I’ve decided to try and find an agent for the new book (No Direction Home) because I’m hoping that I can do more with it than self-publish in ebook form. I didn’t use that approach with the ebooks that were published last year because they had either already been published in print form (many moons ago, admittedly) or had been offered to publishers in the past without success – this is the first completely new book I’ve written for years, so I’ve decided to give it a chance to take off.
Why haven’t I written anything recently? Basically, my job – Head Of Media at a large comprehensive school – didn’t really allow me the same amount of time for writing as before, but now that I’ve retired, I can focus on writing once more.
Why SF, when, so far, I’ve concentrated on spy thrillers? Not quite so easy to answer, although I’ve always been interested in the genre, but, to be honest, I had a distinct feeling of ‘been there, done that’ with thrillers. I even felt that way when it came to planning another Cormack and Woodward novel (and they’re selling better than all the others put together), so I thought that maybe it was time for a change, even if it was only temporary. There was also the consideration that I had a Science Fiction idea that I was enthusiastic about and I had always wanted to write SF, so why not?
Anyway, finding an agent… Not so simple. The agent who had represented me for the Walker books is based in the USA and we parted company some time ago (partly as a result of me not writing anything, to be honest), while Dorothy Lumley, who offered to represent me some years ago, has since sadly passed away, so I’m starting from scratch, really. I’ve accessed Agent Hunter and drawn up a list of (hopefully) suitable agents who might be interested, so it’s a case of writing a synopsis and a cover letter before sending them off with the first three chapters.
Then, of course, waiting for the rejection slips… Just like old times, really.