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Pitching Arctic Raoul
I sat down to try to write a 'pitch' for Arctic Raoul, only to discover after wasting an evening on some rather anaemic attempts that I had in fact already written a rather livelier version back in 2022!
My attempt at supplying the "putative extra paragraph at the end" to justify the length and acknowledge the fanfic aspect: "From the Phantom's Shadow" is a wide-ranging historical adventure of 125,000 words that takes its protagonists from the seas of the nineteenth-century Arctic and the lonely wilds of Scandinavia down to the south of France, and back up for a final confrontation, as they learn who they really are and what matters most. It's a story that seeks to bring a fresh twist to the classic themes of the original Phantom of the Opera while ultimately remaining true to its period and its overall message of redemption.
I spent some time in Waterstone's looking for appropriate 'comps' and couldn't find anything even vaguely similar before running out of time; I did a similar exercise on the 'new books' section of the library, but that was almost entirely crime thrillers/non-fiction. I always knew comps were going to be a major problem, given that what I was writing was 'the sort of story I like to read that has fallen out of fashion' :-(
One thing I did notice in the bookshop was that the blurbs on the new books all looked extremely similar in style, to the degree that they reminded me of the AI-generated spam template reviews that have been plaguing fanfiction.net over the last year... presumably the reader is not expected to go through twenty or so of them in a row, because they do come across as incredibly generic.
Fortunately so far as I know the author is not expected to provide the promotional blurb!
(One unnerving thing is that as soon as I send out any queries the agent is likely to immediately do a Web search on my name: most of what comes up is of course fan fiction, at least for me (search results tend to get customised according to previously accessed pages)...)
In further slightly alarming news, I have been asked to supply copyrighted copies of my collection of poetry translations (which also involved trying to research the original authors of the lyrics in order to credit them) after an ex-associate of the Russian department at Cambridge saw one of them and was very impressed :-O
My attempt at supplying the "putative extra paragraph at the end" to justify the length and acknowledge the fanfic aspect: "From the Phantom's Shadow" is a wide-ranging historical adventure of 125,000 words that takes its protagonists from the seas of the nineteenth-century Arctic and the lonely wilds of Scandinavia down to the south of France, and back up for a final confrontation, as they learn who they really are and what matters most. It's a story that seeks to bring a fresh twist to the classic themes of the original Phantom of the Opera while ultimately remaining true to its period and its overall message of redemption.
I spent some time in Waterstone's looking for appropriate 'comps' and couldn't find anything even vaguely similar before running out of time; I did a similar exercise on the 'new books' section of the library, but that was almost entirely crime thrillers/non-fiction. I always knew comps were going to be a major problem, given that what I was writing was 'the sort of story I like to read that has fallen out of fashion' :-(
One thing I did notice in the bookshop was that the blurbs on the new books all looked extremely similar in style, to the degree that they reminded me of the AI-generated spam template reviews that have been plaguing fanfiction.net over the last year... presumably the reader is not expected to go through twenty or so of them in a row, because they do come across as incredibly generic.
A sensational medieval horror centred on an uncanny plague orphan with an apocalyptic prophecy, Between Two Fires is a visceral descent into superstition and terror that is not for the faint-hearted.
Achingly romantic and moving, Hall's sweeping debut explores an emotional love triangle as Beth's former lover returns after years away from the village to sow doubt and heartache in her current relationship.
A thrilling blend of Chinese folklore, family saga and magical realism, Yang’s captivating novel spans decades and continents, moving though the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and the Cultural Revolution onto the present day to mine inherited trauma and the long shadows of colonialism.
An elegantly constructed blend of fact and fiction, this exceptional tale of lies, power and self-deception reimagines the life of Hitler's favourite architect Albert Speer and the falsification of truths with which he rewrote his Nazi past.
Claustrophobic, haunting and drenched in Dark Ages atmosphere, Giles's creeping Fenland horror finds an order of holy sisters drawn into a battle for survival when a young servant boy goes missing in the eponymous marsh.
From the author of The Rule of the Land comes a luminous and multilayered tale of happenstance, love and rivalry set on the West Coast of Ireland, as a fisherman's family adopts an abandoned baby found on a beach.
From the acclaimed author of Weyward comes a haunting exploration of sisterhood, misogyny and the ghosts of the past, as fugitive Lucy seeks shelter in a mysterious coastal town with unexpected connections.
Fortunately so far as I know the author is not expected to provide the promotional blurb!
(One unnerving thing is that as soon as I send out any queries the agent is likely to immediately do a Web search on my name: most of what comes up is of course fan fiction, at least for me (search results tend to get customised according to previously accessed pages)...)
In further slightly alarming news, I have been asked to supply copyrighted copies of my collection of poetry translations (which also involved trying to research the original authors of the lyrics in order to credit them) after an ex-associate of the Russian department at Cambridge saw one of them and was very impressed :-O