How To Find An Agent For My Book

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In today's market, probably 80 percent of books published by New York houses get sold past literary agents. Agents are experts in the publishing industry and represent the interests of their writer-clients. They have inside contacts with specific publishers and know which editors are most likely to buy a detail work. Perhaps near of import, agents can secure the best possible volume deal for you, negotiate a fair contract, protect your rights, ensure you are paid accurately and fairly, and run interference when necessary between you and the publisher.

The best agents are career-long advisers and managers.

Traditionally, agents get paid but when they sell your work, and they receive a fifteen pct commission on everything you get paid (your advance and royalties). It is all-time to avoid agents who charge fees other than the standard 15 percent.

Do you need a literary agent?

It depends on what y'all're selling. If y'all desire to be published by i of the major New York houses (e.g., Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan), and so you more or less need to take one—and want ane on your side.

If you're writing for a niche market place (east.thousand., vintage automobiles) or wrote an bookish or literary work, and so you lot might not need an agent. Agents are motivated to take on clients based on the size of the accelerate they think they can get. If your project doesn't control a decent advance, and so yous may non be worth an agent'due south fourth dimension, and you'll have to sell the project on your ain.

There are different levels of commercial viability: some books are "big" books, suitable for Big Five traditional publishers (e.one thousand., Penguin Random Firm, HarperCollins), while others are "quiet" books, suitable for mid-size and small presses. The most important thing to remember is that not every book is cut out to be published past a New York house, or fifty-fifty represented by an agent; most writers have a difficult time existence honest with themselves nearly their work's potential. Here are some rules of thumb most what types of books are suitable for a Big Five traditional publisher:

Genre or mainstream fiction, including romance, erotica, mystery/crime, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, young adult, new adult
Nonfiction books that would get shelved in your average Barnes & Noble or contained bookstore—which requires a strong hook or concept and author platform. Ordinarily a New York publisher won't sign a nonfiction volume unless it anticipates selling 10,000 to 20,000 copies minimum.

To ameliorate understand what sells, buy a month-long subscription to PublishersMarketplace.com and study the deals that go announced. It'south a quick education in what commercial publishing looks like.

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

If your work doesn't expect similar a practiced candidate for a New York house, don't despair. In that location are many mid-size houses, independent publishers, small presses, university presses, regional presses, and digital-only publishers who might exist thrilled to have your work. You just need to find them.

How to find literary agents

When writers ask me "Can yous notice me a literary agent?" they don't realize it'due south kind of like request me "Can you lot find me the right spouse?" This is a research procedure and decision that is best conducted by you lot. I call back you'll empathise why by the end of this post.

PublishersMarketplace.com is the best place to enquiry literary agents; non only practice many agents have fellow member pages there, but you tin can search the publishing deals database by genre, category, and/or keyword to pinpoint the best agents for your work. Another 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, try Copy Write Consultants.

What y'all should submit to a literary amanuensis

If you write fiction, the agent will want to see the total manuscript (assuming you're an unpublished or unproven fiction writer). If you write nonfiction, the marketability of your thought and your platform often matter every bit much equally the writing, if not more so. You take to prepare a volume proposal that's essentially a business concern plan arguing why your book will sell in the current market.

You should finish (and polish) your manuscript or book proposal before submitting. I meet many writers who are very excited about having a story idea, but unless you lot're in a state of affairs where the timing is admittedly critical, end the work beginning—and be confident that y'all're submitting your best piece of work. One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is rushing to get published when there's no reason to blitz.Do not expect the agent to assist you to the terminate line on your manuscript. While some agents may be open to such editorial work, you'll get a much better response if yous submit a manuscript or proposal that you lot can encounter no farther way to improve.

Okay, let'south assume y'all're ready. Every agent has unique requirements for submitting your materials. The nearly common materials you lot'll be asked for:

Query letter. This is a one-page pitch letter that gives a brief description of your work. Hither'south how to write a query for a novel. Here'southward another mail on writing a query for a nonfiction book.
Novel synopsis. This is a brief summary (usually no more one or two pages) of your story, from commencement to end. It must reveal the catastrophe. Here'south how to write i.
Nonfiction book proposal. These are complex documents, unremarkably 20 to thirty pages in length (minimum). For more explanation, see my comprehensive mail service.
Novel proposal. This unremarkably refers to your query letter of the alphabet, a synopsis, and perhaps the offset chapter. There is not an industry-standard definition of what a novel proposal is.
Sample chapters. When sending sample chapters from your novel or memoir, start from the first of the manuscript. (Don't select a center chapter, fifty-fifty if you lot think information technology'southward your all-time.) For nonfiction, usually whatsoever chapter is adequate.

Important: Almost no agent accepts full manuscripts on start contact. This is what "no unsolicited materials" means when you read submission guidelines. However, virtually all agents will accept a one-page query letter unless their guidelines state otherwise. (If they practice not have queries, that means they are a completely airtight marketplace.)

After you ship out queries, you lot'll become a mix of responses, including:

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

If you lot receivenorequests for the manuscript or book proposal, then there might be something incorrect with your query. If yous succeed in getting your material requested, only then get rejected, there may exist a weakness in the manuscript or proposal.

How to choose the best literary amanuensis for you

1. What'south her sales rails record? This is usually the number-one sign of whether you have a good agent. Evaluate her client list and the publishers she has recently sold to. Are the publishers she sells to the types of publishers you consider advisable for your work? Are the advances her clients command in the "adept" range for yous? Keep in mind these factors can be somewhat subjective and are likewise based on your genre/category and your own sense of author identity.

