’s easy to write a Mills & Boon book, that it’s romance-by-numbers—let me assure you, it’s not! Our authors work hard to create their stories, build their characters and develop their plotlines.

What is it you hope to achieve on your own behalf?

RdeC   To find a new star for Head of Zeus

JW      As an editor I am always looking for fresh original voices that can tell an old story in a new way. I am always keen to nurture new talent and look forward to meeting writers at the start of their career.

PF       I’m not there to achieve anything for myself personally – in my role as commissioning editor for Choc Lit I’m looking for great stories that will suit their style/brand and authors who will be an asset to the Choc Lit team.

 

Natasha Harding

NH    I’m actively acquiring in my role at Bookouture so I'd love to find new commercial fiction authors to work with. I’m particularly looking for a world war two saga, a laugh out loud romantic comedy and a novel that perfect for mums.

EY    I’m always on the lookout for new talent so am really looking forward to meeting lots of authors from the RNA community. I always welcome the opportunity to talk to writers – after all, I love talking about books! – and even if it doesn’t come to anything I find that it really helps to spark ideas on both sides.

LJ       I would like to acquire fresh, new authors! It’s exhilarating to read raw voices brimming with potential and be the one to help take their book from concept to published manuscript.

What is your company looking for at the present time?

RdeC   Classy storytellers

JW      Mills & Boon is looking for strong themes and key selling hooks told from fresh new angles. We want strong, targeted, marketable editorial that fits the romance promise for the series we acquire in the UK—Mills & Boon Modern, Medical, Historical and Cherish. 

PF     Quality adult fiction with romance at the heart (unless the author is aiming for the Death by Choc Lit imprint ie crime), preferably featuring the hero’s point of view and with a male hero. 60-100,000 word completed manuscripts previously unpublished and not currently accepted by an agent or other publisher.  Sub-genres:  contemporary, historical, thrillers, mystery, romantic suspense, fantasy, time slip.

NH     Commercial fiction, primarily women’s fiction and crime, from authors who are able to write two or more books a year.

 

Emily Yau

EY      Ebury fiction is interested in new and exciting voices in women’s fiction, whether that’s big-idea issue-led novels that will have readers reaching for the box of tissues, or lovely, charming reads that you want to curl up with and that have a slightly different angle to those that have already been published.

LJ       Mills & Boon is looking for strong themes and key selling hooks told from fresh new angles. We want strong, targeted, marketable editorial that fits the romance promise for the series we acquire in the UK—Mills & Boon Modern, Medical, Historical and Cherish.

Will you be joining any of our panels or workshops over the 

conference weekend?

Rosie de Courcy

RdeC   Yes, both

JW    We will be running a workshop called Make a Date with Mills & Boon. Where we will be discussing the secrets to writing successfully for series romance and looking at what makes a perfect hero and heroine. We can also give you some insights into what Mills& Boon can do for you as an author.

           

PF       Yes, but not on Choc Lit’s behalf – I’ll be my ‘author self’.  As Christina Courtenay I will be doing a workshop together with Anna Belfrage on time slip vs time travel in romantic fiction, and as Pia Fenton I’ll take part in a panel/workshop with the Paisley Piranha author collective about romance, relationships and realism in YA.

NH      No

EY      Yes – The State of the Industry, chaired by Nicola Cornick at 4.30-5.30pm, Friday 14th July 2017.

 

Laurie Johnson

LJ       Yes, we will be running a workshop called Make a Date with Mills & Boon. Drop by and discover the secrets to writing series romance, looking at the perfect hero and heroines; learn what Harlequin Mills & Boon can do for you as an author; and meet the editors you’ll be submitting to.

If you had one piece of advice to give to a writer, what would it
be?

RdeC   Study and analyse the structure of suspenseful storytelling.   
            It’s a craft to be learned

JW      Develop a thick skin and listen to advice and learn from it, and if it’s your dream, never ever give up.

PF       Find yourself a writing/critique buddy, they are invaluable!

           

NH     Find two authors who have a similar style and/or subject to you writing and use these as comparisons for your work. This will be really useful information when submitting to agents and publishers as well as for beta readers.

EY     Do your research – it really helps when an author knows their genre and their audience: which books and authors write in a similar market to you and – more importantly – why is yours different, or *gasp* even better? And of course, research is hugely important for other areas, such as plotting out a novel, constructing a striking cover letter and deciding which agents to send your submission to. These things take time to perfect, so don’t rush it.

LJ       Think about who your audience is, who you are writing this story for, what readers you want to reach. Target your story for them and then choose a publishing imprint that fits the story you’re selling.

Thank you all for answering our questions today and we hope you will enjoy the 2017

RNA Conference.

Compiled by Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Festivals and Workshops: Bradford Literature Festival

Welcome to Elaine Roberts with another in her interesting series about literary festivals and workshops.

