How To Find A Literary Agent For My Book

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In today's market, probably lxxx percentage of books published by New York houses go sold by literary agents. Agents are experts in the publishing industry and represent the interests of their author-clients. They take inside contacts with specific publishers and know which editors are most likely to buy a particular piece of work. Perchance almost of import, agents can secure the best possible book deal for yous, negotiate a off-white contract, protect your rights, ensure you are paid accurately and fairly, and run interference when necessary between you and the publisher.

The all-time agents are career-long directorate and managers.

Traditionally, agents become paid only when they sell your piece of work, and they receive a 15 percentage commission on everything you become paid (your advance and royalties). Information technology is best to avoid agents who charge fees other than the standard fifteen percent.

Practise yous need a literary agent?

Information technology depends on what you lot're selling. If you desire to be published by one of the major New York houses (eastward.k., Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan), and so you more than or less demand to take 1—and want one on your side.

If you're writing for a niche market (e.one thousand., vintage automobiles) or wrote an bookish or literary piece of work, so you lot might non need an amanuensis. Agents are motivated to take on clients based on the size of the accelerate they recall they can get. If your project doesn't command a decent advance, then you may not be worth an agent's time, and you'll take to sell the project on your own.

In that location are different levels of commercial viability: some books are "large" books, suitable for Big 5 traditional publishers (e.g., Penguin Random Business firm, HarperCollins), while others are "tranquility" books, suitable for mid-size and small-scale presses. The most important thing to remember is that not every volume is cut out to be published past a New York firm, or even represented by an agent; nearly writers have a hard fourth dimension beingness honest with themselves about their piece of work's potential. Here are some rules of pollex about what types of books are suitable for a Large 5 traditional publisher:

Genre or mainstream fiction, including romance, erotica, mystery/crime, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, immature adult, new developed
Nonfiction books that would get shelved in your average Barnes & Noble or independent bookstore—which requires a potent hook or concept and author platform. Unremarkably a New York publisher won't sign a nonfiction volume unless it anticipates selling x,000 to xx,000 copies minimum.

To ameliorate sympathise what sells, buy a month-long subscription to PublishersMarketplace.com and written report the deals that get appear. It's a quick education in what commercial publishing looks like.

Also, you tin check the Twitter hashtag #MSWL, where agents/editors specifically spell out what they're looking for. (Hither'south the official site for Manuscript Wish List. There is too an unofficial aggregator of #MSWL tweets.)

If your work doesn't look like a good candidate for a New York house, don't despair. There are many mid-size houses, independent publishers, small-scale presses, university presses, regional presses, and digital-only publishers who might be thrilled to have your piece of work. You just demand to discover them.

How to find literary agents

When writers enquire me "Can you find me a literary agent?" they don't realize information technology's kind of like asking me "Can you find me the right spouse?" This is a research process and decision that is all-time conducted by you lot. I think you lot'll understand why by the cease of this postal service.

PublishersMarketplace.com is the all-time identify to enquiry literary agents; not only do many agents take member pages there, but you can search the publishing deals database past genre, category, and/or keyword to pinpoint the all-time agents for your work. Some other resources to consider include QueryTracker (free and paid versions) and Duotrope.

If youreally prefer to hire someone to detect appropriate agents for you to submit to, endeavor Copy Write Consultants.

What you should submit to a literary agent

If yous write fiction, the agent will want to run into the full manuscript (bold you lot're an unpublished or unproven fiction writer). If you lot write nonfiction, the marketability of your thought and your platform oft matter equally much as the writing, if non more so. Y'all have to prepare a book proposal that's substantially a business organization plan arguing why your book volition sell in the current marketplace.

Y'all should finish (and polish) your manuscript or volume proposal before submitting. I meet many writers who are very excited virtually having a story thought, only unless you're in a situation where the timing is absolutely critical, stop the piece of work showtime—and exist confident that you're submitting your all-time work. One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is rushing to get published when there's no reason to rush.Do not look the agent to help you to the finish line on your manuscript. While some agents may be open up to such editorial piece of work, you lot'll become a much better response if you lot submit a manuscript or proposal that you can run across no further way to better.

