How To Find A Literary Agent - YOP

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How To Find A Literary Agent
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Why do you need a Book Agent?

• If youre a fiction author, the need for an agent
  becomes all the more important. Nearly all
  fiction authors do require the services of a
  literary agent/Book agent if their book is to be
  produced by a traditional publishing house. It
  also applies to some forms of general non-fiction
  too- such as histories, memoirs, and biographies.
• How to get a literary agent
• Finding the best agent for your book is easier
  said than done. Cold-calling every agency doesnt
  help much either. To find the right literary
  agent for your book, youll have to be your own
  best advocate. It essentially means putting in
  the time and effort to carefully research agents
  and their agencies, submission guidelines, and
  Wishlist.

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A step-by-step guide on how to get a literary
agent

• 1. Research your agents
• Most agents are eager for their ideal candidate
  to reach out to them. It becomes important for an
  author to find who these agents are how best to
  get through them. There is a list of agents
  published extensively online. You as an author
  need to go through such a list, shortlist them
  and then start approaching individuals from
  thereupon. One can access Publishers Marketplace
  although it comes costly. Browsing through the
  acknowledgments section of books similar to yours
  is another way to find the relevant agents
  rightly suited for you. Even a simple Google
  search can give you the clues and hints for your
  future agents.

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2. Assess an agents suitability

• Has the agent represented books in your genre?
  Are they currently available and open to queries?
  How does their track record look like? Who all
  are there on their client list? Fortunately, all
  the answers to your queries can be found on the
  agency website. The compatibility with an agent
  is another aspect you as an author have to think
  over. Irrespective of the norm, it is advisable
  to avoid anyone who asks for an upfront fee. An
  agent asking for a pre-emptive payment is not
  trustworthy and is illegitimate.
• 3. Standardize and Personalize the Query Letter
• A good agent is usually flooded with a
  never-ending pile of letters from authors seeking
  representation. To make sure your query letter
  makes the cut and is even read, you should read
  the agents submission guidelines to know what
  they want in terms of formatting and sample
  chapters. You will normally want to contact many
  agents, so its advisable to create a standard
  query letter for everyone. However, if you can
  personalize each letter it will help you truly
  stand out.

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4. Follow up

• Often the literary agent is flooded with the
  queries and he may not be able to answer every
  one of the queries. If you dont hear back within
  the first few weeks, its not improper to follow
  up and ask whether your query was lost in the
  pile. The agent may revert to seeing a follow-up
  that he might have overlooked by mistake.
  Normally an agent tells upfront the time it will
  take him to pursue the particular query.
• 5. Dont decide on the first offer
• So an agent likes your manuscript and shows an
  inclination. What next then? Often, the two of
  you will discuss how the agent might help develop
  your book and career, and then they will offer
  you representation. So far so good. But dont
  just jump the guns and research a bit on the
  particular agent and approach other similar
  agents to properly assess them.

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