So you want an agent?

 

   Traditional publishing is not for everyone. With Indie and self-publishing on the rise it seems that the desire to obtain an agent is starting to be weighed against doing it all on one’s own. To those authors that are braving the turbulent waters of self-publishing, I commend you, way to take charge and make that dream a reality! As for me and many other authors, the prospect of an agent is still very desirable.  If you are reading this and still on the fence as to how you are going to accomplish your publishing dreams then reading on can’t hurt. Knowledge after all is power, and power brings change.

     An agent is more than just a literary professional with ties to editors of publishing houses and presses. THE RIGHT AGENT will be your partner in this fast paced industry, a guide who will give it to you straight because your success is also their success. In short, it is a team effort. In order for a team to emerge from any competition victorious, it takes skill, dedication, and team work. As authors our skill is obvious, writing. Agents are busy people folks! Agents read, many write and edit, and at some time they all pitch. Notice I said all. It is a competitive thing and it takes people skills, as well as a vast knowledge of what editors and publishers want…in that moment.  Just the fact that it can change from day to day, week to week, and month to month, makes me dizzy. That’s a lot to keep on top of along with reading the hundreds of queries that are constantly flooding their inbox just so they can pick a few that are possible fits for their list. They are going to pick what they believe they can sell, bottom line! Then there are the clients they already rep, oh yes, they must make time for them as well! No wonder form letters are a common thing. So my point is don’t fool yourself, agents are very busy!

     So the first step is to take the time, spend that energy to find that DREAM AGENT through research. Yeah I said it; we do it for our writing! We need to do it when it comes to prospective agents as well! 

1.) What genre do you write, find an agent that reps it.

I write Fantasy and when I was ready to query my first book I set out with that key word in various search engines. I came across an agent that I loved! I read his agency bio, everything was perfect! I read his Blog and oh my goodness his personality was hilarious! I trolled his twitter to learn more and he was exactly what I wanted in an agent! He had experience, he had a sense of humor, he had professionalism; he had awesome books and clients that he reps! So I took a cold hard look at my manuscript, I was sure it was something that he’d enjoy and that it would fit his list nicely. So I queried this, MY DREAM AGENT! He got back to me incredibly fast with a very polite rejection. Crushed doesn’t describe how I felt. I felt I must have missed something and reread his MSWL. Well my mistake was so idiotic I am embarrassed to admit it… sigh… He reps ADULT fantasy. It was an error on my part because I write YA. Is he still my Dream Agent? Uh yes! Will he ever rep me? Yeah…Probably not. Will I query him with future projects? No! It would be a waste of his and my time because he doesn’t rep YA and I don’t write Adult.  The moral of the story, make sure the agents you query rep both your subject genre and your age genre! If you write fantastic ADULT fantasy or science fiction I highly recommend querying him. So leave your email in the comments below and I will email you his name.

2.) Determining if an agent is the correct fit.

So we’ve all heard the saying, “Actions speak louder than words” Ironic given that words are what we do! Reading their manuscript wish list, bios, blogs, publisher’s marketplace, query tracker, and #mswl are all great places to start! But just as important is their list. Many agents list their clients on their agency website. How many of those clients write something in your genres? If the answer is none, chances are that agent is not a good fit for you and you are more than likely are not a good fit for them. Unless they specifically and recently are pretty much describing your book in their wants, I’d move on and save both of you some precious time.  I have to give credit where credit is due. My sister actually gave me this idea, she’s a genius, check out her blog carolynmwalker.wordpress.com, it’s worth the visit!

3.) Interviews are treasure troves of informative tid-bits.

If I make it to this point in my research then I am seriously interested and want a more personal feel for an agent. It was my practice of doing this that brought me to my new Genre Appropriate DREAM AGENT! It has been a year since my dreams were dashed due to my own neglect to be thorough, but now, let’s just say she practically described my book to the letter as something she wants! I queried her and am still waiting! Wish me luck! So interviews… yes! You can learn so much about that perfect agent this way, personal interests, pet peeves, and what will get your query rejected immediately.  All the little things you won’t learn by simply looking at a Manuscript Wish List or agency bio. Agents do interviews for a reason! Utilize them because they are there to be seen. I hope this blog post was informative and good luck querying!