So I have no magic bullet here. I have yet to find an agent (and accept their offer. I have found agents that wanted to represent, but with caveats), but I have learned a lot from others about how to go about it. There are useful sites to know, as well as tricks to submitting. I admit I still have a lot to learn about finding an agent as well, so please, PLEASE, if you have any pointers, put them in the comments below.
Sites to consider - Below are two good sites that allow you to find agents by genre and query them (mostly) via email.
Email is the way to go. A LOT less paper, a quicker turnaround and more and more agents are only accepting via email.
How to email a client -
- Make sure you read their bios on their websites and find the right agent. Most agencies have multiple agents. No point in sending your Romance to the agent who only likes Mystery.
- Put a personal note in. The intern reading this query will like that touch. Shows you've done some investigation.
- Do not screw up with typos or not following their instructions to a tee. They put bizarre instructions about fonts and spacing in for a reason: If you can't be bothered to show simple attention to detail, your work is probably crap. It's not true of course, but if you got 50 queries a day you'd put in filter like that, too.
- Make a spreadsheet. Record who you sent to, what agency, when you sent it and what their response was. Apart from stopping you from submitting to the same agency twice (a big No-No), this will be useful for your next work. You'll have a great list that shows who said no with a personal note and who said no with a form letter 5 minutes after you submitted.
An Agent likes me! Do I sign?
I've been there. It's a rush, a crazy feeling! I'm a good writer! Someone believes in me! But then the doubts come in. The doubts are both founded and unfounded. Unfounded because you can write. Founded because the world is full of scam artists with crazy demands. I've turned down two agents for my latest work because of those demands. Agents make money off your book. They need to put some work into it. If they put you off to a named publisher then you, the agent and the publisher will work hard to sell that book to the public (this will still cost you money on ad buys and local morning news, but that's normal). If they put your book off to a small, unheard of publisher, you will have to do the work twice: Write the thing and publicize it. The small press won't be there to help. Your agent won't either. But he/she WILL collect 15% of every sale you manage to generate through your hard work. So here's some warning signs.
- Agents should never ask for money up front. Never, no, no, hell no. Run away fast.
- Agents should have their clients listed on their website. If they do not there is a very good reason (as in it's not good news for you). They may not list clients, but they should have a section for new books they repped. That's fine too. But if there's no hint of a book just out, then that's a bad sign.
- Always do your due diligence. Ask an agent who they have placed like you recently and where. They won't necessarily tell you where they think they can place you, but they should be able to tell you who they placed that was similar.
- Ask an agent what they liked about your writing. Or what they disliked. They should be able to give you something nice and SPECIFIC. If you think they didn't bother reading it, then what kind of publisher do you think they will put you with?
There you have it. Good luck and if you have any pointers or tips of your own, put them below!
-Will