What Did Zeitgeist Literary Agency say?

What a beautiful three days we had at The Art of Writing in Sydney at Woollahra Library in Double Bay. Seriously, the vibe, the atmosphere was sublime. Twenty writers with such openness, and curiosity. They asked terrific questions, listened intently and were willing to pull their own work apart to understand how it might be stronger. I think we all learnt an enormous amount. I sure did.

We were incredibly fortunate in our guest speakers: Petronella McGovern, Ashley Kalagian-Blunt, developmental editor Laurel Cohn, authors Meg Kenneally, Adam Courtenay and Larry Writer. Each brought something entirely different to the room.

Then, to close our three days, Benython Oldfield, director and co-founder of Zeitgeist Agency gave his heartfelt honest account of publishing right now. I have to say, Benython was amazing. He struck exactly the right balance. Yes, writers are still being discovered. Yes, a compelling voice and a beautiful story makes an agent sit up and pay attention. But is it easy? No.

Benython was encouraging without pretending that publishing is anything other than extremely competitive. A good idea isn’t enough. Manuscripts must be polished; the opening pages must be just as compelling as the middle and last pages. Benython did say that’s where many beginner writers didn’t follow through. The beginning was good but then the story flagged.

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Some of the questions we asked Benython:

‘When a submission arrives, what makes you pay attention? Is it the premise, the voice, the writing on the opening page, or something harder to define?’

Of course, all of these things matter. A strong premise makes me curious, but it the writing must carry everything forward. Voice, and a sense that the writer knows exactly what story they are telling begin on page one.

How polished does a manuscript need to be before it’s sent into you?

Very polished. I might see potential and help shape with suggestions, but writers shouldn’t submit thinking I’ll repair a manuscript.

We talked about what happens after an agent takes on a manuscript, too. Representation is not simply a matter of forwarding a document to a publisher. It involves positioning the book in the market, approaching the right publishers, negotiating contracts and rights, and helping a writer think beyond one manuscript towards a career.

And for me one of the most interesting questions:

‘AI has changed the conversation around originality and authorship. Are agents and publishers now asking writers to disclose its use, and where do you believe the acceptable boundaries lie?’

Publishers put submitted work through AI-detection software. Whether the publisher chooses to ignore the use of AI in the manuscript is their decision. 

That really made the room sit up. I might write more Art of Writing Newsletters about AI detection over the coming weeks. As I see so much of it and it’s not slipping under anybody’s radar. 

A big message from our weekend together was that publication is possible. Story and genre clarity are essential. Persistence and tenacity are incredibly important! And never send your work out (no matter how excited you are) before it is ready. YOU GET ONE CHANCE!

After three days of talking about character, conflict, place, memoir, plot, dialogue, backstory, scene and the publishing world, I came away thinking creative spaces like this are so important. How wonderful it was to see everyone go home with that determined shine in their eyes. Everyone left wanting to make their work better.

Sydney, you were wonderful.

In other news:

Much laughter and anticipation about my dreaded and yet no doubt funny upcoming appearance on Season 3 of Paramount’s Aussie Shores.  As the daughter of Australia’s legendary etiquette queen, June Dally-Watkins, I was invited onto the reality TV show to teach manners to the notoriously wild ‘Shories’ in their Gold Coast house. Apparently, I was brought in to ‘civilise’ them, which felt less like a television appearance and more like a task requiring protective clothing. What could possibly go wrong? Pretty much everything, let me tell you.

I don’t yet know when the new series will air. Part of me is desperate to see whether any of Mum’s lessons survived the experience. The other part is considering leaving the country. Which I will be doing soon, thank you very much. Stay tuned, as they say.

In other less knotty news:

The Art of Writing is so excited about our Florence workshop from 9 to 13 May 2027  The Art of Storytelling. We’ll spend four days on eight masterclasses covering the essentials of storytelling, character and the Major Dramatic Question, Sense of Place, plot and structure, memoir and backstory. We’ll also take our characters walking and writing through Florence, meet a European literary agent for an intimate Q&A. Lots to do and lots to talk about in Florence. 

I’m also delighted that Georgette Jupe, creator of Girl in Florence, and Vivace Media will join us to explore a whole heap of stuff on your personal brand and social media.

In other more Roman news:

The Art of Writing is Sold Out for our November workshop in Rome and I am delirious with excitement about writing in our new location and venue. This is going to be so much FUN!

And finally, a bit of Save the Date news:

Sydney was such a success, and such an absolute blast, that I would love to do it all again next August! I’m looking at 27, 28 and 29 August 2027, once again in Double Bay surrounded by books and fully catered. There will be an entirely new rollcall of workshops, including The Use of AI in Your Book and Finding Your Major Dramatic Question, along with wonderful guest teachers, authors and publishing professionals.

More details soon, but if you missed Sydney this year and would like to join us next August, let me know. There’s nothing on the site yet but I have a feeling places may disappear quickly so write to me so I can pop you on the list: clifford.lisa@hotmail.com