This month I have interviewed Georgina Lennon and Syima Aslam from the Bradford Literature Festival. Welcome to the RNA blog. 

Can you tell us something about your festival, how it came about and how long its been running?

The Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) is an international festival based in Bradford, the heart of Yorkshire and, the literature hub of the North. Hailed as one of the most inspirational festivals in the UK, BLF is fast becoming a key event in the UK's cultural calendar. Over 10 days, our events celebrate the written and spoken word on the page, stage, screen, and in public forums, offering ideas

Joanna Trollope

to delight, challenge and entertain inclusive, diverse audiences. We are passionate about education; inspiring a love affair with words and boosting literacy is at the heart of all our public and schools’ events. Culture Squared, a community interest company, established to create high quality cultural activity that builds stronger communities through dialogue, cohesion and the promotion of intercultural fluency, runs BLF.

 The festival’s schools’ initiative, which runs alongside the general programme, holds free events for students throughout the Bradford District, engaging with and inspiring more than 7,000 young people in 2016. This programme is designed to foster a love of reading, boost self-belief and confidence, and better equip young people to respect difference and accept others.  In seeking to reach the many communities of Bradford, the festival presents authors and speakers from culturally diverse backgrounds, and it attracts an audience that is 48% BAME.  The audience grew threefold between 2015 and 2016, when over 31,000 people attended events.

The Bradford Literature Festival, in association with Provident Financial Group, returns for its third edition from 30 June until 9 July 2017, celebrating the written and spoken word in all its

Milly Johnson

wonderful forms. With over 300 events packed into iconic venues across 10 days, the festival brings together world-renowned authors and public figures for an intellectual extravaganza, which explores the links between literature, history, science, sport, music and art from around the world. The programme ranges from celebrations of literary heroes such as the Brontës, to a dedicated weekend of comics and manga, with discussions on everything from World affairs to the science of immortality, gender politics and hymen obsessions – at Bradford Literature Festival, no subject is out of bounds.

2017 will also see the return of the festival’s iconic free family day events in Bradford’s City Park, with themes including superheroes, fairy tales, myths & legends, bears and, of course, Harry Potter. With an exciting line up of performances, workshops and film screenings, the festival will take over the city centre creating a literary themed wonderland of fun for all the family.

Who are your main speakers this year?

This year’s festival features an unrivalled range of participants, including authors Germaine Greer, Joanna Trollope, Vivian French, John Boyne, Juno Dawson, Shems Freidlander and A.A Dhand; poets Jackie Kay, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Ben Okri, Lemn Sissay and Anthony Anaxogorou; politicians such as Baroness Syeeda Warsi, Harriet Harman and Rachel Reeves; and international journalists including Jenni Murray, Mona Eltahawy, Christina Lamb, Boyd Tonkin and Gary Younge. BBC Radio 1's Gemma Cairney, YA author Melvyn Burgess, racing car driver and ex host of Top Gear Tiff Needle and Indian Politician Shashi Tharoor.

As our blog is for writers can you tell me how your festival would benefit our members? 

Each year the festival programmes a whole host of events dedicated to ‘The Art of Writing and

Ben Okri

Politics of Publishing’, this is everything from expert panel discussions on particular genres, to writing workshops and insider information from publishers and literary agents. This year the strand will feature industry related events such as ‘The Politics of Indie Publishing,’ ‘Book Bidding Wars’ and ‘Meet the Literary Agent’; workshops such as ‘Opinion Writing’, ‘How Not to Write Bad Sex’, ‘Writing and Thriving in the Digital Age’, and ‘Writing and Publishing Picture Books for Children’; as well as genre focused events which will look at everything from crime writing and journaling to erotic literature. There’s something for all writers at the Bradford Literature Festival, whether they would like practical information to improve their own writing and to help them get published, or to explore new genres and hear from experts who are already thriving in the literary world.

Is there anything to enter (maybe a writing competition), if so could details be provided?

 This is something that the festival will be looking to introduce in 2018, however at the moment we do not run any writing competitions.

How about staying over for the whole event. Where can people stay?

 Combining a visit to the Bradford Literature Festival with a relaxing break is the perfect way to experience all that Bradford has to offer. Whether you want to escape to Brontë Country, experience

Jeanette Winterson

the World Heritage Site of Saltaire, or stay in the centre of Bradford to enjoy the city’s rich heritage, you’ll be spoilt for choice for somewhere to stay in and around Bradford.

We are proud to have the Midland Hotel as the festival’s hotel partner. Dating back to the 1890s, the historic hotel was built by the Midland Railway Company at the height of Bradford’s global influence, and became the natural choice for rich and famous visitors. The hotel’s imposing façade and stunning Victorian interiors have attracted guests such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Laurel & Hardy as well as literary legends such as Bram Stoker. The Midland Hotel offers special rates for festival goers if booking accommodation for nights between 30th June – 09th July. Please mention the festival when making a booking.

