As a literary agent in major trade book publishing at the Trident Media Group literary agency, I am approached in some weeks by hundreds of authors seeking literary representation. I often have to explain to an eager writer that they may or may not be ready for literary representation from a book publishing agent. This article will serve to help somewhat new writers and authors unsure of whether or not they have all their ducks in order, before approaching a literary agent.
1. How to know when you’re ready.
Checklist:
-Manuscript and/or Nonfiction Book Proposal with Sample Chapters:
Before querying a literary agent, the underlying material should be in as polished a state as it can be. I would not recommend finishing a manuscript and then kicking it right out the door to a literary agent, without having edited the manuscript. If the manuscript is fiction, it must be fully-written in order to be sold to book publishers, since only nonfiction can be sold on proposal-basis, accompanied by three-five sample chapters. The work of fiction must also be of normal book length/word count.
-Hook:
The “hook,” also known as an elevator pitch, is the catchy tagline of what your book is about in its essence, and must be a strong enough concept that the hook of the book catches on easily enough with potential readers such that they are enticed enough to want to read the manuscript. A good hook is usually one to three sentences and might lend an idea as to what the genre is, title, central conflict/theme(s), and perhaps even two-three comparative/competitive titles that were recent bestselling and/or award-winning novels, published within the last three to five years.
-Query Letter:
If the manuscript is your “resume” then the query letter is your “cover letter.” The query letter introduces everyone to the writer and their manuscript. A good query letter is upfront with the hook in the opening so those considering the letter get a quick sense of it, followed by a couple of body paragraphs about some the actual book description, without too many spoilers, and the last paragraph of the query letter may be reserved for the author bio.
-Relevant Writing Experience/Credentials:
This type of information may be contained within the author bio paragraph of the query letter. Any sort of background a writer has that may lend some providence to a writer’s abilities can be included, such as having attended a prestigious writing workshop, or having attained an MFA, or even a listing of shorter works published in renowned literary magazines and journals. Information filed under this category can certainly help a writer, but it is not mandatory in order to approach a literary agent.
-Platform:
More so essential to nonfiction, and though not mandatory—it can become rather helpful to fiction, platform is what a writer’s potential reach is within their own built-in audience. Platform might be as simple as an author with a million+ social media followers or a huge newsletter subscription base, maybe even a website with many visits. Publishers figure that if an author has a million social media followers, and just a fraction of those followers buy the book, then the publisher is still in good shape.
-Endorsements:
Having advance praise, or what’s also casually referred to as “blurbs,” complimenting or endorsing one’s unpublished manuscript from esteemed authors and influencers, can also help to sway a literary agent or editor at a book publishing house, in favor of a writer. Even the promise of advance praise from well-known names might help, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush when it comes to having advance praise already in the bank.
2. How to proceed.
Checklist:
-Research literary agents
Reading about literary agents and literary agencies online at credible websites, such as Publishers Marketplace, is a great way to fully-understand how a given literary agent or literary agency stacks up against the competition. On a site such as Publishers Marketplace, a writer can see how many deals a literary agent has done, as well as the type of deals, with who, and for how much money.
-Visit the websites of literary agencies
Familiarizing oneself with a literary agency’s website is also recommended in order to see how a literary agency presents itself and its clients. Read the bios of literary agents on the site and see their latest releases/clients/deals in order to see who might be a good fit.
-Know the submissions process/guidelines
Reading this article is obviously one way of knowing how to, properly and with good etiquette, go about the process of submitting query letters and manuscripts to literary agents, but also researching widely online and in books will yield good advice on how to properly and effectively go about the submissions process. Bucking the system will seldom produce good results, so read about a literary agency’s submission guidelines on their website before submitting a query letter and manuscript.
-Prepare questions/concerns
Should a literary agent offer literary representation, come prepared with questions or concerns. It is important to know the literary agency a writer might be marrying into. For instance, ask if their commission structure follows industry practices and norms, or if it is required that agent and writer sign an agency agreement to work together. Ask what their preferred method of communication is, if the manuscript needs any work, how long the submission process to publishers might be like, and how many publishers the literary agent is planning on approaching.
Beginning in book publishing means much more than just knowing that finding a literary agent is the first big step toward getting published by a major trade publishing house. This list of terms ought to have helped most any author new to book publishing navigate new and unfamiliar waters.
What about you? What part of this process do you find challenging? Feel free to share where you are in the process and please do ask questions.
GIVEAWAY: As a part of this blog posting, Mark Gottlieb will be giving away three copies of New York Times bestselling author Samantha Chase's The Baby Arrangement / Baby, I'm Yours / Baby, Be Mine (Life, Love and Babies Series) to three commenters! Note that this is not inspirational romance.
For anyone who's ever lost their heart to a man, or a baby...or both
Mark Gottlieb attended Emerson College and was President of its Publishing Club, establishing the Wilde Press. After graduating with a degree in writing, literature & publishing, he began his career with Penguin’s VP. Mark’s first position at Publishers Marketplace’s #1-ranked literary agency, Trident Media Group, was in foreign rights. Mark was EA to Trident’s Chairman and ran the Audio Department. Mark is currently working with his own client list, helping to manage and grow author careers with the unique resources available to Trident. He has ranked #1 among Literary Agents on publishersmarketplace.com in Overall Deals and other categories. http://www.tridentmediagroup.com/agents/mark-gottlieb
