The Word Cloud

I am in dialogue with women in a foreign country who suffer repression and abuse as a 'normal' part of their daily lives. One woman in particular is the 'lead' among them, and will speak for them 'about' their lives - to protect their anonymity [these women are afraid even to have written their accounts let alone voice recorded]. The lead is educated and capable - and I will assist her in preparing a manuscript.

I visit this country and others - I'm almost done with a 2nd degree in social science and politics - so can handle the subject.

Would anyone here be able to give me some direction on finding a feminist agent who would be interested in this kind of work? I am completely new to the writing world, despite having wanted to get into writing for some time. I'm hoping this would give me more luck than the usual fiction route?

Will I absolutely need a manuscript before approaching an agent with this topic - I am not keen on wasting a lot of time and travel money if there is no chance of being published!

Help???

Does the non-fiction agent have to be a feminist? Or could they simply be a decent non-fiction agent who has an eye for what sells and lots of good publishing contacts? I'd suggest that you get hold of a copy of the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook for a list of non-fiction agents who handle the sort of book you want to write. And if you are new to publishing, Getting Published by Harry Bingham (who runs this site and its parent company, the Writers' Workshop) might be invaluable.

Unlike fiction, where you usually do need a manuscript before approaching an agent, in non-fiction you need a proposal for the book and some sample chapters, so agents can see what the book will contain and can gauge your writing style. A good non-fiction proposal (also called a synopsis, although it differs from a fiction synopsis) should give a short, overall description of the book (without including any hyperbole or making it read like a blurb), followed by a chapter-by-chapter breakdown, followed by relevant information about the author. Some agents/publishers also like to be told about other books that have already been published on the subject and which are therefore the competition. (For instance, if you want to write about a particular topic but 24 books have been published about it in the past six months, you may have missed the boat. Or the last successful book on a topic may have been published a few years ago, so the time might be ripe for a new look at it. On the other hand, if no one else has written a book on your particular subject, the agent/publisher will want to consider the reasons for that. Is it because no one else has come up with such a fabulous brainwave or is it because the idea is a non-starter?)

Some questions I always keep at the forefront of my mind when planning a new non-fiction book are 'Who will read this? Why would they want to read it? What does it offer them that other books don't?' In your case, some of these answers will depend on which country the women come from. Is it one that's in the news at the moment for some reason? (Topicality is always good, unless - as I said earlier - the subject has already been overdone.) What is the reason for the repression that the women experience? How will you present their stories? A long list of their complaints and hideous experiences could make grim reading. Is there any hope for them? What are they doing about their situation? Why are they talking to you? What do they hope will come from it?

I hope this is of some help. Good luck!

You are right that the agent would not necessarily have to be feminist - I was probably wrong to assume that because of the subject area such an agent would be the best and only one to approach.

I have never published before, though after some procrastination [I'm blaming my OU studies of course, and 1000 other little things], musing and meditation, I am now venturing into woods with many forked paths. Whom to approach will be frustrating learning no doubt.

One sticking point I suffer - I could write this book in a number of writing styles, and am happiest to write in a format that suits the publisher and the market. I won't be keen on a grim list of anecdotes, but would incorporate some feminist debate, at a level lay persons could follow, and if best for market - push the notch up for academics to utilise as they wish.

The women in this country are passive, compelled to be passive, are afraid to speak [it is not 'proper' to speak] and getting their stories is not always easy. The reading audience I would hope would be lay women, concerned women, active and armchair feminists, academics, and even decent men. Many books are written about women who have suffered abuse in childhood and in relationships, or at work or by society, and I would hope readers of such books would also pick up this one. Regarding topicality - it is an ongoing issue and has been for some time - there is no Harry Potter market, but many books exist - but few based on my take on the subject - no doubt because travel is expensive and investigation is risky??? Women of the said country and surrounding states would most certainly make purchases [they are just about free enough to do that].

Again - presentation is flexible and negotiable, so how should I present sample chapters in this scenario? Would a publisher reply to my discussions of this issue, without having seen samples? Again - I can write well in several styles, lucky me [honest!].

If this were my dilemma, I'd look at some of the books that have been published within the past few years on the subject/country that I am writing about. I'd look at their formats and writing styles to see which work best for me, not only as a reader but also as someone who knows the country and what happens in it . I would also look at the best-selling books on the subject on Amazon, to see which garner the greatest sales - this could be informative because it might tell me which formats work best in terms of sales figures. Then I would consider what I've got to say in the book and work out how best to express it - for instance, would narrative be best or would interviews work? Perhaps a mixture of both. I would put in some general background information for the reader who doesn't know much about the country concerned. If a particular religion is strong in the country, I'd want to include some basic information about it. And also the politics, plus anything else that has an effect on the story I'm going to tell. I find the best way to work all this out is to write down the chapter headings so I can see how the book flows from start to finish. Very often, I then realize that I need to put in some extra chapters because Chapter 3 doeesn't make sense unless the reader knows about X, and as I haven't yet mentioned X I've got to put it in Chapter 2 or give it a chapter to itself.

As for the writing style itself, sometimes this evolves as we go along. From what you say, it sounds as though a few touches of humour would be welcome every now and then to lighten things up, but you don't want the book to sound jokey or trivial in any way. Nor do you want it to be arid and so full of dry facts that it's a stodgy read that everyone abandons on page 6. So I'd suggest that you start writing some text (if you haven't already done so) and see what feels right to you. You want it to be authoratitive, but also readable and engaging, so the reader will stay with you when you get on to more difficult topics within the book. When I write my own non-fiction books, regardless of their subject matter, I always mentally take the reader by the hand and take them on a journey with me. I talk to them in what I hope is a companionable way, so they feel drawn into the book.

So, overall, I'd suggest that you map out the book and then write a few chapters to see how they flow. Experiment a bit. And be patient - sometimes finding the right tone for a book doesn't happen immediately. It can take time for the right style to emerge, but you'll know it when you find it.