How to Find a Literary Agent
First, if you’re writing a novel, you have to finish it before you look for an agent. The only time this is not true is if you’re already a published author or someone famous. Then you might attract the attention of an agent with a mere idea or an outline.
So many new authors get fixated on finding an agent that they spend a way too much time and energy NOT working on their writing. One of the greatest gifts I ever received was when I wrote my first novel. I knew nothing about the business of writing...and I was able to write in a blissful vacuum of ignorance.
Okay, so you have a finished novel. And it’s great. Now what?
You’ll have to make contact with an agent.
Let me pause to remind you to always be professional and polite in demeanor and presentation. Go over all correspondence for typos and grammatical errors. Never appear desperate. Never display psycho or stalker tendencies (even in jest).
Next realize that while editors have come to rely on agents to sort through less desirable submissions for them; agents now have huge “slush piles” of their own to wade through. So waiting weeks or months to hear from any agent is normal.
There are three basic ways to make contact
Meet them. Many conventions and workshops often have agents on panels or in “meet and greet” sessions. I’m lukewarm on this method. Unless you’re good with people you might make the wrong impression. A great pitch of your novel (you have practiced your one-sentence novel pitch, right?) can, however, overcome minor social fumbles. I know several authors who have met their agents this way.
Write them. Get a copy of this years Guide to Literary Agents and make a list of the agents who represent the type of novel you’ve written. Follow their submission guidelines EXACTLY. This is how I found my first agent. It is not ideal way as your submissions are mixed in the with the rest of the “slush,” and you are treated accordingly. It can be a heartbreaking process as you get one form rejection after another. (I actually got one of my SASEs back, empty, save for a red rubber stamped “NO” on the back! Ouch. )
Get a recommendation. Two ways to do this. First, develop a network of contacts—for example, get a job in the entertainment industry (video games, movies, publishing, comics) and soon you’ll get to know people who know people and can introduce you to an agent. Or alternatively, find a mentor who can eventually pass you along to their agent with a glowing recommendation. These are BEST ways in my opinion.
How do you find a mentor? There are many classes and workshops where you can get help with your writing, and meet authors and other publishing professionals. They usually cost a fair chunk of change and time, so do your homework on a particular workshop’s reputation and what kind of fit it will be for your writing. Some of the more famous ones for science fiction and fantasy are: Clarion West, Clarion East, Odyssey.
One last thing: none of this works unless you have something to attract the agent’s attention i.e. a great novel. I urge you to spend 95% of your energies on that.
Good luck!
So many new authors get fixated on finding an agent that they spend a way too much time and energy NOT working on their writing. One of the greatest gifts I ever received was when I wrote my first novel. I knew nothing about the business of writing...and I was able to write in a blissful vacuum of ignorance.
Okay, so you have a finished novel. And it’s great. Now what?
You’ll have to make contact with an agent.
Let me pause to remind you to always be professional and polite in demeanor and presentation. Go over all correspondence for typos and grammatical errors. Never appear desperate. Never display psycho or stalker tendencies (even in jest).
Next realize that while editors have come to rely on agents to sort through less desirable submissions for them; agents now have huge “slush piles” of their own to wade through. So waiting weeks or months to hear from any agent is normal.
There are three basic ways to make contact
Meet them. Many conventions and workshops often have agents on panels or in “meet and greet” sessions. I’m lukewarm on this method. Unless you’re good with people you might make the wrong impression. A great pitch of your novel (you have practiced your one-sentence novel pitch, right?) can, however, overcome minor social fumbles. I know several authors who have met their agents this way.
Write them. Get a copy of this years Guide to Literary Agents and make a list of the agents who represent the type of novel you’ve written. Follow their submission guidelines EXACTLY. This is how I found my first agent. It is not ideal way as your submissions are mixed in the with the rest of the “slush,” and you are treated accordingly. It can be a heartbreaking process as you get one form rejection after another. (I actually got one of my SASEs back, empty, save for a red rubber stamped “NO” on the back! Ouch. )
Get a recommendation. Two ways to do this. First, develop a network of contacts—for example, get a job in the entertainment industry (video games, movies, publishing, comics) and soon you’ll get to know people who know people and can introduce you to an agent. Or alternatively, find a mentor who can eventually pass you along to their agent with a glowing recommendation. These are BEST ways in my opinion.
How do you find a mentor? There are many classes and workshops where you can get help with your writing, and meet authors and other publishing professionals. They usually cost a fair chunk of change and time, so do your homework on a particular workshop’s reputation and what kind of fit it will be for your writing. Some of the more famous ones for science fiction and fantasy are: Clarion West, Clarion East, Odyssey.
One last thing: none of this works unless you have something to attract the agent’s attention i.e. a great novel. I urge you to spend 95% of your energies on that.
Good luck!
posted by Eric Nylund at 9:04 AM
4 Comments:
One thing I've been wondering is does it matter where your agent is in relation to you? Do you ever have to meet with them in person or can everything be done by mail? What's more, does a New York agent have a better chance than say an L.A. agent because New York seems to be the quintessential place for publishing?
You never have to meet you agent; everything can be done by mail and email. It really doesn’t matter where your agent is, as long as they are effective at selling your material. In general that means New York for novels (various EU locations for non U.S. publishers) and the Los Angeles area for screenplays.
There are many great literary agents not in New York, however, with impressive client lists, but they’re the exception rather than the rule. (Also most scam artists can’t afford a Manhattan office, so non New York agents always warrant a little extra investigation on your part). Having said all this—I’d take a spectacular Los Angeles agent over a mediocre NY agent any day of the week. Compare their client lists; it’ll be obvious.
I heard the same thing about finding agents location wise. I have to agree with the email communication as well, although it is always better to speak in person. Which goes back to what you said before about meeting them at conventions.
I personally find that many writers (not you eric, just generally) may write excellently, but cannot hold a decent conversation. It isn't their fault, it's just who they are. They need to think about what they say before they say it. Which is why they write so well. So they should keep their mouth's shut and they're fingers moving.
I know when i was going through editing (another thing based mainly in New York), he said it is not uncommon to wait months, and sometimes years just for a manuscript to be picked up. He used to write and told of one novel he wrote that took 9 months to just hear the reply that the publishing company started reading it. And if you are relying on this to bring in the food, 9 months is forever.
The best thing you can do when looking for an agent is to do your homework and keep writing.
Look at the agent's client list: are there known writers (they don't have to be NYTimes bestsellers, but they should be writers you've seen in print), have they worked with many publishers (meaning, they don't just work with their friend who happens to publish a zine); does the agent represent the type of book you're writing--don't bother sending your detective noir novel to an agent or agency who seems to primarily rep historical romance, you'll be wasting your time and theirs.
And keep writing. Don't stop just because you're waiting to hear back from an agent. Go ahead and write the sequel, start a new novel, write a few short stories. Keep working.
It may take you years to land an agent, but in the meanwhile, you're still honing your writing skills and creating a backlog of work. And who knows, maybe by the time you land an agent, that first manuscript you sent out might pale in comparison to the more recent stuff. Not all trunk novels are meant to see the light of day.
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