Hello friends. Thank you so much for joining me for another Creator’s Roulette. This will be anotehr helpful posts for you and your writers friends. Finding a literary agent is very important in the book industry, especially if you want to go the traditional publishing route. On the blog today, I have Savannah Cordova, a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories. Let’s learn from her on how you can go about finding the right literary agent for you.
Finding the Perfect Literary Agent for You
By Savannah Cordova
If you’re a writer hoping to “make it big” in traditional publishing, you’ll need to learn exactly what goes into finding a literary agent. For trad pub authors, literary agents are trusted partners — they’ll represent you professionally and fight in your corner throughout the publishing process, dealing expertly with publishing houses to secure you that much-coveted book deal.
Needless to say, it’s crucial that you choose just the right one for the journey ahead! If you’ve not gone on the literary agent hunt before, here are the four essential steps you must follow.
1. Find an agent in your niche
An agent who has experience with books in your genre is worth their weight in gold — they’ll know all the ins and outs of your niche, along with specific insights into what has and hasn’t worked for other authors they’ve represented. They’ll be able to target suitable publisher(s), pitch your book effectively, and negotiate the deal you want. They can even help you find a fresh angle, or rework parts of your book if needed, for the best possible chance at success.
It’s worth bearing in mind that not all genres require agented submissions. Fiction, children’s books, and memoirs (as well as some non-fiction subgenres) will benefit from representation; poetry, cookbooks, and educational and academic literature likely won’t need any. So before you dive into researching agents, make sure your book actually requires one.
Once you’ve confirmed your need for representation and thought a bit more about your publishing goals (whether you’d rather go through a large publisher or a small one; whether you’re willing to revise your book; etc.), you can start your search for agents. Begin with a carefully vetted literary agents directory — this one from Reedsy allows you to filter by genre, location, and keyword. You can also try agent databases like AgentQuery and QueryTracker, and cross-check among different sources to verify the legitimacy of various agents.
2. Thoroughly research your preferred agents
After browsing through dozens of agents, you’ll hopefully narrow it down to one or two professionals who represent books similar to yours. But before you declare with joy that any agent is “The One”, you’ll want to ask yourself a few important questions. Beyond making sure that each agent is definitely open to queries at that time, consider the following:
- What’s their client list and track record?
- Do they seem to have room on their plate for me?
- Would I personally work well with them?
- Could they potentially be a scam artist?
Again, to ensure your literary agent is legitimate, you’ll want to search for information outside their agency website. This means not just online, but also in the real world; if you can track down the books each agent claims to represent and find their name in the acknowledgements section, that’s a good sign.
You should also look up the author websites of whomever the agent claims to represent — see if they’ve said anything, good or bad, about their agent. Even agents who are technically legit may not be the best to work with, and this is a good way to avoid going into business with someone who’s inexperienced, lazy, or otherwise suboptimal for your project.
Finally, double-check that any agencies you’re considering are not on the Writer Beware Thumbs Down Agencies List. This resource, compiled by a volunteer-run organization that protects authors from shady agents, has been many authors’ last line of defense against getting scammed!
Then, so long as every agent on your shortlist seems entirely authentic and they’re in no way connected to any of the Thumbs Down Agencies, you should be good to go. Which means it’s time to move onto the fun part — actually querying.
3. Personalize your query letter(s)
Standing out from the crowd is a huge part of securing an agent. This is because most agents’ slush piles are pretty high, and agents usually have limited time to peruse the query letters in their inboxes. The good news for you is that many of these letters will be bare-minimum, cut-and-paste templates — so if you put real thought into what you’re saying and how you’re presenting your book, you’ll be miles ahead of the competition!
Firstly, make sure to always read the agent’s submissions guidelines, and don’t digress from them in any way. This might sound obvious, but agents will think less of you if you haven’t paid basic attention to detail, or demonstrated the mutual respect that’s needed for a partnership like this. Indeed, if you greet an agent with the wrong name or fail to use the suggested subject line, the remaining contents of your letter will hardly matter; you’re almost guaranteed to be rejected.
Secondly, try to tailor each query letter to the specific agent you’re contacting, similar to when you write cover letters for some job applications. A quick read through their website and a look at their backlist will help massively. Then all you have to do is illustrate how your book is a great fit for them, and why you’re the ideal person to write this particular book — talk about your qualifications and interest in the subject, any marketing ideas you might have, and so on.
What you want to avoid is looking like you’ve fired off the same query letter to dozens of agents. Yes, this can be difficult if you decide to query more than one or two agents, but trust me: the career triumph of landing an agent will be worth the effort of personalization.
4. Follow up if you don’t hear back
As with any application process, your query letters are likely to be met with a lot of non-responses. If you’ve given your all to your queries but still heard nothing back, worry not — you can chase up agents and ask if they received your letters. It won’t be considered impolite; after all, agents are only human, and they have crowded inboxes just like the rest of us.
Many agents will suggest how long to wait before following up with them (usually around four to six weeks, sometimes more). If they haven’t replied, be patient until the six-week mark before you politely reach out with a follow-up. If you still don’t hear anything, wait another week or two for an additional follow-up — after which time you may want to move onto the next agent on your shortlist, or go back to the drawing board with your research.
And remember, rejection is really nothing to fear. As long as you continue to be scrupulous with your research, query decent agents, and put some time into your letters, you’re bound to find your perfect match sooner or later. All that’s left to say is: best of luck!
Review:
☑️ Find an agent in your niche
☑️ Thoroughly research your preferred agents
☑️ Personalize your query letter(s)
☑️ Follow up if you don’t hear back
Have you started looking for a literary agent yet? What has your experience with with literary agents?
Tell us in the comments.
Thank you once again everyone for joining us! I hope you got some good tips on finding a literary agent. Connect with Savannah on Reedsy via Twitter and Instagram.
Banner Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
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