How flexible are agents and publishers when it comes to plots/premises?

Question · Feb 3, 2012

This question is for future reference

Let's say I decide to write a contemporary fantasy manuscript about a man who turns into a balloon every time he sneezes. It's not a social commentary. It's not an expression of the human condition. There is humour in it, but it's not a comedy. It's about the man trying to avoid getting popped before he manages to find out how to become normal again -- and this is taken seriously (without being overdramatized). The conflict in the story is set up to be engaging and there are a number of interesting subplots (including romance) but still... how far could a premise like this go?

What I'm asking is... how far can you stretch plausibility without being rejected because of it? I know part of the issue is marketability (most people don't want to read a book they can't take seriously) but where do you draw the line? Basically, how 'silly' can a story -- or pivotal elements of a story -- be without getting the story dismissed outright?

I'm sorry if this is a bit of a weird question, I'm just trying to figure out where the boundaries are so I'll know how silly (read: imaginative) I can make my plots. I keep having to restrain my brain. My urge to write whatever the hell I want in whatever way I want is warring with my common sense/the part of me that takes the way the world works into consideration.

PS: The man/ballon thing is not a real plot, just an example. I couldn't think of anything weird enough to illustrate my point xD

scarletpeaches · Feb 3, 2012

Best advice I can give?

Write the book of your heart.

Cyia · Feb 3, 2012

There's really no way to answer that question. I'm sure plenty of editors and agents thought the idea of a man who randomly blinked through time to meet his wife at different periods in her own life was exceptionally weird, yet The Time Traveller's Wife became a blockbuster.

Question · Feb 3, 2012

scarletpeaches said:
Best advice I can give?

Write the book of your heart.

But if it's really weird, won't it get rejected or "fixed" until its not even recognizeable as the story you set out to write?

Cyia said:
There's really no way to answer that question. I'm sure plenty of editors and agents thought the idea of a man who randomly blinked through time to meet his wife at different periods in her own life was exceptionally weird, yet The Time Traveller's Wife became a blockbuster.

But by that point, the concept of time travel had already (gradually) been introduced as a 'normal' trope :/

scarletpeaches · Feb 3, 2012

Question said:
But if it's really weird, won't it get rejected or "fixed" until its not even recognizeable as the story you set out to write?

How do you know it won't find a home?

And no editor will change your book beyond all recognition.

a) That would stop it being your book.
b) They wouldn't buy a book in the first place if they planned to completely re-write it themselves. That would be too much work.

scarletpeaches · Feb 3, 2012

Question said:
But by that point, the concept of time travel had already (gradually) been introduced as a 'normal' trope :/

Even tropes which are seen as normal had to start somewhere. There's a first time for everything.

You don't need permission to try something different.

Lseeber · Feb 3, 2012

The thing to remember is that editors and agents (or so I've heard) are individuals. What one might see as outrageously fantastic and unbelievable to one might be the next Fahrenheit 451 to another.

I don't think that there is a true solid boundary between what is believable and what is unbelievable. The job of the writer is that of a story teller. If you have a fantastic, unbelievable, totally improbable story to tell it's your job to make it so that people want to believe.

Just a thought.

Laura

Libbie · Feb 3, 2012

I think what you're really asking is whether you can expect to sell commercial fiction (more plot-based, perhaps more "fun") versus literary fiction (more about "the human condition" or more allegedly insightful).

My answer to that is: Commercial fiction is named commercial fiction for a reason. Agents and editors love that. It appeals to a broader audience than the more niche or academic stuff, so it has the potential to make more money.

So as long as your book has the potential to entertain a lot of people, agents and editors will be willing to look at it.

There has been quite a lot of silly and fun fiction that has stood the test of time, has been very profitable, and is on its way to becoming considered classic. Shel Silverstein and Roald Dahl are two examples.

Nissie · Feb 3, 2012

Metamorphosis was all about a guy waking up one day to discover he'd turned into some kind of insect-monster. Some Haruki Murakami stories are all about befriending weird giant creatures in the ground post-earthquake, or about working in an elephant factory where the protagonist attaches their ears on. Spin it well, and readers (and agents) shall come.

Personally, I would be very interested to read about a guy who turns into a balloon every time he sneezes. Sounds fun!

quicklime · Feb 3, 2012

it worked for Kafka and the dude who wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but you also gotta ask yourself if you can write that well, because I think the weirder the shit gets, the higher the bar is set.

Layla Nahar · Feb 3, 2012

quicklime said:
the weirder the shit gets, the higher the bar is set.

that's a good point

virtue_summer · Feb 3, 2012

It's a short story, but see if you can find Joe Hill's short story "Pop Art" (It's in his collection 20th Century Ghosts). The story's about a boy whose best friend is inflatable. It's what I immediately thought of when I read your post. Honestly, if you do it well there's not a lot you can't do. That's my opinion, of course.

kaitie · Feb 3, 2012

I was just about to mention the Joe Hill story, too. That was actually probably my favorite one in the whole book. And it made me cry. And it was about an inflatable boy. A literal, inflatable boy.

That takes some talent.

Libbie · Feb 3, 2012

quicklime said:
it worked for Kafka and the dude who wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but you also gotta ask yourself if you can write that well, because I think the weirder the shit gets, the higher the bar is set.

I would argue that the dude who wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull actually wasn't that awesome of a writer.

Kafka and Murakami are pretty rad, though.

Night_Writer · Feb 3, 2012

Question said:
... how far can you stretch plausibility without being rejected because of it? I know part of the issue is marketability (most people don't want to read a book they can't take seriously) but where do you draw the line? Basically, how 'silly' can a story -- or pivotal elements of a story -- be without getting the story dismissed outright?

