Any tips for finding the right Agent for me?

mickruston

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I have written to dozens of Agents who 'appear' to have autobiographies and humour as part of their services without success or even, sometimes, a reply!

I am an ex-Royal Engineers (1965 - 1989) and had to give up work in August of 2007 to become a full time carer for my wife who suffers from acute bi-polar disorder. For many years my family friends and colleagues have tried to persuade me to put pen to paper to down some of the many 'stories' I would tell at social and family occasions. They likened my to Unc in only fools and horses! I remember when . . . . Eyes would roll and at least one would say, "Pull up a Sandbag" or "Swing the Lights". However the stories were always funny and I would usually have them rolling in the aisle.

The Continuing Story of Our Lad Ricky by
Michael A Ruston

http://sites.google.com/site/ourladricky/Home

Ricky – The Early Years

I have attempted in my books to give a feel of what life was really like for a military family living below the poverty line in the 1950s and early 1960s. In this, the first of the four books, I detail my life from my earliest memories, through my school days, until I eventually joined the Army in the mid 1960s. You are able to follow the numerous scrapes, incidents and often funny, sometimes tragic situations in which I found myself. Arrested by the RMP three times before reaching the tender age of 7!

Our Lad Ricky


In Our Lad Ricky I write about the several abortive attempts I made to join the Army, always failing due to my apparent weakness and ill health. And how, in desperation, I persuaded my best friend and school chum Ben to travel with me to Queen Street, Wolverhampton and take my entrance medical there on my behalf. The book highlights my hesitant, precarious and often hilarious attempts at turning from boy to man, by learning to be a soldier and how, not just once, but twice, I was almost discharged from the Army as 'Services No Longer required'!


Ricky – Green Beret


In Ricky – Green Beret, I cover the period from my arrival in Germany, through a host of mishaps and personal catastrophes. Ricky, having been betrayed by a friend, which almost resulted in a Court Martial was close to eviction from the Army. Meeting and falling madly in love with a country girl, but was it to be?
And then, quite accidentally, Ricky found himself posted to a Commando Unit forming up in Singapore. Although NOT a volunteer ‘Ricky’ struggled through weeks of ‘Beat Up’ and following Commando Training at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon, to successfully succeed in winning the much coveted Green Beret. Much to his own surprise and the astonishment of comrades, friends and family!
 

alleycat

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Are you trying to pitch all four books at once?

Here's a comment that's not directly related to what you asked, but might be worth thinking about. Of the four books you described, the one that really piqued my interest was Our Lad Ricky. If I saw a blurb similar to that on the back of the book, or on Amazon, I might very well want to read the book. You might think about taking that one book, making sure it's the best you can made it (possibly even expanding it a little), and try pitching that book first. Just an idea.
 

mickruston

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Any Tips

Thank you for that, I am grateful. Most of my tries were actually with 'Our Lad Ricky' as I wrote that book first! The The Early Years followed by Ricky Green Beret. I thought that perhaps, when I have finished Carry on Ricky I could combine all four into a hardback. Seeing as I do all the sales and marketing I suppose I am not doing too badly - but could do better.

Thanks again!

Michael
 

alleycat

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How long are each of these books?
 

alleycat

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I'm doing a little calculation . . . Our Lad Ricky is about 55-60,000 words. Is that right?

Another comment, the problem might not be with the book itself, but with your query. Have you considered posting your query letter in Share Your Work?

Another couple of questions. Are you pitching the books as primarily humor, or as a story of a young lad's "adventures" with humorous elements? Are you pitching to US agents, or just to agents in the UK? As I understand it, things are done slightly differently in the UK (I didn't think agents were quite as important there, but I'm not sure about that since I have no direct experience).
 

mickruston

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Tips

I'm doing a little calculation . . . Our Lad Ricky is about 55-60,000 words. Is that right?

Another comment, the problem might not be with the book itself, but with your query. Have you considered posting your query letter in Share Your Work?

Another couple of questions. Are you pitching the books as primarily humor, or as a story of a young lad's "adventures" with humorous elements? Are you pitching to US agents, or just to agents in the UK? As I understand it, things are done slightly differently in the UK (I didn't think agents were quite as important there, but I'm not sure about that since I have no direct experience).

Early Years approx 88,000 words
Our Lad 67,000
Ricky Green Beret 90,000

Humorous Autobiographical Adventure

UK or USA Agents but I feel that because of the 'English' would probably suit a UK Agent/Market primarily allthough I have many books in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even Moscow!
 

mickruston

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I'm doing a little calculation . . . Our Lad Ricky is about 55-60,000 words. Is that right?

Another comment, the problem might not be with the book itself, but with your query. Have you considered posting your query letter in Share Your Work?

I will try and find 'Share Your Work! and give it a go . ..

thanks again
 

alleycat

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I will try and find 'Share Your Work! and give it a go . ..

thanks again
Since you're relatively new (at least going by post count), let me give you one warning. The query section of SYW is one of the toughest--no holds barred unless the poster specifically asks for a gentle critique. The idea behind this is that it's better for us to beat up an aspiring author's query and help them make it the best it can be, than for an agent to reject a writer's work just because his or her query wasn't very good.

Best of luck with both your book(s) and your query.