Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Today I’m going to turn my blog on its head and ask you to provide the content in the comment section. I’ll chime in with my thoughts in answer to your comments.
Here’s the question: What do you think makes a writer irresistible to an agent? What is it that we simply can’t turn down?
Let me know first if you are referring to fiction or nonfiction and then offer ONLY ONE THING that you believe makes a writer positively irresistible.Don’t be shy. This is subjective so there are no wrong answers, only food for discussion, right?
Let’s go. . .
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Fiction: A great story, obviously. Or is that too obvious and you’re looking for something deeper?
No. That is one thing that almost goes without saying. Many other things need to be in place as well but if the story is cliche or tired– no way.
non-fiction: Writing so good that you skip your dinner and movie date. You keep reading without the support of chips and chocolate. You don’t stop reading till the dawn’s early light and you’ve come to The End.
Shirlee, I think your response would work for fiction, also!
Found a book like that once, and learned that hell hath no fury like a woman passed over in favour of a good book. But to paraphrase…someone, anyway…a woman is a woman, but a good book is a READ. The book? Pierre Clostermann’s memoir of his RAF service “The Big Show”. The lady? I shall never tell, though guessing is allowed.
Absolutely. It’s hard to find that in nonfiction because so often good nonfiction is prescriptive and we need time to let it soak in but if you’re talking about memoir or the quality of storytelling like, say, Malcolm Gladwell– Yes.
Fiction: a writer whose story leaves you wishing for a sequel
If I get to tend of a manuscript and have to call the writer to see if they have a book #2, it’s a good sign.
Have you done this with clients who weren’t intending it to be a series? Let the brainstorming commence!
It would be interesting to know how many series grew out of readers’ refusal to say goodbye to a character.
A high school friend read my first baseball novel and wrote to me, “You’ve set this up so well for the sequel.” I had to write him and say I didn’t intend for there to be a sequel. He explained to me all the plot lines that set up the next book. Long story short: I wrote and published the sequel, based on his recommendation. The one review I have on it (not by him) says it’s better then the first one.
Fiction: when plot, characters, and writing combined leave you breathless.
Yes. Of course this is subjective so much more thought still has to go into a decision but that kind of story is irresistible. Rare, but irresistible.
Fiction: When you HAVE to put the book down, you’re still thinking about it.
Yes. Addictive is good.
Fiction – A book so spiritually compelling that would lead a profane, knuckledragging heathen to Christ. I even have an example of both…the book is Nevil Shute’s “Round The Bend”, and the now somewhat-more-presentable reprobate (who still can default to Tourette Mode) is me.
Loved around the Bend, too, and saw a lot of spiritual application.
Wow. That is some book review, Andrew.
Fiction: I would say a unique story so well written that the agent can’t stop turning pages until she gets to the end of the book. Or, if she does have to stop reading for some reason, she’s eager to get back to the story.
That is irresistible and, so far, every commenter is focusing on the story but there’s a lot more that goes into the decision to offer representation. 🙂 Hopefully other commenters will mention other irresistible possibilities so we can build that irresistible combination.
A story that slays you and could quite possibly slay the world.
(fiction or non-fiction)
Yes and that has happened.
I am assuming you mean irresistible in a query letter: a sentence that stops you in your tracks.
One superb sentence can certainly make an agent take notice and read further.
Nonfiction. What makes a writer irresistible? A confident, enthusiastic person who thinks outside the box and can sell that idea and deliver!
So glad you focused on the person behind the writing, Karen. This is a key element. When an agent offers representation he is taking an author on for a whole career so one fabulous book is only step one. We are also looking for the perfect person to write that book. I loved that you focused on someone who comes up with unique ideas, someone who can sell that idea AND someone who can deliver in the end. Brava!
I love this comment, Wendy! Just completed my second book in a subject that few discuss…until they get their jury summons in their mailbox. Unique, sell and deliver!
Bribes of homemade dark-chocolate ice cream.
P.S. This goes for fiction and nonfiction.
You sold me but unfortunately I am not agent.
Certainly an attention-getter. Of course by the time UPS delivers this to the agent’s office it may not resemble what was intended. 🙂
If I knew that I’d have had an agent 12 years ago. So I’ll just say, concerning previous responders, “what they said.”
🙂
Fiction – An amazing original story that is written well which an agent can sell to publishers..
Good point– salable fiction. Too many people are writing fiction to impress their creative writing professor. The fiction that sells is more about the story and characters than about technique.
Fiction: A salable work of art.
Exactly– if it’s commercial and art, it is pretty hard to resist. (I keep thinking of two of my new literary crushes– Louise Penny and Jacqueline Winspear.)
Fiction: pages that make you forget you’re reading something that hasn’t been published yet.
A beautiful well-edited manuscript is definitely a huge plus.
Fiction: voice
I’m hanging on every word you say, Lori! 🙂
Yes. When we find someone who has a distinctive voice (along with a compelling story) it makes us sit up and take notice. One of the best things we can say to an editor when we are selling an author is that the reading public needs this voice. (Voice is more than just pacing, choice of words, etc. it is the author’s taste and point of view among other things.)
