Niloufar Lamakan

Website: www.niloufarlamakan.com

Facebook: @nlamakan

Instagram: @nlamakan

Agent: Kate Nash

Agency: Kate Nash Literary Agency

Website: www.katenashlit.co.uk

Check out our #Agent121 page to book your own appointment.

Used #Agent121 advice to shape her book

Niloufar Lamakan is an author, screenwriter, artist and interior designer living in London.

IAIP: How did you secure your publishing deal?

NL: For a long time, I tried to find an agent, had a few almost-offers, and was starting to feel disheartened and thinking about self-publishing. Then I heard that One More Chapter (an imprint of HarperCollins) take direct submissions, so I submitted and the publisher, the lovely Charlotte Ledger, loved my book and we signed soon after

IAIP: What was the inspiration behind the book that ended up securing you your deal?

NL: I wanted to write a funny age-positive story. You don’t see many women over 40 or 50 in a leading role in romcoms, whether in books or on the screen, so I created my character Sophia to buck that trend. My publisher loved that idea too.

IAIP: Roughly how many rejections did you receive before getting your deal?

NL: There’s no roughly about it! I counted and felt every one of those rejections. I’d be so disappointed each time, but I’m a ‘tomorrow is another day’ kind of person so I persevered. The answer is 41. I read somewhere that Mallory Blackman had 82 rejections, so I reckon I did OK!

IAIP: Once you accepted your deal, what happened next? Did you get advice on the contract, for example? Did the book go through several rounds of editing? Did you need to approve the cover?

NL: I didn’t have an agent, so I was grateful for the help I received from the Society of Authors on the contract. Looking back, I made a lot of rookie mistakes but that’s not surprising. Once we signed, initially my editor asked me to develop certain themes in the novel. After that there was one round of copy editing followed by proofreading. I was
glad to go through those stages as I think they really helped me tease out the potential of the story. Being an interior designer, the cover was really important to me, so we had a few rounds of changes on that. I’m lucky One More Chapter were brilliant about listening to my ideas and they wanted me to love the cover, and I do!

IAIP: Had you taken part in our #Agent121 service before getting this deal?

NL: I sure had! I chatted to Diana Beaumont who gave me really valuable feedback on how to connect with readers. I used this to make the main character more likeable and to make the story more compelling. Booking the #Agent121 was a great investment, and I
recommend it to anyone who wants to get honest feedback on their manuscript from an industry expert.

IAIP: Were you also querying agents at the same time? If so, what type of response were you getting?

NL: Yes, I was querying agents right up until I got my publishing deal. It takes commitment and a lot of time to query because you must do your research and query agents who are likely to be interested in your manuscript, rather than adopt a scattergun approach. Some agents didn’t reply but others sent me nice emails saying it wasn’t right for them. But I can report that I now have superstar agent Kate Nash as my agent.

IAIP: Do you have any tips on making the most of an #Agent121?

NL: Yes, I do! This is an opportunity for an author to listen, so let the agent do the talking to make the most of their expertise and ask permission if you can record the session as you won’t remember everything afterwards. Prepare any questions in advance. You have a limited amount of time so only ask the really important questions.

IAIP: What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to get published?

NL: Hone your writing, take advice from experts and develop a thick skin!

IAIP: What do you wish you’d known about the publishing industry before you began writing?

NL: I knew next to nothing about the publishing industry when I started writing and I’m glad that was the case, or it might have put me off! It’s tough being an author and getting published but we do it for the love of writing and that’s the important thing to remember.