The start of another month means one thing: Fiona Cassidy’s next installment about what it takes to become a published author. If you’ve missed Fiona’s previous entries you can read them here: Where It All Began and What’s The Story? and Agent Provocauthor and You’ve Got Mail and The Write Factor and This Is My Moment. We now present to you the seventh article of twelve… enjoy! We’ve also moved the series to Tuesday mornings due to Saturday’s being American Saturdays. We’re hoping the new day will get us a bigger response because this is a fab series. Our thanks, as ever, go to Fionnuala for writing this series for us!

In April 2009 all my dreams came true when, after battling to get published for several years, I was finally offered a three book publishing deal with Poolbeg Press, Dublin. My first popular fiction novel was due to hit the shelves in November 2009 with two more books to follow over the next few years. I was ecstatic…I was amazed…I was extremely confused and I needed help and guidance in the worst possible way!

I was in a fairly unusual and lovely position as I had managed to secure a publishing deal myself without the help or influence of an agent. Basically my work had been picked from the ‘slush pile’ which is something I was and will always be extremely proud of. My pride and excitement aside, however, I was ready to take to my bed with a stress induced migraine due to the fact that I had been forwarded a contract and to say I would have needed a law degree, specialising in economics with a smattering of gobbledegook translation, to understand it is an understatement. Maths was never my strong point so the minute I spotted a percentage sign I knew I was fecked (and that’s the technical term!!) I had two weeks to make a decision and I needed someone to look over the contract who understood the wording and terms and conditions…what I needed was a literary agent and fast!

I made a shortlist and started the process of sending out emails and making phone calls to all the contacts I had already made over the years as well as a few new ones I had come across in the throes of frantically searching the internet! Ironically the first conversation I had was with a lady by the name of Emma Walsh of Walsh Communications in Dublin and when I explained the situation to her she was extremely helpful and congratulatory and asked me to forward on my manuscript. I also spoke to several other agents who were also keen to see my work and within a few days I had the attention of three agents here and one in London. Poolbeg had given me a fortnight to respond to their offer and naturally I wanted to accept it but on terms that would benefit everyone involved.

It was Easter and I was heading away on a short break with my family. We weren’t going far but it may as well have been to Timbuktu as the hotel we were staying in was a internet black spot and I needed to access my emails in the worst possible way! Thankfully I made friends with the owner’s daughter who kindly lent me her laptop and dongle which enabled me to keep in touch with the outside world. After a few days had passed and the agents in question had read my work I found myself in the lovely position of being able to choose my representative myself as several had made offers to sign me. I weighed up my options carefully as I knew that this decision could affect my future writing career. What did I do? Did I go with an agent who had a reputation and a list of authors to their credit or did I go for someone less well known but whom I had developed a brilliant rapport and had a good feeling about? I spent a few days in a quandary trying to develop lists of pro’s and con’s but eventually decided that the best idea would be to trust my gut instinct and I have to say that it was the best decision I ever made! Emma Walsh has represented me now for over a year and in that time she has become a dear friend and proved herself to be a highly skilled negotiator and one of the most charming and hard working representatives you could hope to have working on your behalf! I believe I learnt a valuable lesson with this experience as could others….always trust your own judgement! Choosing an agent is like choosing a life partner or a business partner and above all else it’s important that you connect and work well together and I know that I have been truly blessed and definitely made the right choice.

A great weight was lifted from my shoulders when I signed with Emma and handed the contract negotiations into her very capable hands. She was then able to liaise with my publisher and work out the finer details for me so that when it came to agreeing the contract I would be assured that I wasn’t signing away rights that I should keep or leaving myself at a disadvantage with regards to royalties etc. Contracts are a minefield and unless you have worked in the business and have an in-depth understanding of terms and conditions I would advise that no one sign one before firstly seeking advice or having an agent!

I will always remember the day I went to Dublin to meet my publisher for the first time! It was 30th April 2009 and a very momentous and joyful day for me! I have been reading Poolbeg books all my life so for me to be meeting the people whose names had been mentioned in the acknowledgements of the likes of Marian Keyes, Melissa Hill and Sharon Owens to name but a few was thrilling in the extreme! To see the little red lighthouse logo on the side of the building was amazing and filled me with awe but it was only when I started to squeal that my partner pretended he didn’t know me and that I was some lunatic who was following him!! Meeting Paula Campbell was every bit as special as I had anticipated and nothing could have prepared me for the way I felt sitting in a library in their offices surrounded by books written by their authors which had been delighting me for years! It was a very surreal experience and one which I will treasure forever! Its right up there along with meeting my future husband and the births of my children (only perhaps less messy and painful!)

Now that I had signed on the dotted line I could look forward to the publication of my first book and what an experience that was!!!

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