Okay, let'southward assume you're ready. Every amanuensis has unique requirements for submitting your materials. The most mutual materials yous'll exist asked for:

Query letter. This is a i-folio pitch letter that gives a cursory clarification of your piece of work. Here'due south how to write a query for a novel. Hither's another mail service on writing a query for a nonfiction book.
Novel synopsis. This is a brief summary (usually no more than one or ii pages) of your story, from beginning to terminate. It must reveal the ending. Here's how to write i.
Nonfiction book proposal. These are circuitous documents, usually twenty to thirty pages in length (minimum). For more explanation, see my comprehensive post.
Novel proposal. This normally refers to your query letter, a synopsis, and perhaps the offset affiliate. There is not an industry-standard definition of what a novel proposal is.
Sample chapters. When sending sample chapters from your novel or memoir, commencement from the showtime of the manuscript. (Don't select a middle chapter, even if you think information technology'southward your best.) For nonfiction, commonly whatever chapter is acceptable.

Important: About no agent accepts full manuscripts on offset contact. This is what "no unsolicited materials" means when you read submission guidelines. However, well-nigh all agents volition accept a 1-page query letter unless their guidelines state otherwise. (If they do not accept queries, that means they are a completely closed market.)

Afterward you send out queries, you'll get a mix of responses, including:

No response at all, which means it's a rejection. Don't sweat it—this is normal. Move on.
A request for a fractional manuscript and peradventure a synopsis.
A request for the full manuscript.

If y'all receivenorequests for the manuscript or volume proposal, then there might exist something wrong with your query. If you lot succeed in getting your fabric requested, but then get rejected, there may be a weakness in the manuscript or proposal.

How to choose the all-time literary agent for you lot

1. What's her sales track record? This is usually the number-one sign of whether you take a skillful agent. Evaluate her client list and the publishers she has recently sold to. Are the publishers she sells to the types of publishers yous consider appropriate for your work? Are the advances her clients command in the "good" range for you? Go along in heed these factors can be somewhat subjective and are also based on your genre/category and your ain sense of author identity.

Bottom line, ensure that your amanuensis has experience and success in representing the type of work you're trying to sell. Well-nigh agents will list current clients on their site, or y'all can find amanuensis-publisher deals reported at PublishersMarketplace (subscription required).

A note almost new agents: Sometimes it's easier to get represented by a new amanuensis who is trying to build a roster of clients. If you're a new writer with a potentially small deal who wouldn't interest an established amanuensis, and then a new and "hungry" amanuensis tin can work out merely too. Fifty-fifty if an agent'southward rails record is yet developing, have a look at her previous feel in publishing. For example, was she formerly an editor? Or consider the experience and reputation of the agency she is associated with. If she's working at a solid agency with a track tape, and/or has a long work history with the New York houses, these are good signs. Just make certain she hasn't been trying to develop her listing for a very long time.

2. Does her advice inspire conviction? If an agent treats you professionally, that's a good sign. Timeless signs of professionalism in agents: they become back to yous in a timely way, they communicate clearly and respectfully, their business organisation operations aren't cloaked in secrecy, they treat yous every bit a business organisation partner.

Unfortunately, the biggest complaint I hear from agented only unpublished writers is they can't get a response from their agent whatsoever longer—or at that place's poor communication about the status of the project. A good amanuensis doesn't leave her clients in the night for extended periods and volition offering clarity nigh each stage of the process—no loose ends, no vague reports.

That said: I have observed some unpublished writers who seem to be very demanding and take expectations outside the norm. What does enervating wait like? Expecting to call your agent at any fourth dimension and accept a give-and-take, expecting daily contact, or expecting near-instant response. Recall: agents work for free until your book is sold. Their nigh immediate responses go to their established clients—the ones bringing in the acquirement.

iii. What's her level of enthusiasm? Practice y'all become the feeling that the amanuensis genuinely believes in you and your work? While agents are certainly interested in a sale, they're also interested in projects that excite them and clients whose long-term careers they experience proud to stand for and help manage.

