Zeno Literary Agency currently open for submissions

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JDP

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Not sure if this is the right place or whether this has already been mentioned, but I've just noticed that uk-based lit agency Zeno is currently open for submissions if anyone out there has a ms burning a whole through their hard-disk.

Details can be found here: Zeno Now Accepting Submissions… | Zeno Literary Agency Ltd.

I've submitted to them in the past, and received useful feedback.

Mods, please feel free to move if this post shouldn't be here :)
 
On the plus side, they say they're hoping to remain open for submission until the end of the year.

However, they are being quite specific about the kind of book they're after, which doesn't include Hard SF :)(). I don't know whether this is an agency preference or a statement about the state of the market; I hope it's not the latter (both as a reader and writer).
 
The next Peter V Brett would presumably be Peter VI Brett.

As someone who's never read him, and doesn't intend to just to answer this question: what sets him apart?
 
I think, that as the Xeno posting was the 1st of December 2010, it probably means they've closed again...

Peter Brett has a great storytelling style and a great story (even if I was a bit disappointed with the stereotyping of characters in the 2nd book). I picked up the 1st book a few times, looked at the blurb, and thought 'yeah right, Demons come out at night and attack the population; too unbelievable to be read'. But then I did read it, and I was convinced...
 
Boneman said:
I think, that as the Xeno posting was the 1st of December 2010, it probably means they've closed again...
Click to expand...

Well spotted, that man.

I picked up the 1st book a few times, looked at the blurb, and thought 'yeah right, Demons come out at night and attack the population; too unbelievable to be read'. But then I did read it, and I was convinced...
Click to expand...

Is that why you chucked holy water over those carol singers?

Anything in particular about him that you think they'd want to find in someone else? (Not that mine fits in the trad fantasy bracket, I'm just curious as to why him in particular.)
 
I missed that, but on the other hand, a month is still a month.

(Obviously they were prepared to hoover up the literary masterpieces generated by NaNoWriMo....)


Maybe by the next time they open, they'll feel more welcoming to SF.
 
Ursa major said:
However, they are being quite specific about the kind of book they're after, which doesn't include Hard SF :)(). I don't know whether this is an agency preference or a statement about the state of the market; I hope it's not the latter (both as a reader and writer).
Click to expand...
It is the latter, Ursa. Even soft SF is hard to place over here at the moment, so I am reliably informed.

And despite the posting date of that...er...post, they are still open for the moment.
 
HareBrain said:
Anything in particular about him that you think they'd want to find in someone else? (Not that mine fits in the trad fantasy bracket, I'm just curious as to why him in particular.)
Click to expand...

The book sales, mainly... But I'd say that he does keep his pov in the book to the principal characters, they are very close 3rd person and we really get to know them well, and I for one was drawn in very well by them.(Previous proviso notwithstanding...)

Funny, isn't it? On the one hand the wisdom is 'don't compare yourself to bestselling authors, when asked who your work is most like because you're not like them' and on the other Zeno are looking for the next Peter Brett...:rolleyes:
 
The thing is an agent will ask you where do you think your book will fit in the present market, which current (And they mean those that are selling at present and who have come into the market in the last 3-4years) does your work compare with.

I believe Zeno are looking for a writer that can tap into the same market, not a clone.

You have to learn about and understand as much as you can about the market and where your work fits into it. It can be a bit of a bombshell to find out you have written a damn good novel, but in the current market it just won't fly, you have to dust yourself off and start again.
 
Thanks for that new link, JDP.


* Wonders how to lose another 20,000 words from his book.... *
 
Ursa major said:
However, they are being quite specific about the kind of book they're after, which doesn't include Hard SF :)(). I don't know whether this is an agency preference or a statement about the state of the market; I hope it's not the latter (both as a reader and writer).
Click to expand...

Probably a bit of both. OTOH Angry Robot are definitely looking for hard SF - that's one of the three areas Marc mentioned to me when I pitched to him at FantasyCon. The others were "female-friendly fantasy" (their original manifesto was much more male-oriented, "fiction for the X-Box generation", and they want to diversify a little) and of course "a bestseller that'll make us lots of money" :D
 
As someone who's spoken to them, Anne, do you know how they expect the Word Count to be derived, i.e. the actual number of words (as calculated by one's word processor software), or some formula based upon the number of pages and the font used.


(I only ask because the later would put me only 2,500 word over their upper limit, at least with the notional 250 words per page in Times new Roman; or rather more words over based on 200 words per page of Courier. I'm assuming it'll be the WP one, but I can dream....)
 
Sorry, I haven't got that far yet - Marc asked for some revisions after seeing the partial, and I'm still working through those. As it is, I will be skimming just under their upper limit for fantasy, at least according to Scrivener...

I would say, if it's that close, just send your partial and worry about the exact length later - we're only talking 2-3% of the manuscript, after all, not a honking great 250k epic! They may want changes, as with mine, that will affect the word count - but OTOH I've known them to be flexible if they really love something ;)

ETA: we're going off topic here - anyone want to start an Angry Robot thread, or is there one already that the mods can move this to?
 
Ah, you beat me to it (I was having dinner).

Yes, good blog post - though I don't envy them for having to wade through heaps of newbie mistakes. Sadly, the sort of people making those mistakes probably don't bother to read the blog, or they wouldn't do it in the first place.
 
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