I'm sorry if this is a bit of a weird question, I'm just trying to figure out where the boundaries are so I'll know how silly (read: imaginative) I can make my plots. I keep having to restrain my brain. My urge to write whatever the hell I want in whatever way I want is warring with my common sense/the part of me that takes the way the world works into consideration.

I hope the part of you that wins the battle is the part that wants to write whatever the hell.

I'm just an amateur, but I really believe that "boundaries" don't exist. Creative writing is an art form. Which means you can do whatever you want as long as you do it well. I see no sensible reason a person should try to restrain their creativity.

In fact, there's a new genre of fiction I recently discovered that seems to specialize in being outrageous, called Bizarro fiction.

Here's a website that should help you lose your inhibitions.

http://bizarrocentral.com/

Sirion · Feb 3, 2012

As flexible as Al Gore with a steel rod up his butt.

...I kid. Write your book first, then try to find an agent that will pick it up. Doing the opposite seems illogical to me.

And I've read published books with a far stranger premise than a man that turns into a balloon.

I think that you'll be fine.

jaksen · Feb 4, 2012

Question said:
This question is for future reference

Let's say I decide to write a contemporary fantasy manuscript about a man who turns into a balloon every time he sneezes. It's not a social commentary. It's not an expression of the human condition. There is humour in it, but it's not a comedy. It's about the man trying to avoid getting popped before he manages to find out how to become normal again -- and this is taken seriously (without being overdramatized). The conflict in the story is set up to be engaging and there are a number of interesting subplots (including romance) but still... how far could a premise like this go?

What I'm asking is... how far can you stretch plausibility without being rejected because of it? I know part of the issue is marketability (most people don't want to read a book they can't take seriously) but where do you draw the line? Basically, how 'silly' can a story -- or pivotal elements of a story -- be without getting the story dismissed outright?

I'm sorry if this is a bit of a weird question, I'm just trying to figure out where the boundaries are so I'll know how silly (read: imaginative) I can make my plots. I keep having to restrain my brain. My urge to write whatever the hell I want in whatever way I want is warring with my common sense/the part of me that takes the way the world works into consideration.

PS: The man/ballon thing is not a real plot, just an example. I couldn't think of anything weird enough to illustrate my point xD

Your idea would fall under Quirky/Offbeat and there are agents who represent this category (or rather, the writers of this category.)

No odder than having a man wake up and discover he's a giant bug. Oh, yeah, Franz Kafka did that.

The thing is, write it well and you can write about anything.

Buffysquirrel · Feb 4, 2012

You don't have to make it plausible in our world. You have to make it plausible within the world in which the story is set.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 4, 2012

Like any other story, it comes down to how interesting you can make it sound in a query, and whether or not the novel itself can hold a reader's interest start to finish.

And how believable you can make it. Or rather, how well you can make a read suspend his disbelief for the duration of the read.

Graz · Feb 4, 2012

"Let's say I decide to write a contemporary fantasy manuscript about a man who turns into a balloon every time he sneezes. It's not a social commentary. It's not an expression of the human condition. There is humour in it, but it's not a comedy. It's about the man trying to avoid getting popped before he manages to find out how to become normal again."

How can he turn into a balloon every time he sneezes if he hasn't yet managed to find out how to become normal again?

Old Hack · Feb 4, 2012

Question said:
But if it's really weird, won't it get rejected or "fixed" until its not even recognizeable as the story you set out to write?

As has already been pointed out, what would be the point of a publisher buying your book and then changing it into something completely different? And even if the publisher does want to change a book, authors don't have to accept or implement the edits their editors suggest; before a contract is accepted it's perfectly reasonable to ask the publisher what their editorial vision is for your book (and if it doesn't match yours, you don't have to sign up).

Just write the book you believe in.

shaldna · Feb 4, 2012

Question said:
What I'm asking is... how far can you stretch plausibility without being rejected because of it?

My advice is to read Flatland http://www.amazon.com/Flatland-Romance-Dimensions-Thrift-Editions/dp/048627263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328385780&sr=8-1

No matter how odd the idea, if the book is good then people will read it.

bearilou · Feb 4, 2012

Graz said:
"Let's say I decide to write a contemporary fantasy manuscript about a man who turns into a balloon every time he sneezes. It's not a social commentary. It's not an expression of the human condition. There is humour in it, but it's not a comedy. It's about the man trying to avoid getting popped before he manages to find out how to become normal again."

How can he turn into a balloon every time he sneezes if he hasn't yet managed to find out how to become normal again?

Maybe it's not a conscious control he makes. He sneezes, becomes a balloon and then is stuck in balloon form until it wears off on its own and he's human again.

Sage · Feb 4, 2012

If you want to write a book about a guy who turns into a balloon every time he sneezes, it doesn't really matter whether or not an agent or publisher will want something with that plot. Your options are to write it because you want to and then take the risk that they don't want it, or to write something totally different that you feel is safe.

But safe doesn't mean that you can get published with it. And sometimes something that seems new and different can get more attention than just the next version of that same old thing.

The point is that if you think it's a risk to try to get a publisher interested in that plot, you are probably right, but so what? It's not like you're going to go, "Oh, I know! Instead of a balloon, he turns into a wolf, and another werewolf book is totally what I wanted to write."

Either you write what you want to write, or you write what you think will sell. But there's no guarantee on either, so you might as well write what's fun for you.

elindsen · Feb 4, 2012

I think the idea of if it's written well it will sell is right. Who would have thought glittery vampires would make billions?

How flexible are agents and publishers when it comes to plots/premises?

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