- Forum Clout
- 3,016
For the last ten years or so, I’ve had an idea for a book that I just sat on. A twist on the classic coming of age story intertwined with a family crime drama. When I’d get bored, I’d let my mind wander, and think about different characters, scenes, twists, etc. Around six months ago, I thought it would be funny to get the book published under a nome de plume, but name one of the minor antagonists Patrick Tomlinson.
I finished the final chapter in October. Sent the draft to a friend who is a published author / creative writing professor at a pretty prominent university. Got some great feedback / notes. Finished the second draft right after Thanksgiving. The story is told in three parts across a ten year span, has eighty chapters, and a final word count of just under 120,000. I kept the chapters short and used relatable syntax, tailoring the prose to the shortened attention spans of a modern audience. I’m a big fan of James Ellroy’s later works ( LA Confidential, The Black Dahlia), and was inspired by his telegrammatic prose.
At the start of December, I sent a manuscript to around ten literary agents with strong track records of getting crime thrillers published in paperback. (First four chapters and a brief summary of entirety of the novel). Happy to report that as of today, 6 agents have reached out, requesting I send them the rest of the novel, with 2 of them also looking to schedule a conference call for next week.
Who says Pat trolling isn’t productive?
I finished the final chapter in October. Sent the draft to a friend who is a published author / creative writing professor at a pretty prominent university. Got some great feedback / notes. Finished the second draft right after Thanksgiving. The story is told in three parts across a ten year span, has eighty chapters, and a final word count of just under 120,000. I kept the chapters short and used relatable syntax, tailoring the prose to the shortened attention spans of a modern audience. I’m a big fan of James Ellroy’s later works ( LA Confidential, The Black Dahlia), and was inspired by his telegrammatic prose.
At the start of December, I sent a manuscript to around ten literary agents with strong track records of getting crime thrillers published in paperback. (First four chapters and a brief summary of entirety of the novel). Happy to report that as of today, 6 agents have reached out, requesting I send them the rest of the novel, with 2 of them also looking to schedule a conference call for next week.
Who says Pat trolling isn’t productive?