# Finding an agent



## PrairieHostage (Mar 11, 2022)

First step - make sure your draft is in best shape possible, peer and author reviewed, several drafts, several passes, you've hired someone to do line & copy edits or have a librarian in your circle who will do copy edits. I can't stress this prep work enough. It needs to be in primo shape before being shopped.

Second step - research agents who rep the genre in which your book fits.
Google gets you most places but also look at publishersmarketplace.com
I read books in my genre with similar themes, then look up their author's agents.

Third step - write a one page query letter introducing yourself, credentials related to the topic of your novel, writing history, any articles, short stories previously pubbed.
Next para write one sentence to say what your book's about, then it's genre and page count and what type of protag you've written (anti hero, superhero, reluctant hero) and his quest (one sentence). Then note two recent published books similar in theme to yours.
Last para, you're querying this agent because you've researched they also represent XX novels which are similar to your tome with similar themes of XXX. Close with something like
If you’re interested in seeing the full manuscript, please let me know.
All kinds of stuff on the net including on this forum on how to write a query letter. Be professional, no cutesy or overly familiar stuff.

NEVER send full manuscript unless it is requested by the agent's you query. That's not cool, will get tossed on the slush pile and will be a waste of your and everyone's time.

I'm a broken record, but join your writers guild or association so you can benefit from the many services they offer and read a LOT.

Consider submitting short stories to mags because that looks good in a query letter. You're playing the long game here. It's months and years for most authors. I know published authors with international bestsellers that get rejection letters when they query outside their published genre.


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## wannabe1 (Mar 11, 2022)

My big problem is that I've self-published my books, without many sales. Will this make it impossible to get an agent? Should I take my books off sites I have self-published on first? I think that even if I do, a Goggle search might still list them.


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## PrairieHostage (Mar 11, 2022)

Check the copyright rules of the places where you've self published. You might not even be able to query an agent for those. You can query agents for work where you've retained copyright.


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## wannabe1 (Mar 11, 2022)

PrairieHostage said:


> Check the copyright rules of the places where you've self published. You might not even be able to query an agent for those. You can query agents for work where you've retained copyright.


Thanks for this. I did my own copyrights for all of my books, so at least that's one thing I don't have to worry about.


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## VRanger (Mar 12, 2022)

wannabe1 said:


> Thanks for this. I did my own copyrights for all of my books, so at least that's one thing I don't have to worry about.


Under USA Copyright law, copyright attaches upon creation of the work. Registering copyright allows the author to recover damages in the event of violation. I would ALWAYS recommend copyright registration.


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## wannabe1 (Mar 13, 2022)

My problem is that, after attempting to find an agent and failing, I self-published my works. Will an agent accept my work if I agree to remove all my works from self-published sites? I'm afraid that even if I do, a Google search might still show my self-published works.


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## Ajoy (Mar 15, 2022)

wannabe1 said:


> My big problem is that I've self-published my books, without many sales. Will this make it impossible to get an agent? Should I take my books off sites I have self-published on first? I think that even if I do, a Goggle search might still list them.


When researching queries, and specifically bio paragraphs (part of the query), I learned it is recommended to include self-published works if they sold well and omit them if not. I never saw any mention of removing them from their sale platforms or anything, but I don't know anything deeper than that as I've never self-published myself.


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## Jardis (Mar 18, 2022)

PrairieHostage said:


> First step - make sure your draft is in best shape possible, peer and author reviewed, several drafts, several passes, you've hired someone to do line & copy edits or have a librarian in your circle who will do copy edits. I can't stress this prep work enough. It needs to be in primo shape before being shopped.



I agreed with the vast majority of your post, but not this part. In fact, and I mean no disrespect here, I would actively encourage any writer to ignore it.

If the standard for a manuscript was for it to be in 'primo shape' there would be little need for publishing houses to have their own editors on staff. What would they do all day? 

In fact, most agents couldn't care less about errors in the text, so long as the errors are not so rampant or egregious that they give the impression of incompetence or carelessness as opposed to simply being...errors. While tolerance for stylistic screw ups is certainly limited, what agents are looking for is a diamond they can polish NOT a turd that already has been!

This is what the agents talk about constantly on blogs, interviews, twitter, etc. Most agents are looking for strong voices, original ideas, pacing, fresh characters that seem alive, etc. The best copy editor in the world will help with none of that. I have learned first hand that a novel can be riddled with typos, punctuation mishaps, and so on and so long as it engages the agent there is an excellent chance of it being picked up. Conversely, a novel can be immaculately edited and go nowhere. This happens all of the time. I have read beautiful, flawless prose that has done nothing for me and I have read books where the author spelled 'teapot' as 'taepot' and not even noticed until I ran it through a spellchecker because I was so caught up in the narrative.

