One Year On: Liza DeBlock
A year into her role as Foreign Rights Executive, we asked our resident rights wizard Liza DeBlock to reflect on her first year of building a list, the ways in which her taste has changed, and what she looks for in a potential client.
A year into the role, how would you describe your taste and what you’re looking for?
If you looked at the novels I have signed and the swath of authors on my list, you will see everything from crime and thriller, to time-travel, coming-of-age, literary fiction, and gothic horror. So, you could say my taste is quite varied! The one thing all my writers have in common is their ability to situate me in a character’s mind. Their writing evokes emotions in such a way that you cannot help but connect with characters and the story. In this vein, I am looking for books that make me feel greatly and deeply, and help me understand what it means to be a human.
Has your taste changed from when you started, and what direction do you feel pulled in moving forward?
I was open to so many genres when I started out and this past year has taught me which ones I am truly drawn towards. I love more upmarket and literary fiction that start conversations and make us interrogate what we believe. Recently, I have found that I gravitate towards fantasy that is commercial or urban, and definitely something grounded in reality. I am always on the hunt for good writing regardless of the genre.
What draws you into a submission? How does an author grab your attention?
I continually say that I need to be left with a book-hangover! By this, I mean that I want to have that book on my mind for days afterwards and feel bereft at the thought of reading anything else because that book was so good. A book-hangover is normally triggered by three things: great characterisation, empathy, and pacing. With characters, I want to live in their heads and feel as though I know their thoughts and actions. Empathy comes into play because I need to relate to a situation – even if it is one I never want to find myself in! I love when authors are able write difficult situations completely alien to a reader’s perspective yet still enable that reader to find a common thread to connect to what is going on. Lastly, I need pacing! Pull me in immediately to a story, get me invested, strap me into a rollercoaster of a journey and I will gladly go along for the ride.
If you’ve requested a full manuscript, what makes you want to offer representation? What would make you reject it?
When I call in a full manuscript it is because I want to see where it goes. I offer representation when the story caries me through and I can see how I would work on it. Manuscripts are a puzzle to me, and I like to move around pieces to see what will happen until everything clicks in place. If I cannot see a way to the whole picture, or find that passage out of the maze, I would reject it because I am not the best person for that book, and authors only deserve the best. I also tend to reject manuscripts where the sample material is polished but the rest of the novel still needs significant work. I want to see a manuscript where an author has done as much as they can to it before submission. This way, I can offer guidance to bring it to the next level and help develop their writing.
How does it feel when you realise that you want to offer representation to someone, and what do you look for in a potential client?
When I decide to offer representation to someone it feels like I am asking someone to the prom, or on a date! To me, offering representation is the beginning of a working relationship with that person I want to last a very long time. I only offer to work with someone if I wholeheartedly believe in their writing, their potential, and them as an author. I am looking for authors who are hardworking, brimming with ideas, and someone who is professional and kind. This is a working relationship that cuts both ways – I will give my all to your representation and in return I expect you to want to do the hard (yet really fun) work that is involved in writing a book.
What was your favourite career moment from the past year? (that you can talk about!)
I have had a lot of fantastic career moments over the past year – many which I can and cannot talk about yet! I felt very proud selling my first ever book by Natalie Chandler called BELIEVE ME NOT, and I was also ecstatic when I sold THE MOON REPRESENTS MY HEART by Pim Wangtechawat. These are definitely my highlights and I cannot wait to hold the physical books in my hands soon!
Here is a list of random things I want books about. These subjects stick in my mind, but I am ALWAYS open to whatever creative ideas you may have and whatever genre you use!
An epic love story
Vampires and witches
Something Romanov related or otherwise Russian inspired
An ancient setting
A retelling
Something Arthurian