I appreciate your definition of voice. The author’s taste and point of view shows up in so much more than the book. Their online presence, what they deliver to their reader, the consistency and compassion with which they do it, etc.
Fiction: BELOVED characters (funny, charming, deep, thoughtful)
I’m so glad you mention characters in fiction. This is an important element. I think one of the reasons ChickLit had such a short like is that we got sick of shallow, annoying snarky characters. Too many writers– trying to be unique– give us an anti-hero, an unlikeable protagonist. Almost never works.
You mention deep and thoughtful. To me this is important because I want to read a book that makes me see the world in a new way through wise and thoughtful eyes. I know this is subjective, but I’m so over the quirky snarky hero.
Fiction: a pleasant, hard-working, teachable personality. Who wants to work with a writer who is arrogant, pushy, and/or doesn’t meet deadlines?
So true, Meghan! Being a person who’s easy to work with probably helps greatly. 🙂
Amen! I know Janet recently blogged about entitled writers. We avoid them as strenuously as you avoid entitled agents. 🙂
When we offer representation we are aligning our reputation with the writers. If a writer doesn’t deliver that diminishes us in the eyes of the industry.
Great idea, Wendy.
Fiction: Voice matters most. Everything else can be polished by editors and critiques. But voice is organic. Readers (not other writers) will overlook writing craft errors if they love the author’s voice.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac ❀
That is true, Wendy. Voice– the way the writer looks at the world and helps us see that world.
Fiction: A story that moves you so much that you can’t stop thinking about it and that you know would appeal to thousands of readers.
Yep. Story, first and foremost.
non-fiction-an author always has a message but when they use other people’s stories along with their own, it keeps the book from being to author-centered.
Good observation. A writer who can wind in other stories along with their own is much more likely to find success.
I hope I’m correct in this addition but, seems that agents also look for non-fiction authors who are able to write packages, i.e. book devotional book, and Bible study.
A book you know you can sell and a writer who has another one he/she can write that’s of the same caliber.
Becky
Yes! We are looking to build careers not just sell one book.
I write fiction. The one thing necessary for an agent to select a proposal? Voice.
That is a key element indeed.
Fiction: The “irresistible” writer needs to be a fearless explorer.
Adventurers are in it for the thrill, the glory and the bragging rights.
Explorers want to know the Big Six. Who, what, when, where, why, and how.
That writer needs to say goodbye to the safe comforts of home and be willing to walk off the edge of the earth, and then come back and tell the story of how she survived the expedition.
Remember the movie Apollo 13? Ron Howard said that the challenge he faced involved the audience knowing that the astronauts all survived. He had to make the entire movie such a nail-biter that the audience forgot that the men made it home alive.
Bravely stay on the expedition until you’ve got the ‘what’ so riveting that the reader can barely breathe through the ‘how’.
This sounds like the recipe for a page turner. Of course some books are slow and homey and we turn the pages because we love the way the author unfolds the world for us.
But again, the book we can’t put down is irresistible for sure.
Fiction. When the agent realizes that she has procrastinated on her work in order to read the writer’s sample pages. I would think that this is a good sign.
Definitely puts the writer in contention.
An awesome storyteller who has a marketing background and uses it to sell their work. (Regardless of how good the work is, an author without a knockout platform will not be a benefit to an agent.)
Interesting, Michael. You’ve hit on something else. I wouldn’t exactly call it marketing savvy but I do find a writer who is deeply engaged with his audience– his people– is hard to ignore. Especially with nonfiction. The author who is the go-to person in his field and engages with his audience regularly is absolutely irresistible.
Fiction or nonfiction should show flexibility…
This is certainly important for success in a changing market.
For fiction: strong writing with a compelling voice
Yes. Strong, clean writing is a treat.
Fiction
A great idea. Fun, easy to explain, enchanting.
A boarding school for wizards.
A school for girl spies.
A twelve-year-old Irish villain.
A boy who can talk to dragons.
A little guy with hairy feet who saves the world.
A competition to become the princess.
An orphan who is the last Jedi Knight.
I would think that agents love a great idea.
Oooo, Kristen! You should teach a workshop on high concept. You’ve just defined it here brilliantly. A concept that can be easily communicated and makes you want to dig into the book.
Yes, high concept is irresistible.
Brava!
Oh, love this, Kristen! 🙂
Kristen, you have given yourself away as a MG reader!
How about :
A boy’s twin pops out next to him and together they have to get back to being one boy? Querying it now.
Thanks Kiersti and Wendy. The principal at our local grade school has actually been asking me to do more lessons with the kids on creative writing. I haven’t felt qualified and so I’ve only taught a few times in the first grade classes. But I think I am getting braver. I love writing and sharing with kids, I think if I can help them learn and grow, they probably won’t stop and demand my qualifications…maybe?
Cool idea Shela! I love it. I hope they snap it up! We need more middle grade. I’m querying “Fatherless triplets battle prehistoric beasts at summer camp” we’ll see if I can get some nibbles. I love middle grade and YA books. They are so fun and fanciful and action packed and delightfully deep at moments as well.