That is NOT to say I am against editing! Absolutely not. What I am against, though, is a poor investment decision. Any competent writer should be able to self-edit their work well enough that it reads competently. If they cannot, then paying a copy editor probably wont help them and they would be better off paying more to have the book ghostwritten. At a certain point, I believe, a dairy farmer must learn how to milk cows.


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Mar 24, 2022)

Jardis said:


> I agreed with the vast majority of your post, but not this part. In fact, and I mean no disrespect here, I would actively encourage any writer to ignore it.
> 
> If the standard for a manuscript was for it to be in 'primo shape' there would be little need for publishing houses to have their own editors on staff. What would they do all day?
> 
> ...


This is accurate, from what I have heard from agents and traditional publishers. It is not standard practice to hire an editor or copy-editor before querying for traditional publishing. Beta readers and self-editing, yes; hired editor, no.


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## Tawdry Wordsmith (Apr 1, 2022)

wannabe1 said:


> Can someone tell me how I can find a legitimate agent, accepting unsolicited manuscripts for action/adventure stories?


Brandon Sanderson talked at length about this in his BYU lectures on YouTube, and to summarize what he said, it basically boils down to making new connections, likely requiring some travel. Other authors have confirmed for me as well that the best way to find an agent is to meet them in person. You don't have to go to New York (although that is where most of the big agents and publishers are), but if you go to any major writing, publishing, or fantasy convention, there's usually going to be some authors and more often than not, a panel with agents and editors. From time to time they will even ask attendees for submissions.

There are some cons with this, though.

1. A lot of these big fantasy and writing conventions have an entrance fee, some are expensive. It would suck to shell out cash to meet agents at a convention in-person if things didn't pan out.

2. These conventions aren't everywhere. In the US, most are east coast, but some are in LA and Utah. If you don't live near any of those places, it can make attending one of them a big hassle.

3. Of course, it's not guaranteed that you'll be able to meet agents.

However, meeting agents in person at conventions and panels makes you stick out above 99% of the other writers they get submissions from online. If you did go through with this to meet an agent, you want to be really respectful of their time, because often they aren't getting paid to look at your work, and are doing so because they like you and think you might be promising.

There are plenty of guides online for how to format and send submissions digitally, but they usually end up in the slush pile, and it's very hard getting an actual human to even look at it, let alone like it. Meeting people in-person gives you a huge edge.


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## Tawdry Wordsmith (Apr 1, 2022)

Jardis said:


> I agreed with the vast majority of your post, but not this part. In fact, and I mean no disrespect here, I would actively encourage any writer to ignore it.
> 
> If the standard for a manuscript was for it to be in 'primo shape' there would be little need for publishing houses to have their own editors on staff. What would they do all day?
> 
> ...


I respectfully disagree with this false-dichotomy. Yes, an agent would prefer a diamond they could polish over a polished turd. But if given the choice, they'd choose a _polished diamond. _The better, and higher-quality a manuscript is, both in writing and presentation, the easier it is for them to sell it to publishers.

"Then why do publishers have their own editors?"

Editorial style is the biggest reason. Your manuscript may be polished and grammatically-correct, but if the editor that picks it up wants to change the voice and style of the text, they will overhaul it. Sometimes they do pick up that un-polished diamond, but that isn't a pass to give them a sloppy manuscript. The more editing the book goes through before seeing an agent's desk, the better. You don't HAVE to _pay _for an editor, and can use critique-partners and editing software online to make it pretty close to polished, but if you want to hire a basic copy editor, that's probably ideal if you have the financial means.


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## wannabe1 (Apr 1, 2022)

It's an interesting idea to attend a conference in the hope of finding an agent. I'm still doing it the old fashion way - searching online for agents and publishers that claim to be willing to review unagented authors. I thought I found a 'real' publisher and sent the requested information. The name of the agency is Olympia Publishers. I guess I didn't do enough research. Here's what they wrote back - 

"I would like to thank you for your patience during this time. My colleagues and I have now very carefully looked at 'The Alkano Letters'. I received independent reports on the style, quality of writing and the suitability to genre and I am pleased to say that we find 'The Alkano Letters' to be of considerable merit and believe it would appeal to the reading public. Although we agree the work is well written and has literary merit, commercial decisions have to be made in this fiercely competitive market. Bearing this in mind, we cannot offer a traditional contract for the work at this time. We would be able to offer a hybrid publishing contract, but we understand this may not be something you are interested in at this time as this incurs a fee. May I take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Olympia and wish you all the best for the future."