Bottom line, ensure that your agent has experience and success in representing the type of piece of work you're trying to sell. Virtually agents will list current clients on their site, or you tin can observe agent-publisher deals reported at PublishersMarketplace (subscription required).

A note about new agents: Sometimes information technology's easier to get represented past a new amanuensis who is trying to build a roster of clients. If you're a new author with a potentially minor deal who wouldn't involvement an established amanuensis, so a new and "hungry" agent can work out merely as well. Even if an amanuensis's track record is still developing, take a expect at her previous experience 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 bureau with a runway record, and/or has a long work history with the New York houses, these are good signs. Just make sure she hasn't been trying to develop her list for a very long fourth dimension.

2. Does her communication inspire confidence? If an agent treats you professionally, that's a expert sign. Timeless signs of professionalism in agents: they get back to you in a timely mode, they communicate clearly and respectfully, their business operations aren't cloaked in secrecy, they treat you as a business partner.

Unfortunately, the biggest complaint I hear from agented just unpublished writers is they can't get a response from their agent any longer—or at that place's poor advice about the status of the project. A good amanuensis doesn't go out her clients in the night for extended periods and will offer clarity virtually 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 await similar? Expecting to call your amanuensis at any time and have a discussion, expecting daily contact, or expecting almost-instant response. Remember: agents work for free until your book is sold. Their well-nigh immediate responses go to their established clients—the ones bringing in the revenue.

iii. What's her level of enthusiasm? Exercise you go the feeling that the amanuensis genuinely believes in you lot and your piece of 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 feel proud to represent and assist manage.

While it'south not possible to put a quantitative measure on enthusiasm, think of it this style: your agent is going to be treatment your publisher contracts, negotiations, and other fiscal matters (including payment to yous) for the life of your work. Y'all need to trust and respect her. She champions your cause to the publisher throughout the life of the book'due south publication and resolves conflicts. You're entering into a meaningful business organisation partnership, and fit is of import.

What to wait from a good literary agent

A proficient agent will take a chat with you about any rejections he receives from publishers. If your agent has a expert relationship with the editors/publishers he'due south querying, then he'll exist receiving meaningful feedback that he can share with you. You can and then discuss how your book or the proposal could be repositioned to sell. Nonetheless, his time or energy might be exhausted if he believes the project would take far more work and retooling to make a sale that'due south non worth his fourth dimension. Or, he might believe you lot're not willing to reposition the book.
Don't assume that your amanuensis isn't skillful enough if your volume didn't sell. But agents should have an open and frank give-and-take with you virtually the rejections received. You also take a right to know what publishers were queried, particularly after a long period of time has passed. You may besides ask for the rejection letters, though your agent is under no obligation to provide you with the specific contact information of editors and publishers.
Did the agent help you improve your query, pitch, and/or proposal? A proficient agent will improve the query/proposal package. In that location might be a handful of authors who tin can put together a crackerjack proposal, just they are few. An agent should exist ensuring the pitch or proposal is primed for success, and this almost always requires at least i round of feedback and revision.
Your agent MUST know his manner effectually a book contract. A good agent understands where to ask for more money or rights, and knows if a customer is getting the best deal possible. (If an amanuensis passes you a publisher'southward boilerplate contract to sign with no changes, you may be in big problem.) Many authors like to accept an agent who is an "attack domestic dog," but primarily an agent needs to sympathize how to protect your rights (by irresolute or inserting the correct contract language) and prevent you from signing an unfair or substandard agreement. Agents know the manufacture norms, when those norms are changing, and when to push button for more. Notwithstanding, they as well empathise that not everything is near money—sometimes it's better to partner with a publisher offering a smaller advance. A great amanuensis advises you on the pros and cons of the deals you lot're offered.
A cracking amanuensis is an author's business manager, mentor, and cheerleader. Agents are also there to agree your hand when things become incorrect with the editor or publisher. They prop you lot up when y'all're downwards, they celebrate your successes publicly, they look for opportunities you might not see, and they attend to your fiscal best interests as well equally your big-picture career growth.
People in the industry should recognize the proper name of your agent. If you can't find any online mention or reference to your agent, and he's not a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR), that'due south a red flag. Check his track record advisedly. See who he's sold to and how recently. One thing y'all needn't worry near likewise much is the size of the bureau; this doesn't necessarily correlate with the quality of the agent or the size of the bargain you can expect.

Are all agents created equally?

Yes and no. As industry consultant Mike Shatzkin points out, there are potentially hundreds of agents capable of selling any particular book. What tends to exist almost important is chemical science between agent and author, and the agent being invested in the author and her work. Shatzkin says,

The same agent is non equally good for every volume they might represent. Enthusiasm matters. Happening to take strong connections with 3 editors who would merely dearest this detail book matters. Having belief that [you] tin can exist groomed into a prolific writer over time would matter. In other words, the agent who fabricated the most deals for the most dollars last year might non make a meliorate bargain for [you] and this volume than somebody who had done half also.

For more excellent information on how to tell a good agent from a non-so-expert amanuensis, check out Writer Beware on Literary Agents (or, become direct to the section on Amateur Agents).

For more guidance

If you'd like an in-depth guide on building an author career, consider my book,The Business concern of Being a Author.
I offer a query letter master class if you plan to query agents in the near future.
If you want someone to enquiry agents for you, check out Re-create 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 Year past Digital Volume World in 2019.

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

Jane speaks regularly at conferences and manufacture 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 Creative Work Fund. Find out more than.