There are a vast range of accommodation options in Bradford to suit all different tastes and price ranges. For a full list of hotels and B&B’s please take a look at the Visit Bradford accommodation pages at http://www.visitbradford.com/accommodation/

What does it cost to attend?

The festival is committed to making all its events as inclusive and accessible as possible, which is why our ticket prices remain low and many of our events are free. All our family fun day events are free of charge and open to the public, we also offer a range of free children’s events throughout the festival. Standard ticket prices for range from £6 for the vast majority of events to £10 for multiple line-up events. The only exception is our full day ‘Bronte Heritage Tour’ priced at £35 

We also offer discounted and free tickets to the following groups: registered disabled, over 65s, students, benefits recipients or those living in social housing and refugees.

Do workshops/talks fill up quickly?

Many of our annual events have become extremely popular and as the festival has grown our audience has also increased dramatically, therefore and we would always advise that interested parties book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

How much time does it take to organise the festival?

Organising the festival is an intense, year-round process. We often say that it’s impossible to understand until you have lived through a full festival year and seen the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. We are lucky to have some fantastic sponsors such as our Title Partner, Provident Financial Group, and support from Arts Council England, Bradford MDC and the University of Bradford, without whom it would be impossible to create an event of this scale and quality. We also rely on a dedicated team of volunteers to make the festival happen, our volunteering scheme is currently open for applicants and more information can be found on the festival website.

Dates for this year and next:

30^th June – 9^th July 2017

29^th June – 8^th July 2018

Link to website

www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk

Email for queries

info@bradfordlitfest.co.uk

About Elaine Roberts:

Elaine is a member of the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and the SWWJ and is currently working on a family saga. She has sold short stories worldwide and enjoys attending RNA events such as the London chapter and our annual conference. Elaine is a great fan of writing retreats either week long by the sea with friends or one-day retreats with fellow writers in her hometown of Dartford. Elaine runs a writing blog along with writer, Francesca Capaldi Burgess called WriteMindWritePlace.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to the RNA blog. We wish the festival every success.

Madalyn Morgan: Foxden Hotel

Welcome to Madalyn Morgan who visits the RNA blog as her novel, Foxden Hotel is published.

Thank you for inviting me to talk about my latest novel, Elaine. The nearer I get to the publication of Foxden Hotel, the more excited I get. Today I proofread the digital copy of the novel, which is already on Amazon to pre-order.  

The war is over. It is time for new beginnings. Celebrating the opening of Foxden Hotel, New Year’s Eve 1948, an enemy from the war years turns up. He threatens to expose a secret that will ruin Bess’s happiness and the new life she has worked so hard to create. Bess’s husband throws the man out. So is that the last they see of him? Or will he show up again when they least expect? Bess had hoped fascism was a thing of the past, buried with the victims of WW2. Little does she know the trouble that lies ahead, not only for herself, but also for her family.

Foxden Hotel is the fifth novel in The Dudley Sisters Saga. Each novel has taken a year to produce - five months to research, six months to write, and a month to proofread and format. As an Indie author, I want my novels to be as well written and as professionally produced as a traditionally published novel. To make sure of that, I have the book critiqued, proofread and formatted to Kindle and paperback. Then the Tweeting begins. My novels are Print on Demand, so the more I Tweet - and Re-Tweet other authors - the more sales I get.

About Madalyn:

I have been an actress for more than thirty years working in Repertory theatre, the West End, film and television. I present a radio show and have written articles for newspapers and magazines. At twenty-four I gave up a successful hairdressing salon and wig-hire business for a place at E15 Drama College, and a career as an actress. In 2000, with fewer parts available for older actresses, I taught myself to touch type, completed a two-year correspondence course with The Writer’s Bureau, and began writing. After living in London for thirty-six years, I returned to my home town of Lutterworth, swapping two window boxes and a mortgage, for a garden and the freedom to write.

    I began writing about WW2 after my mother told me about her life during the war. I was fascinated. Since then I have successfully published four novels - Foxden Acres, Applause, China Blue, and The 9:45 To Bletchley. Set in WW2, the novels tell the wartime stories of the Dudley sisters. Bess Dudley, in the Land Army, Margot, in a West End theatre, Claire is recruited by the SOE and works with the French Resistance, and Ena is a factory girl making components for Bletchley Park. Foxden Hotel, post-WW2, begins ten years after Foxden Acres and brings the Dudley sisters together. It was going to be the last in the saga, but having written three endings - none of which worked, there will be more books about the lives of the Dudley sisters.

Links:

Amazon

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you for such an interesting blog post, Madalyn.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com