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Apr 1, 2022)

Tawdry Wordsmith said:


> There are plenty of guides online for how to format and send submissions digitally, but they usually end up in the slush pile, and it's very hard getting an actual human to even look at it, let alone like it. Meeting people in-person gives you a huge edge.


In my understanding, getting an agent is part of bypassing the slush pile. Sending an unsolicited manuscript to a big publisher will get it put in the slush pile, but agents have connections. That's their job. There are websites to find legitimate agents and query them. I'm not very experienced with querying, but another member recommended Association of Author's Representatives.


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## wannabe1 (Apr 1, 2022)

Thanks for sending the website for agents. I've sent a query to three. Hope the fact that it's April 1st doesn't have an impact. By the way, about inquiry letters, here's the one I'm currently using -

Dear    :  

More than thirty years ago, I discovered the satisfaction of writing novels. I also developed a passion for archaeology and managed to couple these two loves. Over the year I have visited countless sites around the world. One of these trips included Israel, Egypt, and Greece, all locations involved in THE ALKANO LETTERS, the first of an action/adventure series (currently four books), for which I am seeking an agent. The manuscript is approximately 90,000 words.

I would greatly appreciate your review of my synopsis and the manuscript attached and hope you will be positively impressed with my work. I hope to ultimately have all the books in this series published and perhaps some of my work in science fiction, my other love.

I must tell you that, after some failed attempts to find an agent or publisher, I self-published my work. All of my work is copyrighted. If you have any interest in representing my work I will, of course, remove my work from all sites on which they are currently available.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my work.

Sincerely

And here is my current synopsis -
Synopsis​
THE ALKANO LETTERS is a story of intrigue, conspiracy, and romance. The action begins on the Greek island of Alkano, moves to Cairo's Giza Plateau, and culminates in the ancient cities of Megiddo, Qumran, and finally Jerusalem.

Retired Major Craig Johnson, working as a mercenary, accepts a position to lead a team charged with protecting a group of archaeologists who have discovered 24 ancient letters in scattered locations across the Middle East and Greece. These letters, written during the time of Jesus, have enormous historical implications for the Christian world. A secret religious sect intercepts e-mails between the archaeologists and their sponsor. The sect initially does little more than observe the archaeologists, but their activity escalates to abductions and armed attacks.

The team, including a group of graduate students, is led by world-renowned archaeologist Herbert Langford and his granddaughter, Erin Mathews. His untimely death, due to a fatal heart attack, forces Erin, a famous archaeologist in her own right, to take charge of the research. A journey to Egypt and Israel, where some of the letters were discovered by Langford, becomes critical to the investigation of the origin and meaning of the documents.

Craig travels with Erin as she attempts to unravel the mystery. During the trip, the sect becomes increasingly vicious in its effort to terminate Erin’s research. The data she collects reveals the origin of the letters, leading to a lively debate between her and the students. They develop wild speculations about what the letters represent.

During their travels, Erin and Craig become romantically involved. Both have recently gone through difficult divorces and have forsworn new relations. Despite their determination to maintain a professional relationship, they find themselves drawn together in a passionate liaison. What began for Craig as a straightforward task has become a complicated mission. He and his team must protect the group of archaeologists from escalating armed attacks while he resists the urge to simply carry Erin away to safety.

The story concludes with the identity of the unnamed sponsor revealed and the astonishing resolution of the mystery of the letters, written between Jesus and members of his family.


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## Tawdry Wordsmith (Apr 2, 2022)

ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord said:


> In my understanding, getting an agent is part of bypassing the slush pile. Sending an unsolicited manuscript to a big publisher will get it put in the slush pile, but agents have connections. That's their job. There are websites to find legitimate agents and query them. I'm not very experienced with querying, but another member recommended Association of Author's Representatives.


That's probably a good idea, but I'm certain agents have their own "slush piles" too, so to speak. There are way more aspiring authors than agents, so it stands to reason that there's some level of competition, and anything to get an advantage is worth pursuing. Like job applications; sure, you can fill out a job application online, and someone _might _see it and you might get an interview, but who has the better odds of success? The random person who sent a resume through the online portal attached to a job application on a company website, among hundreds of other applicants, or the only person who showed up in a suit in tie to hand a resume to the manger in person?


