Getting Published in Genre Fiction
Debut Author Andrew Kirby Talks About Placing His First Novel
Sep 10, 2009
Andrew Kirby spent three years chasing publishers until he found the right home for his debut novel Bully. Here, he tells Suite 101 about his experiences and how other authors can follow in his footsteps.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
‘From a very early age, I knew telling stories was in my blood. Some of my happiest, earliest memories are of being told stories by my grandparents or parents; stories which I would then recreate in the back garden with my friends. I suppose I was always the storyteller of the group, and it was me that was responsible for coming up with the narrative for our A-Team adventures in the school playground.
‘By six or seven, I’d written my first ‘novel’ (probably 200 words in reality). It is a space opera of the Star Wars type, and was written on a family holiday to South Wales when it rained every day so there was nothing else to do. On that holiday, a librarian penned my first review, writing that the piece was ‘a promising first novel from this young tyro of the publishing world.’
‘I still have the review and the ‘novel’. And when I look at it now, I can make absolutely no sense of it; it’s a mess of wild graphics and lop-sided text. What a wonderful thing that librarian did for me by giving me such early encouragement. And then when I was eleven, I won my first short story competition; receiving a year’s free swimming at the local pool for my rather derivative story about animals living on a riverbank.’
How did you find your publisher?
‘I searched long and hard. I tried mainstream publishers galore, agents galore, but with no success. I spent stupid amounts of money on postage, sending out my three chapters again and again. Eventually, I began to think that it was my writing that was wrong.
‘Funnily enough, it was actually something in my boring day job which convinced me to change my approach. I was doing a marketing course and one of the lessons was: ‘it doesn’t matter how good your message is, if it isn’t broadcast to the right ears, you won’t get the result that you want.’ I decided that I had to target my approach to publishers rather than continuing to scattergun my manuscript every which way but loose.
‘So I thought about which publishers would really want to hear what I had to say. I decided they would probably be UK based, they would be lovers of genre fiction, and that they would be independent, so that they could spend more time with me on developing my work. As it turned out, Wild Wolf Publishing, a new company from the North East, were the first company I got within my cross-hairs.
‘They read my manuscript and then asked for more. And then they suggested revisions, which I did and then they accepted. With Wild Wolf I got everything I asked for and more. So far, working with them has been an absolute delight. If I had to advise anyone, I would say don’t waste time and money scatter-gunning your work everywhere. Take time scouring the marketplace. Find a publisher that is a good fit for your work, whether they are independent or mainstream. You’ll know them when you see them.’
How did you feel when you got the letter telling you your book was accepted?
‘After three and a half years of thinking about what I’d do if my book was accepted; wild dreams of immediately phoning my boss and telling him exactly where to stick his job, booking a round the world ticket or simply buying up the whole stock of champagne in the local shop (probably two bottles); my actual feelings when I was told that my book was accepted were rather pedestrian.
‘So overwhelmed was I with reasons why this was not, could not be my big break that I never actually acknowledged it as such. I was worried about all kinds of ridiculous things. What if Grandad read the book and turned his nose up at all the swearing. What if nobody liked the book? What if critics panned it? I wish I’d just done a stupid dance and enjoyed the moment!’
What's next?
‘I am currently undertaking a UK tour publicising the novel Bully. So far, this is taking in much of the north of England, but I’d be happy to hear from book store event organisers, literary festivals or book clubs in the midlands or the south which would like me to speak/ sign books/ do karaoke for them.
‘In terms of writing, I’ve just completed another dark novel, the techno-thriller, Perfect World, which I’m hoping will get picked up somewhere along the line, and I’m starting on a new novel, provisionally entitled Leap Year, which is based on scientific experimentation on humans (something quite a few of my fellow students and homeless signed up for in order to get extra cash, and one of which got particularly affected by) and tracks the process of the monster that is unleashed.’
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