By Jan Yager, Ph.D.*
Copyright© 2005 by Jan Yager, Ph.D. All rights reserved. May not be duplicated or published without written permission of the copyright holder.
It may be as challenging to find a literary agent as it is to find a publisher. Literary agents are inundated with new or seasoned authors who are looking for representation. Since most agents work on a commission only basis, receiving 10% or 15% of the advances or future royalty or subsidiary rights earnings of their clients, they must choose clients carefully based on an author's proven track record as an author or, for new, unpublished authors, based on their literary and gut instincts that this author will get critical acclaim for his or her published works, that they will be able to find a suitable publisher, and that there will be enough revenue that the agent or agency will be able to continue to pay their bills. (Yes, agents care about books and about authors but agents are, after all, in a business, a business that has to bring in more money than it spends and pay the agent and his or her employees in order to stay in business, a reality that authors have to remember.)
It's extremely important to remember that an agent's opinion about an unpublished or seasoned book author's work and future prospects, although based on their experiences as an agent and, if they also have previous work experience as an editor at a publishing company, on their professional opinion as a former editor, is still highly subjective. What one agent finds exciting and captivating prose or an absolutely fabulous idea for a new book another agent might find mundane or of little or no interest to him or her.
Do as much research as possible about what interests a potential agent as well as what types of clients he or she represents before you approach him or her about possible representation. Some agents represent book authors across the spectrum, from children's books and teen novels to adult fiction and nonfiction, whereas other agents specialize in only adult nonfiction or only adult fiction, even further specializing in romance or mystery novels.
But you cannot always base your decision about approaching a potential agent because of a successful project that an agent represented before. For example, I recall one agent I approached years ago because I had read and admired a book that she agented on a related theme to a project I was working on. The potential agent did not even want to consider my nonfiction proposal because she was afraid she would get "typed" as being an agent who represented books only on that theme.
Make sure whatever query letter or sample material you send to a potential new agent is your very best effort. You will probably not get a second chance with the same agent; his or her initial response to your query letter, whether by e-mail or regular mail, will determine if he or she even wants to read the sample material he or she requests or that you include with your initial submission.
Pay attention to the guidelines that agents provide, at their websites or through any published interviews, in a book or at a media site, such as www.mediabistro.com, which advises you about how to query, what to query or send, and whether or not submissions over the Internet are acceptable. Although practically every agency will tell you "no phone calls," use your judgment about this. If you've just been given a firm offer by the editor at a publishing house, or if a movie company has just optioned your unpublished novel from a manuscript your former writing teacher shared with them, an agent just might want to hear from you sooner than later about possible representation.
Here are 14 ways that you might find a literary agent.
- Through a referral from another writer who is a client of that agent or agency. Ask another writer to recommend you to his or her agent. (For the referral to have any clout or weight, your writer friend or colleague should read and feel enthusiastic about you and your writing.)
- Through directly contacting the agent with a query letter and/or sample material.
- You are neighbors or the agent is the friend of, the family member of, or in the same association as your friend, co-worker, or professional association.
- Attending writing seminars or conferences where agents are speakers and approaching an agent who invites you to then submit your work to him or her for consideration.
- Attending dinners or workshops by associations with literary agents as guest speakers.
- Being related to one.
- Working for one as an intern or in a paid job capacity.
- Becoming one.
- From reading a book about agents who are available and contacting a potential agent with a query letter. (If the agent has a website, visit the website and see if there are instructions for how to approach that agency right at the website. Follow those guidelines.) See the listing below for Jeff Herman's book.
- From the acknowledgments in the front or back of a book you have read and admired. Find out the contact information for that agent and contact him and her about possible representation.
- If you get an offer from a publishing company on your own, ask your new editor to recommend one to three agents that he or she likes to work with that you could approach about possibly representing you. (Try to do this before you and the editor discuss the advance or terms for the new book. It will be easier for your agent to do his or her best for you if you have not yet committed to any terms related to the new project.)
- Belonging to an association that includes agents as members.
- The agent approaches you about working on a possible specific project that is in the works and represented by this agent on behalf of a specific editor, publishing company, or book packager.
- An agent contacts you because he or she has read your work, heard about you from a client or editor, been impressed by your website, seen your bio in a writer's directory or a directory of accomplished persons, or met you at a writer's conference, book trade show, or dinner party and is following act and asking to receive your current or future work and to be considered as your agent.
If an agent tells you that he or she really likes your writing, is enthusiastic about you and your career, and would like to represent you, make sure you find out if that agent is right for you. First and foremost is whether or not there is a genuine spark between you and this potential agent about your work so you think this work relationship will be mutually beneficial to your writing career.
Although it's hard for an author without an agent, especially an unpublished author, to see himself or herself as being in the driver's seat, the agent-author relationship is still a two-way relationship. It's not just what you offer the agent, it's also what the agent, and that particular agency, offers you.
Find out how that agency works, what foreign rights subagents they have representing them around the world, if they have an affiliation with a movie agent or if they will make those submissions directly, what percentage or commission they get, if they charge for phone calls, photocopying, and any other office expenses or if that is included in their commission, how they best like to communicate with their authors?by e-mail, phone, fax, in-person, regular mail?what national or international book trade shows they attend or have others attend on behalf of their agency and clients, if they expect the agent-author relationship (or agent-publishing company) to be exclusive or non-exclusive, and what their background is (where did they work before, what are their strongest publishing connections).
