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How to Hire a Literary Agent

26 June 2013

Ok, so you have done everything you can in regards to your book/short story/memoir etc, and now the obvious next step is to publish...right?

Well dear friend, in case you haven't already noticed, becoming a traditionally published author is not as easy as it once was. Especially for amateurs. Turns out, the vast majority of publishers won't even consider reading your query (I'll get to that in a minute) much less a sample of your story unless you have an agent to represent you.

All this, I had heard before, since I've been cruising the internet, searching for publishing advice for a while now. Every blog, every article and every author testimony will tell you, "Hire an agent! Hire an agent! And oh, did I mention...HIRE AN AGENT!" Yeah, yeah--I get it. However, what these nincompoops seem resolved on NOT explaining, is exactly how one hires an agent. And after doing some extensive research over the past few days, I feel as though I may have observed enough to help out the writers who are as clueless as I once was.

Keeping in mind that I know next to nothing, and I tell you this assuming you know nothing, or next next to nothing. Get it? Got it? Good.

Step One: Research agents. Sounds simple enough. But before taking on this task there is something you should realize...to be a "literary agent", is not a real profession. Meaning, anyone can label themselves as an agent if they so choose. Therefore it is important to look into each agent's credentials. So whip out our best friend Google and start doing back ground checks on those bad boys. I HIGHLY recommend using various websites to help narrow down your search such as AgentTracker (just google it), or other handbooks like Publisher'sWeekly, LitearyMarketplace. Or 2013 Agent's Guide. If you desire, you can significantly narrow down your search by looking for local agents exclusively. Once again, GOOGLE IT. That's our new motto. When in doubt, inquire of the great Google!

Step Two: Write down every seemingly plausible representative for your book. Why? Because you're going to be sending out lots of queries. Why? Because you're going to get rejected sweet cheeks...sorry to bust your bubble. 

Step Three: Go back and research those agents again, disregarding any who are not representing your genre, are not accepting queries right now, or any who look just plain shady and unreliable. 

Step Four: Write a query letter, taking into account what each of those agents requests of you. I will write a new post soon talking about the query letter process.

Hopefully these tips have cleared away some of the confusion for you. Now, all you have to do is begin! I'm currently perfecting my query letter, and will update you on the process soon. If you have any tips regarding the obtaining of an agent, please share them in the comments below!

Written by: Karoline Kingley

No comments:

Post a Comment

How to Hire a Literary Agent

Ok, so you have done everything you can in regards to your book/short story/memoir etc, and now the obvious next step is to publish...right?

Well dear friend, in case you haven't already noticed, becoming a traditionally published author is not as easy as it once was. Especially for amateurs. Turns out, the vast majority of publishers won't even consider reading your query (I'll get to that in a minute) much less a sample of your story unless you have an agent to represent you.

All this, I had heard before, since I've been cruising the internet, searching for publishing advice for a while now. Every blog, every article and every author testimony will tell you, "Hire an agent! Hire an agent! And oh, did I mention...HIRE AN AGENT!" Yeah, yeah--I get it. However, what these nincompoops seem resolved on NOT explaining, is exactly how one hires an agent. And after doing some extensive research over the past few days, I feel as though I may have observed enough to help out the writers who are as clueless as I once was.

Keeping in mind that I know next to nothing, and I tell you this assuming you know nothing, or next next to nothing. Get it? Got it? Good.

Step One: Research agents. Sounds simple enough. But before taking on this task there is something you should realize...to be a "literary agent", is not a real profession. Meaning, anyone can label themselves as an agent if they so choose. Therefore it is important to look into each agent's credentials. So whip out our best friend Google and start doing back ground checks on those bad boys. I HIGHLY recommend using various websites to help narrow down your search such as AgentTracker (just google it), or other handbooks like Publisher'sWeekly, LitearyMarketplace. Or 2013 Agent's Guide. If you desire, you can significantly narrow down your search by looking for local agents exclusively. Once again, GOOGLE IT. That's our new motto. When in doubt, inquire of the great Google!

Step Two: Write down every seemingly plausible representative for your book. Why? Because you're going to be sending out lots of queries. Why? Because you're going to get rejected sweet cheeks...sorry to bust your bubble. 

Step Three: Go back and research those agents again, disregarding any who are not representing your genre, are not accepting queries right now, or any who look just plain shady and unreliable. 

Step Four: Write a query letter, taking into account what each of those agents requests of you. I will write a new post soon talking about the query letter process.

Hopefully these tips have cleared away some of the confusion for you. Now, all you have to do is begin! I'm currently perfecting my query letter, and will update you on the process soon. If you have any tips regarding the obtaining of an agent, please share them in the comments below!

Written by: Karoline Kingley

No comments :

Post a Comment

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