How do you get a Literary Agent ?

Question

*just curious....ya never know when you might need one LOL!

Answer 1

Finding a reputable agent is very difficult. Most agencies have thousands of manuscripts sent to them every year and typically, they only select a few that are worthy to represent. DO NOT submit to anyone that requires up front money or "reading" fees. Good agencies will read your book for nothing if they are interested. Reading fees are a rip off.

You can check on legitimate agencies at the Preditors & Editors website. They keep an up to date list of current agents and any problems writers have had with them. Whatever you do, MAKE SURE THE AGENCY INFO IS CURRENT.

Now, once you find an agency, you need an excellent query letter to get their attention. Search the web for examples. If your query letter is sloppy or has misspelled words, you're TOAST. Get an editor to help you, if you can afford one. Then, once the agency reads your query and agrees to look at your manuscript, MAKE SURE IT IS PERFECT before you send it off to them Again, grammar problems or poor spelling will doom you from the start. Pay an editor to proof your work--it's worth a few hundred bucks to get your foot in the door with an agent. And don't forget to send a reply envelope with postage on it, or you may never hear back from the agency.

Then, be prepared to wait up to 3 months for an answer. DO NOT submit to more than one agency at a time. That's the kiss of death with agents. If your work is good, an agency will then offer you a contract. From there, it's another 3 month wait (often) for them to find you a publisher. Once you get a publisher, it takes about a year to actually see your book in print. From there, who knows.

I hope this helps. If you're serious about getting published, you can make it happen. It takes time, patience and a lot of luck. And as a note of reality, of all the books published in a given year, only about 13% ever sell more than 1,000 copies. Most (75%) sell fewer than 500. Contrary to popular belief, most authors don't get rich. I know, I'm one of them....

Jon F. Baxley (Author, Editor, Ghostwriter and Proofreader)

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (eBook only)
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THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming fall '07)

(For a FREE copy of The Scythian Stone or a full color, four chapter illustrated demo of The Blackgloom Bounty, email me at [e-mail]).

My author blog: http://the-blackgloom-bounty.blogspot.com/

Answer 2

The best way to get an agent is through the personal recommendation of another writer. I got my literary agent thanks to an introduction from a friend of mine who is also a writer. As it turned out, I was signed to a contract with the agency not by my friend's agent, but by the agent's wife, who handled the particular kind of books I write. In the writing business, the adage "It's not what you know, but who you know" is very true. Agents are more open to looking at the writing of someone who comes to them with the personal recommendation of another writer, editor, or agent.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Get a book called "The Literary Marketplace." Lists tons of agents, including what genres they work in, what type of work they might accept, where they are located, what there standards are for contacting them, and so forth.

Answer 4

Try this link:

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealc.htm

It's a database of agents, one of the biggest around.

I've used it to contact many, over the last few years.

And, here's a site that has a lot of useful info and tips:

http://literaryagents.org/

Good hunting!