Of course be tactful about how you find out the answers to the above questions. You certainly do not want to start this new agent relationship acting demanding or overly cautious. Enter into the new agent relationship with your eyes open, having as much information as possible available to you but, like any new business relationship, there are risks as well as benefits for venturing forward with this association. There are of course no guarantees that this agent-author relationship will work out but if it does work out, it can be the most satisfying, rewarding, and useful way to forge forward in your writing career than doing it completely on your own.
A cautionary note: Most literary agents do not charge a reading fee. If an agent tells you in advance that he or she will be charging a reading fee to consider your material, make sure that you check out that agency, that it is recommended and legitimate, and that this is the step you wish to take. Whether or not a reading fee is charged is a controversial topic in the book literary agent world; make your decisions as wisely as possible in this regard.
Another suggestion: Over time, your agent may become a friend but it begins as a business relationship and that has to be the key basis to it. Agents usually handle dozens of client authors as well as having to deal with dozens more at the publishing companies including editors, foreign rights departments, subsidiary rights editors, publishing executives, and others. Avoid demanding more from an agent emotionally than you would from any other professional that you deal with in your life, whether that's your dentist, doctor, or plumber.
Over the years I've asked agents about what traits they look for in an ideal client. In addition to the obvious of being an excellent writer with exciting properties to represent, probably the number one asset is being reasonable and responsive but not overly demanding or unrealistic about what to expect from an agent. Calling too often or sending e-mails too often and making demands that are unrealistic can stop an agent-author relationship in its tracks. An agent's key job is to find the right editor and publishing company for your book and then to get you the best deal possible as well as to follow-up and to be an advocate for your book to your editor and then to the publicity department and sales force. Work on the ideal communication style and frequency for you and your particular agent that is in everyone's best interest.
Finally, do not despair if you do not find an agent right away. Keep on writing and keep on trying to find an agent and/or to get published on your own. If you are offered a publishing contract and still can not find an agent, you can negotiate the contract with the publisher on your own or you could hire a literary lawyer to negotiate on your behalf. A literary lawyer is more likely to charge by the hour, or an agreed upon flat fee; some may be open to working on a commission basis only or some combination of an hourly fee, flat fee, and/or a commission.
Of course it is wonderful to find a literary agent that is just right for you and your work and your career and I hope you do. But always remember that what's even more important is that you continue to write, and improve your writing, and continue on your path to getting published, whatever your path turns out to be.
Good luck!
RESOURCES FOR FINDING A LITERARY AGENT
Books
Brogan, Katie. 2006 Guide to Literary Agents. Cincinnati, OH: F&W Publications, 2005. Offers annotated listings for more than 400 agent listings for representing books as well as screenplays.
Herman, Jeff. Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents. This book, researched, written, and updated for more than a decade by New York literary agent Jeff Herman, is a guide to more than 400 publishers and 130 top literary agencies. Now published by The Writer Books and distributed by Watson-Guptill of New York, it is annually updated and published in September for the next year. Each entry is accompanied by a lengthy description written by the participants describing their background, what they specialize in, how to approach that agent or agency, typical terms, and other basic information. The book is widely available at local or online bookstores.
Sands, Katherine. Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent's Eye.
Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Company, 2004. Advice from a New York literary agent based on her own professional experiences as well as input from other agents.
In case you want to, or have to, go it alone, without a literary agent, or even if you want to educate yourself about what agents will be concerned about, if and when you do find one, here's a book that looks at agenting in a different way:
Curtis, Richard. How to Be Your Own Literary Agent. New York: Houghton Mifflin, revised edition, 2003.
A classic book by a leading New York literary agent for those authors who find themselves without a literary agent but who want to do some self-educating as they proceed in their book careers. Covers contract negotiations, subsidiary rights considerations, how electronic publishing is changing book publishing and other new trends in the book business, and more.
Links
Please note: The content or accuracy of any links cannot be guaranteed since information changes on the Internet without notice including even the existence of a particular page or site.
http://www.bloomsbury.com/writersarea/AgentsUS.asp
This section of the website of Bloomsbury, a publishing company based in both the United Kingdom and the United States, has a list of selective agents in the united Sates, including an annotation about what kinds of books they represent, how to contact the agency, whether or not they charge a reading fee, and how they best like to be approached. (Also maintains a list of agents in the United Kingdom and Ireland.)
*Copyright© 2005 by Jan Yager, Ph.D. This article is from the forthcoming book, The Complete Help Book for Authors and Publishers by Jan Yager, Ph.D. (in preparation.) This article may not be duplicated or distributed without written permission of its author. If you wish to be notified when The Complete Help Book for Authors and Publishers is available for sale, send an e-mail to the author jyager@aol.com and ask to be placed on a book publication announcement list. (Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be shared with any third parties except the publisher of The Complete Help Book for Authors and Publishers.)
Jan Yager, a sociologist as well as a publisher and book coach, is the author of 25 nonfiction and fiction books including Effective Business and Nonfiction Writing (Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc., 2nd edition, 2001) and, with Fred Yager, Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry (Facts on File, Inc., 2003). (Order Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry at your favorite local or online bookstore or directly from Facts on File, Inc.: www.factsonfile.com)
Disclaimer: This article contains the opinions of its author and is designed to provide information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is published with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering professional literary, legal, psychological, or other services. If expert professional assistance is required, the service of the appropriate professional should be sought. Also, since every writing career is unique, general suggestions about how to find a literary agent may not apply in each case. Readers are solely responsible for their final decision about when, how, or if they want to find or contact a literary agent, literary lawyer, editor, or publisher.
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