Finding a Literary Agent
A great agent can be your mentor, your guide, and your representative during the publishing process. Much ado surrounds the job of securing one—to the point that it has become a benchmark of success to even find representation. The reason they’re so hard to connect with is because agents sit comfortably on the receiving end of what has to be one of the most uneven supply & demand relationships in any industry.
Agents can receive upwards of 20-30 queries a day, and only take on four or five new clients each year—leaving a lot of people rejected, and usually feeling so for all the wrong reasons. A rejection is not necessarily a grade; it is the agent saying “this doesn’t suit my portfolio,” or more often, “this is not ready.” While they are looking for blockbusters and best sellers, an agent’s rejection is not the mark of a bad book. Jessica from Bookends, LLC draws a parallel between literary agents and investors. You pitch your idea as best you can, and they invest in the projects they believe have the strongest chance of succeeding in the market.
Finding the right agent for your writing can take a considerable about of time.
For some authors, it takes years of writing and revising before the work is strong enough for another person to join the project. For others, the right agent never emerges, and then the decision becomes whether to write book two or to self-publish.
Your agent’s job is to represent your book to publishing houses, performing the job of negotiating contracts, rights, advances, edits, permissions, and keeping you on track once your book is sold. An agent is crucial because publishers do not work directly with authors—it takes a professional to navigate the process on your behalf.
Once a relationship with an agent begins, there is a new person intimately connected to the writing. The agent will have an authoritative editorial voice; an agent will help your book become the best version of itself. She or he will be your source of industry knowledge, expertise, and nuance. Ultimately, an agent is your representative, your advocate, and your champion. Theirs is a job which covers anything and everything related to an entire industry, and requires an innate sense of taste, market, and talent.
If you’re at the querying stage, search for agents via the Association of Author Representatives, who have a sizable database of agents, covering most genres. Many agents have their submission guidelines listed; for those who do not, try Googling their agency for details. Usually, email is the way to go; if you can’t find an agent’s email address, the standard submission process is to print your query letter and mail it to the agency with a self-addressed stamped envelope.
When an agent offers to represent you, spend some time researching them. You can expect opinionatedness from any agent; you, in turn, will need to know how (and when) to stick to your guns, while being flexible enough to appreciate when someone has more insight than you. It will be tempting to partner with the first person who shows interest—but take some time to choose the agent who will be the best possible partner for you and your writing.