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## Tawdry Wordsmith (Apr 2, 2022)

wannabe1 said:


> It's an interesting idea to attend a conference in the hope of finding an agent. I'm still doing it the old fashion way - searching online for agents and publishers that claim to be willing to review unagented authors. I thought I found a 'real' publisher and sent the requested information. The name of the agency is Olympia Publishers. I guess I didn't do enough research. Here's what they wrote back -
> 
> "I would like to thank you for your patience during this time. My colleagues and I have now very carefully looked at 'The Alkano Letters'. I received independent reports on the style, quality of writing and the suitability to genre and I am pleased to say that we find 'The Alkano Letters' to be of considerable merit and believe it would appeal to the reading public. Although we agree the work is well written and has literary merit, commercial decisions have to be made in this fiercely competitive market. Bearing this in mind, we cannot offer a traditional contract for the work at this time. We would be able to offer a hybrid publishing contract, but we understand this may not be something you are interested in at this time as this incurs a fee. May I take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in Olympia and wish you all the best for the future."


That's probably a scam. Any job opportunity, in _any _field, that requires the applicant to pay a fee first, is what is known is a "advanced fee scam." They run rampant, mostly in banking, but also in publishing, IT, and several other fields. Now, if they're talking about split royalties or something, that's different, but the phrase "it incurs a fee" doesn't instill me with confidence.


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Apr 2, 2022)

wannabe1 said:


> Dear    :
> 
> More than thirty years ago, I discovered the satisfaction of writing novels. I also developed a passion for archaeology and managed to couple these two loves. Over the year I have visited countless sites around the world. One of these trips included Israel, Egypt, and Greece, all locations involved in THE ALKANO LETTERS, the first of an action/adventure series (currently four books), for which I am seeking an agent. The manuscript is approximately 90,000 words.
> 
> ...


I don't know a lot about querying, so don't quote me on this, but I think a query is supposed to say more about the story to hook the agent. Not a full-on synopsis, but an initial premise that would get an agent excited. I also have heard that agents generally aren't looking for previously self-published work. Even if you are going to send previously self-published work, I don't think you have to mention previous failed attempts at publishing. You could say something like "This novel is self-published on Amazon and has received good reviews."

Don't be too hasty with sending out a query to tons of agents, too. You should have a big list, but I've heard to start with querying 8-10, and then if none respond positively, go back to your query and fix it up. Someone who knows more about querying could weigh in on your query, or you could get it critiqued on this subreddit which does a lot of query crits.


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## wannabe1 (Apr 2, 2022)

The few agents I recently picked to send my query to all stated that the synopsis and manuscript should be included in the submission. I have no idea how universal this might be. I've also read that being up front about self-publishing is the right thing to do since the agent can easily do a search and find everything anyway. But, putting it more simply, the way you suggest, is probably a better idea.


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Apr 2, 2022)

It's standard to include the synopsis and sample pages, but not the entire manuscript. However, if an agent isn't grabbed by your query, they may not read the synopsis or pages. Generally, a query includes a premise hook so that an agent will be inclined to read the rest of your query materials.

And yes, be up-front about self-publishing, absolutely! Don't try to hide it. What I was suggesting was either 1) not querying this novel, and instead querying a novel that has not been published anywhere or 2) mentioning your self-publishing history, but putting it in a more positive light.

EDIT: I found an article recommended by PiP. It says: "A query letter has three concise paragraphs: the hook, the mini-synopsis, and your writer’s biography. Don’t stray from this format." So you do include a hook and a quick summary of what your story is about. Source: https://agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx


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## Ajoy (Apr 2, 2022)

Here is an example of the query letter structure I've been using. This was based on both agent guidelines and research into query structure. There are some agents wanting a very specific query paragraph format as well, but this one fits what most have asked for. Also, @ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord had good advice about the self publishing part. Keep it short and positive - and put it in your bio paragraph. (Take all this for what it is though, as I'm still in the querying phase myself.) I have done what was suggested though - sent out to a few, adjusted the query package, sent out a few more, and repeated every couple of months.  

*(The agent's name, followed by a personalization-why you're querying this agent) :*
Dear Agent name, 
As a lesbian who has written a lesbian main character as well as several supporting LGBTQ+ characters in my novel, Atlantis Dying, I was excited to see that you are looking to see the centering of underrepresented voices. Additionally, I see that you are interested in multigenerational family sagas and imaginative retellings of myths, both of which are integral parts of my novel.

