In Depth
The Miller's tale
23.05.08 Joel Rickett
“Everyone thought I was mad to sell a book about a cross-dressing lesbian who falls in love with a leather doll.” Thus David Miller recalls his first ever deal as a literary agent, back in 1995. The book was Kate Summerscale’s The Queen of Whale Cay, which went on to become a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller, pick up a Somerset Maugham Award and be shortlisted for the Whitbreads.
So it’s fitting that as Summerscale’s new book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher rides high in the non-fiction bestseller lists, Miller has picked up a Nibbie as Literary Agent of the Year. At last week’s ceremony, he was in ebullient form, holding court at his table with his trademark withering comments and mischievous asides.
It’s 18 years since Miller left his graduate job as a corporate headhunter to become receptionist at Rogers, Coleridge & White—cutting his salary from £23,000 to £6,800. “I’d always been a reader,” he recalls. “But I had no idea what an agent did. I thought I might as well begin at the bottom and work my way to the top. It looks like I have.”
Answering the phones in an age before direct lines and emails was a rapid education. “I knew what everyone was doing at any time—from subrights to film deals—and I talked to everyone in publishing.” Deborah Rogers soon asked him to be her assistant, and he learned at her side.
The book that made Miller’s name was Magnus Mills’ Booker-shortlisted The Restraint of Beasts, picked off the slush pile in 1997 for its “sheer deadpan weirdness”. The author wanted to leave his job as a bus driver, but—spying a publicity angle—Miller convinced him to keep driving. The Sunday Times called up and asked if the book deal was for “five or six figures”; Miller ambiguously said “yes”; and the headline became: “Bus driver sells book for up to £1m.” Miller then got on the phone to rival the Daily Telegraph and offered them the real story that the advance was £10,000.
As well as this nose for news, the subsequent story of Mills’ career offers insights into Miller’s approach. Rather than selling the follow-up books for over-inflated sums, he negotiated manageable, incremental increases to Mills’ advances on backlist titles, giving the writer a steady flow of income and helping to keep all his novels in print.
“I’ve never done a deal for over £100,000,” Miller says. “But I’ve had a lot of books that have earned over £250,000 [in royalties]. I don’t like over-selling. I never come up with shoutlines like ‘Winnie-the-Pooh meets “Taxi Driver” ’—it’s too easy to reduce books. And I never play one publisher’s offer against another.”
This approach is partly informed by being married to writer Kate Colquhoun (“I’ve learned that agents have to manage their author’s expectations,” Miller says), and it has attracted a glittering array of writers—including Nicola Barker, John Burnside, Victoria Hislop, Ferdinand Mount and Louise Welsh. He claims he has never “consciously tried” to grow this list, instead naturally acquiring clients through contacts, the slush pile and links with papers (particularly the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph).
At Cambridge, Miller read theology. While he has a “marvellous lack of [religious] belief”, he’s fascinated by people who have faith—and he wants publishers to show missionary zeal. “What some publishers don’t do—and I’d exclude Bloomsbury and Headline from this—is expect more.”
He recalls an email from a publisher reporting: “We’ve got 800 copies of the hardback out there, which is what we’d expect.” He was incensed: “Well don’t expect that—go out and sell more. Publishers have become reliant on promotional slots and literary awards, but they should be leading the market.” The Suspicions of Mr Whicher proves that while “people get into a funk about celebrities, good books can sell”.
Warming to his theme, he criticises the anonymity of today’s industry. “Some young editors are too good at hiding their light under a bushel. They need to get out there more. You instantly know who I’m talking about when I say Jamie [Byng], Patrick [Janson-Smith] or Simon [Prosser]. But there aren’t enough of them—too many have become agents.”
Miller revels in this chiding of publishers, and will even turn fire on fellow agents, recently accusing them of being lazy when it comes to new media rights. “I’m the podcast king,” he declares. “We have to push publishers to do more online.”
The essential qualities an agent needs? “A sense of humour, curiosity and responsibility.” Then he adds “tenacity”, proudly reporting that he’s about to make his 61st attempt to sell a novel by Australian author Mardi McConnochie. “It sold well in the US—someone could pick it up here for £2,000 and do very well . . .”
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