Byker Books

As you know (or maybe you don’t) we’re all writers and authors here at BB and we’ve had some experience with literary agents before (well, they’ve sent us those nice standard rejection letters anyway – but it’s contact right?). So, when the Ed demanded an interview with the finest agent in the country, we knew what to do.

With the van positioned round the corner and the back doors open I took to the street outside the offices of top agency Darley Anderson dressed in my new J K Rowling costume and casually remarked, ‘Gosh, I think I need a new agent’ before sprinting for my very life .

Next thing you know we’re screeching off with an angry mob around us and a captive agent in the back – if only it was always this easy eh? And do you know what, it was only the best one, the very polite and dashed amenable Camilla Bolton.

·        So, Camilla, got much on at the minute?

I’m about to send out something very exciting so it is pretty busy at work.

·        How did you get into this agenting lark then?

I hate to say it, but luck and good timing.

·        I’m guessing that, as you’re in the book trade, you’re a bit of reader – do you find that the amount of stuff you have to plough through for your job taints any reading for pleasure that you do?

So far I haven’t been tainted, but we will see. Luckily I have a very simple brain, which sees a manuscript as work, but a paperback/hardback as pleasure. This is great because I still can read for the fun and love of it. 

·        Could you take us through a typical day in the life of a top agent?

I spend the majority of my time reading new submissions and managing my authors. It is a great job because not one day is the same.

·        Did you ever consider a writing career yourself? What happened to that?

I’ve never been good with ideas and plots so I don’t think writing is for me.

·        What are you reading at the minute then (apart from Radgepacket obviously)?

An old favourite of mine; The Third Twin by Ken Follett.

·        You have a ‘Friend of Byker Books’ (The mighty, jellied eel eating Danny King) as one of your authors – did you take him on or just inherit him, like you would a hideous ornament off your late Auntie?

I was very lucky as I inherited Danny from Emma White.

·        How hard is it to be an agent? There’s obviously a lot of small print and stuff to plough through – how much of that takes up your day?

Agenting is a fantastic job, but you have to be 100% committed as there can be long hours and I work most weekends. The contract side to things is time consuming, but essential – I would hate to be responsible for an author missing out on a royalty rate!

·        It appears that a lot of publishers these days seem to use agents as an unofficial filter so they don’t have to bother with a slush pile - fair comment ?

I don’t think it’s about not bothering, more not having the resources. As I mentioned, I spend a huge amount of time reading the Agency’s crime and thriller slush pile and on average get about 10 things a day. Considering the agency has only taken on 3 new authors from this genre in a year, there is a lot of time spent on work that isn’t for us. It definitely makes sense for the publishers to let agencies filter through the work.

·        Actually, further to this, I’m noticing a trend developing where Agents are starting to use professional ‘mansucript advisors’ or ‘literary consultants’ as their own filter – do you think that’ll happen more and more in the future and,as a writer, is it worth spending the money on one? 

I hope not as one of the most exciting parts of my job is finding new writers. I love that something fantastic could arrive at any time. I know some agencies don’t focus too much on the slush pile, but for us it is very important so I personally don’t agree with the idea of filtering through ‘manuscript advisors’. Instead authors should spend time themselves making sure every word in their novel is 100% needed before sending out their submission.

·        Any other advice you could give the millions of writers and authors out there who never get a sniff of publication?

To get an agent is hard, to get a book published is very hard, to achieve huge sales of the book is extremely hard, so it is vital that authors are at the top of their game for each step. In regards to the first step, I personally think there are four keys points every author should do before deciding to submit their work:

1) Decide why they are writing. Do they want to be a literary writer or a commercial storyteller? Authors always need to remember that publishing is a business. To make money out of it you predominantly have to aim for the commercial end of the industry as this is what readers want. I know a lot of people disagree with this, but for me it is like sending out a slow but beautiful horse into a race and expecting it to win.

2) Work out who they are writing for? Who are they writing about? Who will want to read their work? Most importantly WHO will pay money for it? Before an author starts off writing they need to answer all these questions. This will help determine the market they want to enter but also ensure the writer has set out why they are writing the book so it does not loose direction.

3) Read as many bestselling books in their genre as they can. Again, I know some people disagree with this as they worry that their ideas will be influenced, but I feel that it is very important to consider why certain authors / books are successful.

4)  Before submitting a novel it is vital that is it polished and at its best. To send out an untidy, very early draft does not come across well as it makes an agent feel the author isn’t that serious about their work. Also, think hard about the title and author name. A good author name is important so do consider using a pseudonym.

·        Ever considered Celebrity Big Brother or the other rubbish ‘reality’ nonsense for any of your authors?

No and I can’t imagine any of them wanting to be part of the reality craze.

·        How much input do you have on their work?

This varies according to each author. I do work closely with new authors to make sure their novel is at its very best standard before sending it out. This can take 4/5 months, but it is definitely worth it as selling a book is not easy so it needs to have the best chance it can get.

·        Who would play you in the film of your life (sorry but we ask everyone this because we’re basically nosey!)?

Err I’ve never really thought about this…I was once told that I looked like a character in Titanic, so I got all  excited and said, “ohhh, Kate Winslet?” and they solemnly shook their head and replied, “No, her mother”. You’ve got the same glassy eyed expression…

·        And what sort of soundtrack would you like playing (and again…sorry)?

I suppose it has to be My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

·        We’ve met some authors over the past few months and frankly, some of them really should remove their heads from their arses and realise that the world doesn’t revolve around them (none of them have made it onto this site by the way – we’re very discerning!). Don’t suppose you’ve got any stories about any of these types (no names obviously…well, unless you want to).

I can genuinely, hand on my heart, say that all of our authors are amazing. As an agency, we only take on authors that we genuinely like and get on with. Considering we will be working closely with them for a long period of time this is vital.

·        Darley Anderson is a hugely successful agency and many of their authors are household names  - do you feel that your new authors expect to be elevated to that sort of level immediately just because you’ve signed them up?

Not at all, in fact it often works the other way as a lot of our new authors are fans of our household names and really respect what they do.

·        Got any freebies you could send us?

Alas, no.

·        And finally, but most importantly, is there any chance you might need a fifteen stone, shaven headed Geordie to fill a gap on Random House’s ‘give this bloke a massive advance’ list in the near future?

Ha! You never know. The question I have for you is: are you a writer or a storyteller…?

The Radgepacket team and all at Byker Books would like to take this opportunity to thank Camilla for raising her head above the parapet and giving us her valuable time so freely during this interview. We wish both her and Darley Anderson continued success with their authors but they probably won’t need it cos they’re doing fine.

We would also like to re-assure any concerned readers that we released Camilla from the van as soon as the interview was complete and didn’t steal her phone and copy all of the contacts from it…..oh no not us…..who wants to buy Martina Cole’s phone no??