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A beached whale! US vs UK

Hi guys

I could really do with the benefit of everyone's experience and wisdom as I am seriously floundering like a beached whale! I write supernatural romance. It has a humurous edge but not at the cost of intensity between the love interests and there is definite suspense and darker threats.

I finished the first book at the end of last year and have done very little with it because I simply have no idea where to send it. The red book doesn't list agents specialising in supernatural romance and I know approaches must be targeted. When it was reviewed by the Literary Consultancy, they advised I send it to the States as the genre is established there, or wait until it becomes established over here. But I don't want to wait and I have reservations about sending it across the pond because it would make on the ground promotion (appearances at libraries etc) pretty nigh impossible.

Although the completed book is the first in a proposed series, I haven't proceeded with the next one as I feel I need it to prove itself first. It's been really hard to put the characters on the shelf, because the next book is screaming to be written.

I've actually used the time to write another supernatural romance - the first book of a completley different series! I'm in the final chapters now but realise I'm going to be in exactly the same situation as I was with the first one!

Has anyone any experience of getting an agent in the States? Does anyone know of any UK agents that are interested in the supernatural? If I'm not careful, I could end up with several completed manuscripts - all of which I have done zilch with - but not out of choice.

Any advice at all would be hugely appreciated!

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Comment by Sarah Tranter on June 5, 2011 at 19:33: Hi Erastes

Thanks so much for the advice. Will act on the US. Am determined to get an acceptable draft up together of my latest book/series in order to then put it aside for a few weeks - an ideal time to then get the first one out. Do you know whether the internet is the best place to source US agents/publishers or do they have their equivalent of the red book? And I will definitely get the second book of the first series done. The characters are screaming to be in action again - as are those that have read the first book and are desperate for more. Second one was always going to be so much fun. Thank you so much again! S

Comment by Sarah Tranter on June 5, 2011 at 19:27: Will definitely be entering Kate - it's a great opportunity - and will be searching Choc Lit out. Thanks again!

Comment by Hywela Lyn on June 5, 2011 at 14:38: Hi Sarah

If Choc Lit had been going at the end of 2007 I would have tried my luck with them - but having given up all hope of getting an agent, I heard of a US Romance Publisher The Wild Rose Press and submitted my first novel, Starquest' to them '. It was published in 2008 and followed by a sequel the following year. I was also commissioned with nine other authors to write a novella for their fantasy series about the nine Greek Muses. I've found them a great publisher to work with, very easy to talk to and willing to answer questions. They publish anything over 60,.000 words as e-books and also in print . (If you order copies for yourself they are printed by Lightning Source' in Milton Keynes, so you don't have to pay for postage from the States).

I've done all my promotion on-line, since their books aren't automatically stocked by bookshops and I don't drive, so haven't been able to travel around to bookshops to set up booksignings, (and am also not sure where to start!:) ) but one can purchase a stock of books to do booksignings or for libraries, etc, and you get a good author's discount from them.

TWRP is growing and has been top of the Predators and Editors Poll three years running. They don't accept everything, but will tell you why they haven't accepted your book if they reject it. I've been very happy with them and will always be grateful to them for giving me the chance to see 'The Book Of My Heart' in print. They have a large range of lines including dark fantasy (Black Rose line) and Futuristic and Science Fiction, and light fantasy (Faery Rose line). If you would like to know more about them just drop me a line.

Comment by Kate Allan on June 5, 2011 at 9:55: Just to add that Choc Lit will be at the Festival of Romance so you should get a chance to meet them and ask questions, and also Donna Condon, Senior Commissioning editor at Piatkus. Donna is one of the judges of the Festival New Talent Award so make sure you enter. :)

Comment by Erastes on June 5, 2011 at 9:31: I wouldn't hesitate to start sending it out to the US markets, as your friend said they are established and there's far less snobbery over there (EG none) about genre fiction. Getting an agent is every bit as difficult as getting a publisher, (sometimes more difficult) and you'll find agents are more likely to look favourably at you if you already have a publishing history.

Yes, on the ground promotion is difficult, but not impossible. If you can get your publisher to sell your books over here (mine are in bookshops here) then you can arrange to do book signings and the like over here. There are myriad online promotion sites over there too, which is easy and far cheaper than going over the pond. after all, even if you lived in (for example) New York, you'd be unlikely to be able to afford to travel around the country promoting anyway. The days of starter authors being paid to do book tours are long gone.

So, get submitting - and get writing the next one, because a second book is the best promotion for the first book!

Good luck!

Comment by Sarah Tranter on June 5, 2011 at 0:12: Just checked out Choc Lit - they look fab - will definitely give them a go!! Thanks Kate

Comment by Sarah Tranter on June 4, 2011 at 23:56: Thanks Kate - you're spot on with Piatkus - they're my target publisher, but unfortunately don't accept submissions direct. I'll check Choc Lit out though as haven't got them on my list. If I can go for agents that simply mention romance then that is really encouraging. Thank you! I've got a huge grin on my face now. I would really prefer to go with the UK if at all possible. In your experience, is it best to approach an agent with just one book or would it be okay to approach them with both books (each the first in a series) in one hit? Sorry - I sound like a right lemon here but have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when it comes to agents etc. Thanks again for the comments - really really helpful!

Comment by Kate Allan on June 4, 2011 at 23:19: Hi Sarah, there are some authors of paranormal/supernatural romance on here and they may have more specific advice but my impression is that publishers here in the UK are pretty open, if not pretty keen on, supernatural romance in terms of mainstream romance - so I'm thinking here of publishers like Piatkus or Choc Lit. The Twilight series has proved it sells in the millions and if there's a bandwagon, publishers generally want to be on it. Have said that we don't have the same range of niche publishers here compared to the US so it might mean your options are wider over there. In terms of agents, they rarely specify down to individual subgenres so it's worth querying any agent who does romances. Query US agents if you want a New York publisher. Smaller publishers - you may as well query with them direct.