Today, every new writer can choose to skip the nerve wracking process of traditional publishing and self-publish instead. Self-publishing seems easier – since you don’t have to look for an agent who will pitch your work to publishing houses, and you will not have to deal with a certain amount of rejection letters before your book is published. This lead to many young writers publishing their work online (on platforms like Amazon), and the market today is filled with books that are not the best version of themselves, mostly because, at times, self-published authors may skip on essential activities like proper editing. Does this mean that you must publish your book the traditional way, just to get credit from readers? Of course it doesn’t. However, if you do decide to get published the traditional way, you will need a good literary agent. And below, we’ve gathered tips on how to get one.
1. Polish your manuscript
No, you don’t need to hire an editor to go through your novel before you send it to a literary agent. However, what you need to do is go through your manuscript several times and edit it over and over until it looks and reads better than ever. Look for cliché opening lines and paragraphs that have become obsolete, grammar mistakes and possible plot holes. Polish your manuscript until it shines. It’s the best way to ensure that your manuscript, and you through it, is taken seriously by the prospective agent.
2. Choose wisely
Research the agent you want to work with and decide whether your book and their work are a good match. There wouldn’t be any point in trying to pitch your historical romance to an agent that mostly works with authors that write in a different genre. If the agent doesn’t work in your genre, they will probably not know the right editors and publishing houses for your book. Most probably, they will reject your manuscript, and if they actually accept it, they probably will not know the right way to market your book.
3. Tailor your submission to the agent
So, you’ve chosen the right agent for your work. However, this doesn’t mean that you should write a generic synopsis for your work, add a letter, two pages of your book, send it to them and wait for the best. Most often, this will get you a rejection letter. Take the time to tailor your submission to the agent you’re hoping to work with – otherwise, they might just ignore your submission, even if you’ve written the next #1 hit on the NYT Bestseller List. Also, make sure that the agent is actually open for new submissions when you send yours. If they’re not open for new submissions, your submission will be ignored at that moment, and might even be discarded.
4. Add a good query letter
You will never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is why your query letter is of the utmost importance, for you will not be able to send a query letter twice to an agent that has rejected your submission. Writing a query letter can be difficult, but, there is plenty of information on how to write one. Work on it until you’ve polished it even more than your manuscript, if you want the agent to take your submission seriously and give you a chance. Remember, when you’re traditionally publishing your novel, a good literary agent will get you a deal with a publishing house faster, and it will be a better deal than what you would have gotten without one.
5. Beware of scammers
No agent will ask you for what is commonly called a “reading” or “editing” fee. Those services go into the commission the agent will get when they land you a deal with a publishing house. If they are asking you for one of these fees, then they’re just looking to get your money, instead of helping you accomplish your dream of being published. Also, beware of agents that send your manuscript to vanity presses – they will ask you money to publish your book. There are other types of services a fake agent will offer you, including business cards, websites where editors will supposedly view your work, marketing plans, and others. Most of these things will come after you’ve landed a publishing deal, not before it, so beware of agents who will ask these fees of you.
Image credit: Rita Crayon Huang on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[
Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.