So, you’ve written a novel…now it’s time to get an agent!

Well, we pick up where we left off last week – you’ve written a book and you want to publish. Fab-oo! Rock on with your bad self!

 

The first choice you have to make is whether you’d like to self-publish or publish through a mainstream publisher. If you don’t know the difference, here is my perspective on the two options :the difference between traditional and self publishing.

 

For the sake of time, I’m going to proceed as if you’ve chosen the traditional route because, frankly, that is the only route I’m qualified to talk about.

 

So, if you are going traditional, the first thing you want to do is get a literary agent.

 

Why?

 

People have mixed feelings about agents sometimes and I think it’s a money thing. An agent gets 15% of your earnings – that’s standard. It’s usually 20% overseas, and there is film/TV, etc.

 

Some writers think they don’t need an agent. They are wrong. I have agent friends who are also writers and THEY have their own agents — even though they ARE an agent. So, by all means, layperson. You need one.

 

Agents do more than you can imagine. Negotiating contracts is the tip of the iceberg. Depending on who you are and what you write, your agent might be your first reader (aka beta reader) and therefore your first editorial partner. This is how things worked with my former and current agents, and I love that. I don’t share my work with anyone before them.

 

On top of that, agents are professionals and experts. They know the business and they have cultivated relationships. They are worth every penny they earn. Period. I don’t waver on this. And take it from somebody who is a full time writer because of the deal her agent was able to get her.

 

So, if I’ve convinced you to get an agent, here’s how I did it:

 

1. I logged on to Absolute Write and found out about Agent Query, a database that is accurate and updated, and includes all current agents and what they represent. Along with that, they will give specifics like what that agent is looking for currently, contact information, and where to query them.

 

And what, you ask, is a query?

 

A query letter is a short-ish pitch letter that speaks for your book. There are ENDLESS websites about how to write good queries. If you google it, you will get lots of ideas.

 

Here is what my query letter looked like for my most recent book sale, THE PEOPLE VS CECELIA PRICE:

 

Dear (name of agent),

 

Having recently parted ways with my literary agent, I am querying you with my young adult novel, THE PEOPLE VS. CECELIA PRICE. It combines the raw and compelling aspects of popular television shows Breaking Bad and Intervention into a character study of a seventeen year-old girl.

 

Cecelia Price murdered her brother, Cyrus. At least, that’s what the police are saying. So is the district attorney.

 

But CeCe knows the story is more complicated, that a terrible thing happened when she was trying so hard to make things right. Cyrus was addicted to prescription pain killers and had deteriorated into an angry, violent version of his former self. CeCe had no choice but to adopt a fragmented identity: part drug dealer, part honor student, part sister, part daughter. Now, locked up and facing a murder charge, CeCe must make her lawyer understand how sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcome.

 

THE PEOPLE VS. CECELIA PRICE is 60,000 words. It has not been submitted to editors/publishers and the synopsis/full manuscript for my New Adult paranormal romance, STAR STRUCK, is also available.

 

Currently, I have two young adult novels forthcoming from Walker Books for Young Readers: TASTE TEST (August 2013) and JUST LIKE THE MOVIES (Spring 2014.) I have my MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University and I’ve received two Mid Atlantic Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council. You can learn more about me at my website, www.kellyfiorewrites.com.

 

I’ve pasted the first five pages of my manuscript below. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Best,

Kelly Fiore

 

***

 

So, you can see that my letter is a little different than a first timer. I left my agent and was re-querying, so the beginning is something you wouldn’t normally see. The second section is where I’d probably start if it had been a traditional query, so it would have looked something like this:

 

Dear (name of agent),

 

Cecelia Price murdered her brother, Cyrus. At least, that’s what the police are saying. So is the district attorney.

 

But CeCe knows the story is more complicated, that a terrible thing happened when she was trying so hard to make things right. Cyrus was addicted to prescription pain killers and had deteriorated into an angry, violent version of his former self. CeCe had no choice but to adopt a fragmented identity: part drug dealer, part honor student, part sister, part daughter. Now, locked up and facing a murder charge, CeCe must make her lawyer understand how sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcome.

 

THE PEOPLE VS. CECELIA PRICE is 60,000 words. It combines the raw and compelling aspects of popular television shows Breaking Bad and Intervention into a character study of a seventeen year-old girl.

 

I have my MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University and I’ve received two Mid Atlantic Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council. You can learn more about me at my website, www.kellyfiorewrites.com.

 

I’ve pasted the first five pages of my manuscript below. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Best,

Kelly Fiore

 

***

 

Okay, so it is shorter and organized a bit differently. The important thing is that you personalize the letter with names – DO NOT DO A MASS EMAIL – and include what is requested. In this case, it was the first five pages.

 

When I first queried in 2008, I made a spreadsheet with the following categories: agent, agency, First Response, Pages Sent, Final response. In many cases, the first three were the only ones filled in. The first response would be a pass and that was that. In lots of other cases, people requested pages – anything from 30 to the whole MS. In that case, I cataloged what I sent and when I heard back. And I included dates on everything so I’d know when to nudge the agent if I hadn’t heard back in 6-8 weeks.

 

So, the key really is to do your research, find the agents you’d like to work with, and craft a killer, personalized query for every agent you send it on to. From there, you hope you get an offer of representation…but that’s another topic for another day…:)