Here it is, for everyone who’s asked: our best advice on how to find an agent.
I. When you write to an agent, you want to have a specific reason for doing so. This will be stated in the first sentence of your letter. The reason could be:
–because someone recommended you (i.e. Dear Agent, John Smith suggested I write to you. I have written a novel he thinks you might be interested in.)
–because that agent has clients who write fiction like yours (i.e. Dear Agent, I am writing to you in the hope that, as the agent who represents Jane Doe, you will be interested in my novel.)
–because in general that agent represents your kind of fiction. (i.e. Dear Agent, I am writing to you in the hope that, as an agent who has had great success representing literary mysteries, you will be interested in my novel.)
–because the agent has had success representing debut authors. (i.e. Dear Agent, I am writing to you in the hope that, as an agent who has had great success representing debut writers, you will be interested in my first novel.)
The more specific you can be in your reason to writing to that agent, the better. But never write to an agent unless you have a specific reason for doing so, and make sure you state that reason in your first sentence.
II. Research agents to find out who is likely to be interested in a book like yours. Here are some options:
–find out who represents authors who write books similar to yours. Begin with writers you like. Sometimes they will credit their agents in the acknowledgements of their books. They might mention their agents on their websites—if they have one. Or, you can find out who represents them on the Publisher’s Marketplace website: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/login.shtml. This website has a feature where you can find out who represents whom. You will have to join to be able to access this feature. It costs about $20/month but is well worth the price, especially since you can use this site in another way as described below—
–find out who represents debut authors. Use your membership at Publisher’s Marketplace to scan through recent deals. You can search under debuts, or under specific genres. You will find which first-time novelists have books that are coming out soon, and also out who represents them.
–find out in general who represents fiction like yours. Use the agent query site, which is free, and gives you the option of searching by genre: http://agentquery.com/. This site will also tell you if the agent is currently taking new clients.
—another useful site is the Assoc of Authors’ Representatives: http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do?sitePageID=9693. You can find out if the agent is a member of their organization, and so subscribes to their guidelines.
III. Find out how to contact the agents you are interested in.
Once you have identified an agent as someone who is likely to be interested in your book, you will need to find out how they like to be contacted. The best way is to go to their website and read about their submission guidelines. Some agents want to be emailed; others accept only snail mail. Some want synopses, some sample chapters, some only a cover letter, etc. etc. Find out, and then be sure to follow their guidelines exactly. It’s also useful to check agent websites because they will have the most up-to-date information. Other sites are often outdated. When in doubt, go by what the agency website says.
IV. Compose your letter.
The first sentence, as discussed above, will state your reason for writing to that agent. After that you will want to include (the order is up to you):
– previous publications if you have any
–your reason for writing this book, i.e., if you’re writing a book about fire prevention, mention that you’re a fireman with 30 years experience
–a brief summary of what your book is about
–other books like yours that have sold well
–if your book has been workshopped, and where
–endorsements, if you have any
Conclude by asking the agent to contact you if he/she would be interested in seeing your book. And be sure to provide your contact info as the agent website requires.
You have a lot to talk about, but the agent letter cannot be more than one page. So work hard on honing your letter and be sure it is succinct.
V. Start sending your letters out.
Nowadays most writers contact 100+ agents before they get one. So be prepared for the long haul. There is also a lag time between when the agent will respond to your letter, request more material, read it, etc. You might want to send out your letters in batches of, say 10 or 25. Also, keep in mind that the publishing industry has its own rhythms. Agents are less likely to read during the holidays and many take off time in the summer. A sample schedule for sending out letters might be: Sept, Jan, March. If you send out 25 letters each time, that will be 75 in the space of a year. In between, while you are waiting to hear back from the agents you have written to, you will be researching the next bunch etc.
Good luck!
