I still haven’t heard back from the internship I applied for. I’m not that concerned because I think I’ve processed it and moved on. It’s past the date when the job said it would start, so I’m not waiting around for it. However, I have a feeling they might still get back to the applicants very late, I think publishing houses are like that. Plus, I’ve seen them advertising for the senior editorial position in the children’s division, so maybe they are focusing on filling that role before filling the intern role. Either way, I think it’s wisest for me to keep on applying to other roles I think would be interesting, even if I don’t get them. Everyone’s advice for artists going forward (or any adult?) is get used to rejection, so I know I have to keep putting myself out there. That’s the idea.

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I talked again to the agent James Catchpole about my book and sent him a breakdown of the chapters and the plot. He liked it enough to ask me if he could help me edit my first chapter. I don’t know if that means he is “my” agent yet, but I think it means he will be. I’ll ask him on a video call which I’ll arrange to talk about the edits. I’ve basically been receiving the message that he has enough clients and doesn’t want any more, because he believes in author care and helping with editorial suggestions to their work, which not every literary agent does.

An author doesn’t technically need an agent to be traditionally published, as some independent publishers will accept submissions from the author, but the chances of an unsolicited manuscript being published is slim. I think having an agent is essential to good business sense because if an agent agrees to represent an author, they will submit the story to publishers they think will be interested in buying it, help the author with their subsequent contract and make sure they get paid correctly (they get a 15-20% commission only if the work gets sold). The literary agents effectively bridge the gap between unpublished manuscripts and publishing houses. Authors can also choose to self-publish their book, which can work really well depending on the book/genre, but that’s a completely separate topic. I always think it’s good though to talk to someone within the industry about whether writing is worth publishing and what kind would be best, which is how I initially got talking to James. I asked him for professional advice on whether Becoming Sweetwood was worth pursuing and he said yes.

But I think he has about 20 authors he represents (not all writing at once) and he wants to have the time to be available for them. When I worked for his agency he told me he wasn’t actively looking for anything new, unless it was too interesting to turn up. I guess that sounds very flattering to me, but also I got in contact with him because I knew he would be very interested in the themes in my work.  All the advice about finding an agent is to research and then keep trying, keep putting yourself out there.

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So while I’m in this in-between stage of waiting for a job and also agent feedback, I’ve been thinking about my next writing idea. I really want to write a novel called Alice in Wheelchairland. It will be demonstrating my master’s dissertation, which could be summed up by the words “make accessible fantasy worlds.” It would be about a teenage girl who uses a wheelchair who lives in South London with her parents and younger brother, until she and her brother fall into a fantasy world where everyone uses a wheelchair. Kind of like Noughts and Crosses with wheelchairs. The novel would be an demonstration of the social model of disability inspired in part by this short cartoon. I’m not sure quite what the plot/point will be yet, but I have lots of time to think about it! I thought of the title a while ago, but it’s only now I’ve started to actively think about it.



(Featured Image is “Blue Shadows #75” by Sergiu Ciochină, contemporary).