Connecting with Agents

Tips on Working with Agents
Agents Are Important, But...
Agent Resources on the Web 

Tips on Working with Agents

“A good agent will take your proposals (if they are presentable and beautifully written; if not, they may make improvement suggestions), and farm them to the publishing houses that fits your piece. She negotiates contracts and helps you sort through all the legalese. An agent is the go-between in the somewhat adversarial relationship between publisher and author. (She'll go to bat for you if you hate a cover, so you don't have to be the whiner about it.) She'll coach your career. If she's worth her salt (or he's worth his salt), she'll don a cheerleading outfit and cheer you when inevitable disappointments come.” - Mary E. DeMuth, relevantprose.com

Many publishing houses will not accept proposals or manuscripts from anyone but an agent. A good agent can provide inside information on what houses are looking for, leading to a better match of manuscript to publisher.

A survey done by Brian Hill and Dee Powers revealed 39% of agents found clients by referral from one of their other clients and 33% by direct writer contact. The number one reason for turning down a writer was poor writing (60%). The suggested best way to improve your chances of gaining representation is to polish your pitch, know the elements of a good query, and show that you understand your market and how to reach it. Other finding includes common mistakes made by writers pitching to agents:

• Weak query letters
• Poor writing
• Inappropriate subject or genre for that agent
• A manuscript that doesn't start until page 50!
• Author hype, ego, and arrogance
• Uneducated about the publishing process

Other traits agents identified as important in their search for writers include: professionalism, passion, creativity, a unique voice, integrity and credentials, drive to go the distance, determination, and the importance of “throwing themselves completely into a book's marketing campaign.” - The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and the Booksellers Behind Them

You may get an agent because they love your writing style, you have at an established platform, you have successfully published other books, or, simply, because you've captured the interest of a particular agent. One agent feels the most important way to get ready is to hone your writing so it is the best it can be, helping you find your voice, so your writing sings.

Good questions to ask an agent include:

• How should I best communicate with you?
• How can I work best with you?
• How often would you like to hear from me?
• What can I expect from you in terms of communication?
• How many clients do you represent?

“Since my agency represents mostly nonfiction, our greatest challenge these days is to find new writers with a platform.” - Nancy Love, The Nancy Love Literary Agency

“In nonfiction, the challenge is finding a 'new' idea or twist which will have a strong buying audience; the author must also understand the elements of promotion both before and after publication.” - Nancy Ellis, The Nancy Ellis Literary Agency. Inc.

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Agents Are Important, But...

"To have an agent today seems to be the mark of those who have arrived so they can flippantly inject into conversations, 'As I said to my agent the other day...'
  The most serious problem I see with new writers is they get too eager to sign with agents. I've lost count of the people who've begged me for names of agents and I tried in my curmudgeonly way to tell them they were premature. (They were and couldn't understand why an agent would turn them down.)
  Agents are important but not all-important. My suggestion is much like Richard's, especially "Go to conferences." Let agents hear your pitch. Most of them will give you a sense of whether you're ready.
I also suggest you invest a few dollars and go to a critique service/editing service, at least for the first chapters of your book. Do that before you send your proposal to an agent." Cecil ("Cec") Murphey

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Agent Resources on the Web

Agent Research & Evaluation - At Agent Research our job is to direct you to the literary agent who is right for your work at this stage in your career, whether you're writing your twentieth book or your first.

Agent Query - Agent Query offers the largest, most current searchable database of literary agents on the web-a treasure trove of reputable, established literary agents.

Guide to Literary Agents is the complete resource for writers who need representation-to get their writing published or to take their publishing goals to a new level.

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