Hi, new guy here. I'm sure this question has been posed countless times on here, so I apologize if I'm being a little redundant. I know everyone says that their situation is unique, but mine actually a little tricky. Let me explain... I just completed my 105,000 word novel. It took three and a half years but I finally got it done. I read an older thread on this forum about "what to do now" after completing a manuscript and I believe I've done everything you guys recommended. I finished it initially, printed it up and made notes/corrections, re-wrote portions of it with grammar corrections and plot/character revisions, printed and edited again and re-wrote it one last time. I think I've got it just how I want it and my select friends and wife are satisfied with it as well. My problem is, it might be a little too "hardcore" for most of the agencies I've queried. No, not that kind of hardcore... it's about a couple of heroin addicts. It's pretty graphic and violent in parts but it's plainspoken and has a lot of humor in it. The plot is about a kid from a small town that gets involved with a girl from the big city who turns him onto dope. It follows the downward spiral formula that a lot of books in this genre use. Think Dopefiend by Goines or Requiem For A Dream by Selby. The plot actually goes somewhere far beyond a couple of junkies sticking needles in their arms and has a great climax. A lot of it is from personal experience as I'm a former addict myself. I had written it once as a screenplay about ten years ago and got an offer on it but I thought they were taking advantage of me so I decided to write it again as a novel. It still retains a rapid pace and flows smoothly like a movie. Anyway, I'm drifting way off topic here... My question is, what agents would pick this up? Most of the agencies I've submitted it to seem a little, ahem, stuffy. I don't think they'd be real keen on representing a guy like me or a novel with a less than "feel good" plot. Are there agents that specifically represent this stuff? I know I'm probably in no position to get picky, but I don't want to wind up getting printed by some erotic publisher who makes books about the lonely housewife and the pizza guy. I just started submitting my query letter a couple of days ago and only got back one response out of the fifteen or so that I e-mailed. It said "no thanks." Any suggestions?
I'd recommend going to a bookstore and looking for books like yours, then figuring out who reps the authors of those books. Or, if you want, figure out who the publisher and editor is and submit directly. I don't think your novel sounds too edgy, there's lots of pretty graphic stuff out there good luck!
Good advise, thanks guys. I'm actually going to several bookstores today looking for work so I'll do that. Also, yeah, I've checked out Agentquery. com. I love that site! That's where I've found most of the agents I've submitted to thus far. I think I've found one that might be more my speed, but one out of a couple thousand might be rough. I'll keep you all posted...
virtually nothing's too "hardcore" in the publishing industry, since books like 'rush' and 'american psycho' and 'the fight club' have gotten published... it's just a matter of finding an agent willing to rep a book that's 'edgy' and graphic to the max... keep submitting to those who say they rep such stuff and if the work's good enough, you'll eventually hit one who'll take it on...
