Who would be a good agent to approach with a series of sci-fi books to publish?

Question

I have written (and had published) a sci-fi book previously and now have a series of books which will lead to a 5 book series. Who are good agents in the sci-fi arena to approach - many agents say they do not touch sci-fi at all.

Answer 1

1) If your previous book was self published, say so up front. It isn't really a writing credit because your book didn't go through the scrutiny of being selected for publication, you just paid to do it.

2) NEVER tell a publisher or agent your book is a series. The first book should stand alone with a clear ending. If you tell an agent or publisher it's a series, they become very nervous and you will be rejected. No publisher wants to be stuck with a multi book contract if the first book tanks. On the other hand if the first book is a success, you will be able to sell the others for a better deal.

3) Get yourself the latest copy of Writers Market and start your search. There is no one answer to your question. Look not only at agents who read Sci fi but look at their track record. Do you recognize other authors they represent? Have they actually gotten books published by decent publishers or do they just have a stable full of authors they are trying to sell, but getting nowhere?

4) Always check with Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks before sending anything to anyone. There are a lot of scams and fakes out there. Never send anything to an agent who charge reading fees. Agents are legally only permitted to charge for things like postage, copies of your manuscript, long distance calls, once they have signed you. They make the rest of their money through a pecentage of your royalties.

5) Follow ALL submission guidelines to the letter when submitting. Only send multiple queries if they say they allow it. And make sure you tell them in your query letter that you are querying other agents at the same time. You don't have to give the other names, but it is polite to let an agent know other agents are reading your work too. If you don't follow guidelines, you will land in the slush room awaiting a polite form rejection letter.

6) Be ready to wait. Sometimes it can take months to hear.
Wait 2 - 3 months before you send any followup letters. These people are swamped.


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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C

Answer 2

Was your previous sci-fi novel published conventionally, or did you self-publish? If you self-published, how were your sales? If you can show a moderately impressive sales record for your previous work, then just about any agent who represents sci-fi should be eager to work with you on your new series.

If you didn't have such a hot showing for your first novel, take heart - there are still agents out there looking for sci-fi writers. They take a lot of digging to find, though. Last I checked, Donald Maas was interested in representing sci-fi - or at least somebody at his agency was - although that agency is super-prestigious and it might be difficult to get in there if your first novel wasn't well received. It's worth querying, though!

I know somebody at Folio Literary Management represents sci-fi. It might be Rachel Vater.

You might want to ask for agent suggestions at AbsoluteWrite.com in the forums.

Good luck!