While it'due south not possible to put a quantitative measure on enthusiasm, think of it this mode: your amanuensis is going to be handling your publisher contracts, negotiations, and other financial matters (including payment to you) for the life of your piece of work. You need to trust and respect her. She champions your cause to the publisher throughout the life of the book's publication and resolves conflicts. You're entering into a meaningful business partnership, and fit is important.

What to wait from a good literary agent

A good agent will have a conversation with yous almost any rejections he receives from publishers. If your agent has a good relationship with the editors/publishers he's querying, then he'll be receiving meaningful feedback that he can share with you. Yous can then discuss how your volume or the proposal could be repositioned to sell. However, his time or energy might be wearied if he believes the project would accept far more than work and retooling to make a sale that'due south not worth his time. Or, he might believe yous're not willing to reposition the book.
Don't assume that your amanuensis isn't good enough if your book didn't sell. But agents should accept an open and frank discussion with yous about the rejections received. You likewise have a right to know what publishers were queried, especially after a long period of fourth dimension has passed. Y'all may also inquire for the rejection letters, though your agent is under no obligation to provide you lot with the specific contact information of editors and publishers.
Did the agent help you meliorate your query, pitch, and/or proposal? A good amanuensis will improve the query/proposal bundle. In that location might exist a handful of authors who tin can put together a crackerjack proposal, merely they are few. An agent should be ensuring the pitch or proposal is primed for success, and this almost ever requires at to the lowest degree 1 round of feedback and revision.
Your agent MUST know his manner around a volume contract. A good agent understands where to ask for more money or rights, and knows if a client is getting the best deal possible. (If an amanuensis passes you a publisher's boilerplate contract to sign with no changes, you may exist in big problem.) Many authors like to have an agent who is an "attack canis familiaris," but primarily an agent needs to empathize how to protect your rights (by changing or inserting the correct contract language) and prevent y'all from signing an unfair or substandard agreement. Agents know the industry norms, when those norms are changing, and when to push for more. Nevertheless, they too understand that not everything is about money—sometimes it'southward ameliorate to partner with a publisher offer a smaller accelerate. A great agent advises yous on the pros and cons of the deals yous're offered.
A great agent is an author'due south business manager, mentor, and cheerleader. Agents are also there to hold your hand when things become wrong with the editor or publisher. They prop y'all upwardly when yous're down, they celebrate your successes publicly, they look for opportunities y'all might not see, and they attend to your financial all-time interests also as your big-picture career growth.
People in the industry should recognize the proper name of your amanuensis. If you lot can't find any online mention or reference to your amanuensis, and he'south non a fellow member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR), that'south a red flag. Bank check his track tape carefully. Encounter who he's sold to and how recently. One thing you needn't worry about too much is the size of the agency; this doesn't necessarily correlate with the quality of the agent or the size of the bargain you can expect.

Are all agents created every bit?

Aye and no. As industry consultant Mike Shatzkin points out, at that place are potentially hundreds of agents capable of selling whatever particular book. What tends to exist most important is chemistry between amanuensis and writer, and the agent being invested in the author and her piece of work. Shatzkin says,

The same agent is not as skillful for every book they might stand for. Enthusiasm matters. Happening to have potent connections with three editors who would but love this particular volume matters. Having belief that [yous] can be clean-cut into a prolific author over time would matter. In other words, the amanuensis who made the most deals for the most dollars final year might not make a improve deal for [you lot] and this volume than somebody who had washed half equally well.

For more excellent information on how to tell a skillful agent from a not-so-skillful amanuensis, check out Writer Beware on Literary Agents (or, go straight to the section on Amateur Agents).

For more guidance

If you'd similar an in-depth guide on building an writer career, consider my book,The Business of Being a Writer.
I offer a query letter principal form if you plan to query agents in the near hereafter.
If you want someone to research agents for y'all, check out Copy Write Consultants.

Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in digital media strategy for authors and publishers. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Twelvemonth past Digital Book World in 2019.

In addition to beingness a columnist forPublishers Weekly, Jane is a professor with The Cracking Courses, which released her 24-lecture series, How to Publish Your Book. Her book for creative writers, The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), received a starred review from Library Journal.

Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as BookExpo America, Digital Book Globe, and the AWP Conference, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Artistic Work Fund. Find out more than.