Linda Little Interview Follow-Up

Stephen Parrish sent in some great questions that I have passed along to our author interviewees. Here are Linda Little's responses. When I have all the answers in, I'll pull them together into one post for easier reference.


Have the authors had any experience with grant applications? If so, what goes into writing a good one and where can one learn how to writing a winning proposal?

You can get feedback on your NS grant application from the arts office. Wait at least two weeks from the day you receive notification then phone. They can tell you the strengths or weaknesses as reported by the jury.

First and foremost I think it is imperative to remember that where the arts are concerned we live in a world of scarce resources. Your chance of getting a creation grant is (last time I looked so this may not be accurate now) about 15-20%. Meaning, statistically speaking, you could expect to be successful one time out of five or six. These are not fantastic odds. DO NOT SET YOURSELF UP TO BE DEPENDENT UPON GETTING A GRANT.

Arts grants are for working artists. Does your application leave the jury with the confidence that you are a working writer? Do you have a writer's resume that shows you have been at this a while? A few publications are useful -- something to show someone chose your work out of a stack of others. Does the quality of your work indicate that you have been working on this seriously? Do you have a clear idea of what you intend to write?

When I write up my "project description" I imagine the book finished. I answer the question, "What is this book about?" Not - there's this cowboy and he settles in Nova Scotia and he has this deed and... But - this is a book about solitude. This is a book about the space between an individual and those around him. First paint the big picture then hone in. Cass sees in his half-sister an ability to paint disparate fragments into a unified whole, into a story.

For NS grants, the jury reads binders full of applications. The most experienced applicants are often the ones who have the best idea of what they are trying to do and how to go about doing it. This invariably comes through in the application.

Keep at it. The successful writers are the ones that don't quit even when any reasonable person would. The more you write the better you get, the more you understand the craft the stronger your application. Finally, nothing works like a little luck. Remember when you don't get a grant bad luck plays a role. Remember when you do get one that good luck has played a role. Don't quit your day job.

Good luck!

What is her relationship with her agent? Personal, business, distant, close? What should it be? What if it's not what she thinks it should be?

Relationships with agents are as varied as the people who are in them. What would you like your relationship to be?

Some people rely very heavily on their agents for friendship and support. Some people have a relationship that is all business. Some people have very specific expectations of their agent, others expect them to be magicians.

For myself, I like to keep in mind that my agent gets paid when I do. I expect him to get the most possible out of my manuscript in the marketplace. The better he does this, the more he is paid.

Remember an agent does not make or control the marketplace, he works in it. I do not expect him to do work he will not be paid for -- he is not my therapist, my mother, my best friend, my whipping boy. I like my agent, enjoy his company, learn a lot from him. This is great but not essential. I trust my agent. This is crucial. I only know what he tells me. He controls the fate of my work.

I'm fond of small presses, but I'm fond of money, too. What advice would she give to someone whose book is being evaluated as "wonderful but not for us" at the big houses?

Big houses tend to have more resources for editorial assistance, promotion, access to bigger markets and larger audiences, sell more books. If a large house says they're not publishing your manuscript there is no problem because what they publish is up to them and not up to you.

Do you have more than one offer? If so, lucky you! Look at the offers you've got, think about what you want, pick the one that offers most of that.
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Thank you, Linda and Stephen!

Colleen