And how to get a book deal yourself \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re at that scary submissions stage. Your manuscript is edited right down to the very last comma. It\u2019s time to go out into the big wide world and GET THAT BOOK DEAL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But \u2013 uh \u2013 what exactly do you have to do \u2026 and what are the odds of success?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You want a book deal? So here\u2019s the formula. This formula works for anyone wanting to be traditionally published (with a publisher, that is, rather than self-publishing via Amazon.) It also assumes that you are writing fiction or mainstream non-fiction \u2013 the sort of stuff you might find on the front tables of a larger bookstore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that applies to you, then the formula for getting a book deal is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those odds are somewhat scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A typical agent in NY or London receives approximately 2,000 submissions a year. They are likely to accept 2-3 writers from that deluge. Some agents will accept fewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as a rough rule of thumb, and allowing for plenty of variation, the chance of getting an agent are about 1 in 1000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That sounds frightening, but you can and should apply to more than one agent, so the 1 in 1000 is perhaps more like 1 in 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, in any case, it\u2019s not about the odds<\/em>. If your book is blindingly good \u2013 if you\u2019ve written a The<\/em> Hunger Games<\/em>, or a Gone Girl<\/em>, or an All the Light We Cannot See<\/em> \u2013 your odds of getting an agent are essentially 100%. So don\u2019t focus on the odds. Focus on your book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the only part that you have any real control over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Well, you can look at this in two ways. From the agent\u2019s end, it\u2019s probably true that a good agent at a top class agency will sell approximately 2 books for every 3 they auction. That is, the odds of a sale are about 67% \u2013 which is why most writers, correctly, think that getting an agent is the most significant hurdle between them and publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that\u2019s to look at it from one end only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I spoke recently with one editor, who has a key job at one of London\u2019s best publishers (a major part of a Big 5 house). In effect, that editor is as selective as it gets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These days, he receives, via literary agents, about 12 submissions a week. Those 12 submissions equate to about 600 manuscripts crossing his desk each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And of those 600 manuscripts, he takes on maybe 3-4 new writers a year. (As well as, of course, continuing to publish the work of his existing stable of authors.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, he buys less than 1% of the work being offered to him. Yikes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n These stats are frankly terrifying, but they need to be taken in context. In particular:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why does my Big 5 editor reject so much of what comes his way? In his opinion \u2013 and also mine \u2013 agents (mostly less well established ones) are sending work out before it\u2019s properly ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t want your work set out early, which means it\u2019s time to consider \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, though, the conclusion has little to do with odds or stats. The 2012 British Olympic team contained 541 athletes. The US Olympic team is that little bit larger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, those numbers are larger than the number of debut novels being listed by elite UK or US publishers today. So you need to be (at least!) an Olympian-of-writing to make the grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s the bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news is simply this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are in the world\u2019s top 20-30 sprinters, you will<\/em> get selected for the Olympics. If you\u2019ve written one of the best espionage novels of the year, you will<\/em> get published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In brutal market conditions, the standard required by top publishers is rising all the time, but the best work still gets selected, still attracts advances and investment, still gets published. What you need to worry about more than anything else is the quality of your work. A promising book will not do, a dazzling book is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One further conclusion. At Jericho Writers we\u2019ve always been against writers sending their work to dozens & dozens of agents. Our own rule of thumb is that if you can\u2019t attract a Yes from an agent in 8-12 (intelligently chosen and properly presented) submissions, then your manuscript is not yet good enough. There will always be exceptions to every rule, but for the most part the rule is a very good one. If you send submissions to 200 agents, your chances of hooking an agent improve, but I\u2019d say that your chance of getting a publisher remains the same as before. About 0%, if the first 8-12 agents turned you down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Jericho Writers we have helped many writers not only find their perfect agent, but go on to become bestselling authors! Through our Agent 121 meetings, and our AgentMatch service (available to members)we help make those author dreams more attainable. And that\u2019s not because we\u2019re miracle workers, but because we focus relentlessly on the quality of your work and ensuring you know where to look for the perfect match. And how to get a book deal yourself \u2026 You\u2019re at that scary submissions stage. Your manuscript is edited right down to the very last comma. It\u2019s time to go out into the big wide world and GET THAT BOOK DEAL. But \u2013 uh \u2013 what exactly do you have to do \u2026 and what<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,18],"tags":[27486],"class_list":["post-536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-publishing-industry","category-agents","tag-get-published"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Are The Odds Of Getting A Book Deal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/li>\n\n\n\nHow To Think About Getting A Book Deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Little Bit Of Boasting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So keep honing your craft<\/a> and ensure your story is tight, make sure you really understand what the market is looking for (and therefore agents and editors too), get your query letter polished to perfect<\/a>, and get your list of ideal agents <\/a>just right. Once you have that all in place, you’re on your way.
After all, the only way you can fail is by never giving it a good try in the first place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"