*Book Stats  and comparisons paragraph (I've added reasons for my comparisons, but you might be better to leave that part out and just give the titles) :*
Complete at 125,000 words, ATLANTIS DYING is an LGBTQ+ adult fantasy novel that stands alone but has series potential. It would appeal to fans of settings that blend high fantasy with the real-world, reminiscent of Asgard and Earth in Marvel’s _Thor _as well as those interested in sister stories that look at the impact of character choices over generations like in The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow.

*Blurb - what would be on the back cover of a book: *
_Atlantis is a world of magic, inhabited by the descendants of gods—near-immortals who’ve been cursed since the moment their ancestors defied orders to leave the mortal world.

The Atlantian population dwindles, and a rift forms between the Gifted and Giftless—those given specially chosen magic from the gods and those ignored by those same gods. Queen Amara, gifted with powerful magic, will stop at nothing to change what the gods have set in motion.

Meanwhile on Earth, Alexa Delmon’s own magic awakens, allowing her to glimpse the lives of the Atlantians. Unfamiliar with her roots, Alexa initially writes her visions off as nightmares fueled by the stresses of trying to finish her sophomore year of college. But dangerous truths surface as her gift develops. 

Alexa learns of the queen’s harsh laws—exiling all those deemed unfit for procreation while trapping the rest on Atlantis. In desperation to keep her free from the tyranny of their world, Alexa’s birth parents rely on a small but organized resistance group to smuggle her away at birth. They hide her in a remote village nestled in the Alaskan Brooks Range.

But now, the queen tracks Alexa’s emerging magic and sends a monster right to her front door. She barely escapes with the help of her sister and an unexpected ally—the queen’s only son. 

How will this under-experienced trio_ _elude the centuries-old system of oppression on Atlantis now that they’re actively being hunted? Their journey puts to test not only Alexa's wit and heart, but also her core beliefs about herself._

*Bio Paragraph (With no publishing credentials, it was recommended to keep it short and basic) :*
I was born and raised in Alaska, where I live with my wife, daughter, and our fur children. The beauty and vast wilderness sprawling north of our community provided the inspiration for the real-world settings in _Atlantis Dying_.

*This line says what else in included (whatever the agent asked for) :*
A synopsis and the first ten pages are included below. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Angela Graves (she/her)


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## Jardis (Apr 11, 2022)

Tawdry Wordsmith said:


> I respectfully disagree with this false-dichotomy. Yes, an agent would prefer a diamond they could polish over a polished turd. But if given the choice, they'd choose a _polished diamond. _The better, and higher-quality a manuscript is, both in writing and presentation, the easier it is for them to sell it to publishers.



In theory that is obviously correct. In practice, we all know what impact the 'polished diamond' standard tends to have on aspiring writers...and it isn't good!




Tawdry Wordsmith said:


> "Then why do publishers have their own editors?"
> 
> Editorial style is the biggest reason. Your manuscript may be polished and grammatically-correct, but if the editor that picks it up wants to change the voice and style of the text, they will overhaul it. Sometimes they do pick up that un-polished diamond, but that isn't a pass to give them a sloppy manuscript. The more editing the book goes through before seeing an agent's desk, the better. You don't HAVE to _pay _for an editor, and can use critique-partners and editing software online to make it pretty close to polished, but if you want to hire a basic copy editor, that's probably ideal if you have the financial means.



Oh, my point is not that an author should submit a sloppy manuscript. On the contrary, editing is super-duper important!

My point is simply that edit teams exist and are paid lots of money to essentially iron out the wrinkles and that one does not own an iron if one's shirts are always  starched. I disagree with your contention that editorial style is the biggest reason.

My suggestion, accordingly, is that if a book can be tossed over something like a misplaced punctuation mark here and there it probably wasn't going to make it anyway. How boring must that book have been if some mishandled punctuation or a handful of misspelled words could disengage?

Some may disagree, of course, and that is quite fine.


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## WTFarm Girl (Jun 11, 2022)

wannabe1 said:


> Can someone tell me how I can find a legitimate agent, accepting unsolicited manuscripts for action/adventure stories?


there is a place online I think called "rate my agent" and that's where I rated mine, the sob, lol! I actually came across a HUGE listing online that had all sorts of agents . . . it wasn't up to date, but a good place to start. I think I just typed in book agents and it was one page 1 or 2 . . . I shoulda bookmarked the page


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## Mullanphy (Oct 27, 2022)

Writer's Digest Magazine advertises _Writer's Market_, an annual publication that includes *many agents* as well as publishers *with contact information*. I had a copy about ten years ago and found it helpful.

Don't want to break any advertising rules on this so not including a link, but it is available on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I am not an Amazon Associate, so I never get a kickback when you buy something there.


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