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Very nice to hear from another literary agent today who got in touch after reading about the YouWriteOn book awards. The agent found two authors of recent times who are now bestselling authors. The agency are growing their list of talent and we have arranged to meet next week. One of the bestselling authors the agent discovered wrote one of my favourite books of recent times.
With regard to Katherine's story development through YouWriteOn & book success with Orion - see her commissioning editor's feedback in the posts above - the agent commented 'that they were always pleased to hear about talent that rises, in spite of the sometimes impenetrable nature of the publishing industry.' So it's very nice to see that further agents are taking an interest in looking at highly rated writers.
Ted
Senior Orion Editor Sara O'Keefe, who commissioned the Legacy, commented the following on The Legacy, and how it came to her attention through YouWriteOn and its members:
"Every editor dreams of unexpectedly stumbling across a great talent – that thrilling moment when one knows, without question, that one has unearthed a tremendous new voice. Realistically, though, unsolicited manuscripts rarely see the light of day, let alone receive backing from a major publishing house. Literary agents are said to be the gatekeepers of the industry, and on the whole, they do an excellent job of filtering material – but what does an author do if they can’t secure an agent? If, amongst the vast sea of manuscripts that wash across every agent’s desk, their talent somehow gets missed? I know from speaking with authors recently at the Stratford Upon Avon literary festival that the path to publication can be disheartening, frustrating and all too often disappointing.
Perhaps that’s why Katherine Webb’s story is so heartening. After years of toil, writing novel after novel, submitting endlessly to agents in hope of progressing her cause, Katherine ultimately found her way to the peer review website YouWriteOn.com, where she uploaded a couple of sample chapters of her work-in-progress THE LEGACY to the site. As a Senior Commissioning Editor at Orion I have had a long-standing relationship with YouWriteOn.com. I like to keep an eye on the site, regarding it as a useful creative laboratory for new writers .. My assistant, Natalie Braine, simply raved about Katherine Webb’s sample chapters on the website, so I decided to investigate further, contacting Katherine directly and calling in the full novel. Even in its raw, unedited and unpolished state, the script simply knocked my socks off.
THE LEGACY is a sweeping, multi-generational drama that moves from turn of the century Oklahoma to present day Wiltshire, exploring the lives of two very different women from one extraordinary family. It immediately reminded me of one of my favourite novels, The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. Katherine’s novel is a hauntingly beautiful, deeply satisfying read, exploring themes of individual and collective identity, of loss and of atonement. Most of all, it’s a novel about how two characters from two different generations in one family come to terms with a terrible act of betrayal – and the secret, heart-breaking legacy left behind. I simply cannot wait to publish this novel and feel very grateful to YouWriteOn for helping Katherine Webb’s talent to shine. Orion plans to publish THE LEGACY next summer.
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YouWriteOn Book of Year Results
12 Jun 2009, 17:11
