How to find the right literary agent for your book:
When it comes to trying to get an agent, you must remember it’s a long, lengthy process that takes a lot of time and research. (If you want to do it right.) So, I recommend staying as organized as possible. You need to keep track of who you sent to and when and what you sent them.
Trust me…if you’re sending to a bunch of agents, you don’t want to accidentally send twice.
There’s all kinds of information out there on this topic, but this is what helped me personally:
1. Stay organized!
I used an excel spreadsheet to organize the following information:
(Click here to download a copy of my Query Organizer Spreadsheet.)
1. Who I wanted to submit to. (agent name)
2. The agency that agent belongs to.
3. A link to their website for easy clicking.
4. The submission type (query Manager, email, website form, etc.)
5. Date I submitted my query or materials.
6. Submission status: submitted, asked for first 3 chaps, asked for FULL, etc.
7. Submission materials: what the agent asked for/what I sent them.
8. Response times/when can you expect to hear back if at all. (Usually found on their website.)
9. Notes about the agent. (Clients of note. Talks they’ve done. If you’ve met them. Anything that stands out that you might be able to use in your query.)
10. Can you query another agent at that agency if one declines?
2. Where to find agents:
Now that you have your spreadsheet, you want to start putting agent names on it! So where do you find agents. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will give you an excellent start. I didn’t do anything beyond this.
1. PublishersMarketplace Agents that represent certain genres are listed here and you can also get a good idea of what’s selling (what’s hot) in the publishing market.
2. QueryTracker (free and paid versions). This is what I used most. I love free, and this worked well for me.
3. Duotrope. I don’t know a ton about this one, but it’s listed online as a good way to find agents.
4. Reedsy.
6. #MSWL on twitter.
8. Jeff Herman’s book: Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents
9. Look at the agents listed at upcoming conferences.
10. Look at the comparison titles (comp titles) for your manuscript. Google the author and find out who their agent is. This also goes for other books that are similar to yours or who have the same audience.
NOTE: You need to make sure that any agent/agency on your list is reputable. No agent should be taking your money at this point in your career. Look at the deals they’re making on PublishersMarketplace. Do your homework before you send!
3. Find the right agent in the crowd.
Now you know where to find agents. Now it’s time to choose which ones are right for you and your work.
How to find YOUR agent:
Is the agent looking for what you’ve got? If their Wishlist aligns with your manuscript, great, send it! But don’t send a romance novel to someone looking for women’s fiction. Of if an agent wants romantic fantasy, but hates faeries, and your book is a faerie romance, don’t send your book thinking you’ll change their mind. You won’t. Unless they ask for what your book has, you’re wasting your time, their time, and you’re receiving rejections for nothing.
Sometimes a query gets rejected simply because people send their query to the wrong agent. Rejection is rampant enough. Don’t do this to yourself!
Do you know who your audience is? Where your book sits on the shelf? What books are like yours? Does the agent you’re looking at represent those types of books?
Who are the agent’s clients? What kind of deals have they made?
Is the agency/agent reputable? Do your research!
These are my favorite resources that go beyond compiling an agent list:
1. Jane Friedman. https://www.janefriedman.com/ When I started out, I was searching Jane’s website a lot. She’s an excellent resource and has tons of experience in the publishing industry.
2. BookEnds Literary. They have a blog and a Youtube channel. This is a literary agency who gives out tons of great information. I found them very helpful on my journey. Tons of great insights into the publishing and agent world.
Book Puma. I know the owner of this company. And he really aims to help authors. There are some great videos and
I hope this information helps you on your journey, writer. It helped me.
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Until next time,
Melissa