For NF: An author who exudes authenticity in social media and in person (since they tend to do speaking gigs).
Yes! We definitely look at a potential client’s ability to be winsome, appropriate and charismatic in social media. It’s a big plus these days.
What makes a writer irresistible is their ability to write fiction that reads like non-fiction and tell a story as if it were written by the reader.
Interesting. I’ve never heard it put that way.
Nonfiction: An well-written query for a book that meets one of the agent’s own deep felt needs.
Hopefully though, Lois, the agent looks beyond his own needs, but yes, when we come across a book that we need to devour ourselves, it’s a huge foot in the door.
Oh, I have to pick just one thing? Man…
I should say something smart, like big/healthy platform, or plenty of market-savvy, or the consummate professional…
But instead, I pick (for both fiction and Non-): The writer who is first and foremost a THINKER. The jaunty one, who dares to take big (but calculated) risks.
We do look for the person who is saying what no one else is saying yet or in a way that sets it apart. If someone writes just like, say, Max Lucado, why do we need them. We already have Max Lucado.
But you are right about the challenge of picking just one thing because, truth to tell, it is a combination of things that makes a person irresistible.
If one looks through all the comments and begins to create a list, we’ll soon see the irresistible combination. 🙂
Seems the most irresistible factor for agents & publishers these days is celebrity or other gargantuan platform. New writers swirl in a vortex, unable to get published unless they’re famous & unable to become famous unless they’re published.
Your question made me think of a team of horses pulling in tandem, Wendy.
When one horse always lags behind, refuses to put his weight into the collar and pull his fair share, he’s said to be unwilling to go. Conversely, one who bows his neck, picks up his feet and moves out at the touch of the lines is termed a goer. They usually have a good attitude and are easy to work with as well.
Even if someone brings in an impressive book, you as an agent do not want to be constantly picking up the whip, fending off a bite or finding out too late that your author is not doing what they’re supposed to have already accomplished.
Attitude of the writer would be my word. Positive, enthusiastic, happy, takes suggestions, executes, easy to work with, does not cause trouble. Is willing. A doer.
Am thinking this would apply to either type of writing.
Nonfiction: when the writer has a unique voice based on (or as a result of) new geography. States and countries that provide abundant quirky/intriguing material for the writer who grew up somewhere completely opposite is attractive. He/she has new eyes, first impressions, and a different filter.
I’m not an agent and can’t speak for any of them. But the books that I love make me suspend reality, take me to a place where I can see and believe what I read. Books that make me puzzle over grammar and word choices make me unhappy. I shouldn’t have to mentally re-write.
I like some books by authors I find umm difficult in real life. I don’t want to think about you. I want to think about your characters. I want a book so well written that, even if I think you’re insufferable in real life, I fall in love with, hate, want to save (or kill) your characters. I want believable dialogue. I don’t want to wonder why you can’t give your female characters realistic emotions. I want to talk to your characters, meet them for coffee and ask them questions.
I write history, and once upon a time I wrote a fantasy novel which was published by a small press. The history I write usually focuses on the late 19th Century. So I read an endless amount of poorly written, sometimes puzzling material. When I pick up your book, I want escape from interpretive reading. If you make me ‘translate’ your sentences, I’ll eventually stop reading.
This is very similar to what I was thinking, Rachael! I know I’ve found a winner of a book when I stop “noticing” the writing–which I do an awful lot now that I’m pursuing writing so seriously myself!–and am just completely swept away by the words. The writing is so strong that it fades itself into the story and makes it live and breathe. I imagine that quality might be important for an agent as well, though I know there are so very many key factors–as mentioned so eloquently here by our community. 🙂
So, I’m thinking, we all know it’s first and foremost about the writing and all that entails (characters, plot, etc.) but there are a lot of excellent writers without agents. So what else? Well, the writer has to be someone the agent respects and trusts, but again, there are a lot of respectable, trustworthy writers, so I’m going to pick the one thing that is as subjective as the other two: salability of the book. I think an agent might sign an author who has shown mastery of the craft, of strong integrity, and with a book contract from a reputable publishing house in her hand.
Fiction: VOICE.
Writing that makes a character so real you feel as if your are he or she, or at least, you feel what they feel.
Fiction: Workability.
Fiction: a book that leaves you wanting more after “The End.”
Nonfiction: a book were every chapter is as good as the first one (or that actually lives up to the promise of the description or pitch).
Hooky voice.
Fiction: To me it seems an irresistible writer must have three elements: A thorough knowledge of the trade, a professional and workable spirit, and a voice that nails the story.
For any genre: what people who buy books want to read.
I haven’t seen this one in the list yet–but I would say being professional in all aspects. Knowing that they as a writer, they are a part of a large group in publishing and they need to be able to work with people; be humble; meet multiple deadlines; and be teachable/open to criticism when it comes to edits and changes.
A book of short stories illustrated with original paintings by the author.
Fiction (or non): An author that is easy to work with (humble, accepts advice, reasonable expectations, patient, polite)
Nonfiction: The complete package! A unique and intriguing story of historical significance written by an authority who is passionate about the subject and it’s relevance is voiced through the fans in the writer’s following on social media.