Maybe you can help?

[mind_philip]

I'm not sure if this is bad form, but the thing is, I've just finished redrafting my first novel, and before I start sending it out blindly to every publisher and agent in the country, I wondered if any of the folks on dissensus had any advice, or I suppose, to be plain, whether any of you actually ARE publishers or agents

Anyway, I know how cringe-worthy this kind of networking stuff is, but I thought I'd give it a try. If anyone can help, either just leave a message here, or send me an email philip{at}thinkerforum{dot}com

Thanks for the time and patience

 

[egg]

can't help, but congratulations on having finished! many people talk about it, few do it. good luck with finding an agent and publisher

 

[Rambler]

Unfortunately, I don't know any agents/publishers Philip, but the best advice I think (and apologies if this sounds too obvious!) is to get the current Writers and Artists Yearbook. That contains contact details for loads of agents, as well as advice on the best way to approach them and present your work. My wife is at a similar stage with her own novel, and my impression is that if you can find a personal contact at a publisher/agent to read your book that's about 1000 times better than sending out on spec (which almost never works, and can be really disheartening). But then, it's not easy to find that initial contact...

Good luck with it.

 

[Rambler]

... oh, and obviously congratulations on writing it - I really know what a big deal that is, and I have massive respect for anyone with the energy and patience to do it. Any chance of a teaser, or a plot summary?

 

[mind_philip]

Thanks very much for the kind words; odd that three years sometimes feels like a very short amount of time to have spent on it, and sometimes feels like a gratuitous and yawning gap in my life. I have invested in the Big Red Book, and amuse myself every day or two trying to decide if I can think of any rational system for picking agents from the list of hundreds.