How to start searching for a literary agent

Writing a book is hard, and finding an agent to represent you is harder (or at least it seems that way to me so far)! While I wait for my readers to get back to me with edits, feedback, and the rest, I’ve been studying up on query letters, my author bio, pitches, and agencies to get me ready for my first literary agent submission. This is incredibly daunting, and I scoured the internet for guidelines, tips and tricks. I’m detailing my process here so anyone else who is starting this long journey has a solid jumping off point!

Getting Started

Before you even think about searching for an agent, you have to have a completed manuscript. It doesn’t need to be 100% done - mine isn’t, as I mentioned before - but it needs to be 95% done. You CANNOT submit a manuscript to an agent that you wouldn’t be ready to have published the next day. That means properly formatted, spell checked, plot holes filled in, and ready to hit shelves. Will an agent you sign with ask you for changes? Likely. But no agent will take half finished work. For me, I’m getting all my submission materials together while I wait for reader feedback. Once I implement those reader edits later this year, then I’ll get started querying agents.

Get Organized

Finding an agent is hard, and you’re going to want a lot of options to query once you get started. You can start looking for agents at QueryTracker - unlike other agent databases, this one is free. Here, you can search for agents by genre, whether they’re open to queries, and a lot more (although some of these are locked behind a pay wall.) I’ve found all of my potential agents here, and I have my options organized in a google excel sheet. In order to keep things straight, organization is a must. Use excel to list your options, and check off agencies you’ve already submitted to. This is a must, as the majority of agencies will not allow you to query more than one of their agents at a time. You can also gather relevant data here. For example, the items you’ll need for submission (query letter, first 10 pages, author bio, etc). Another good organizational tool is Pocket. It’s a great little plug in where you can save and organize links. I’ve got a writing tag where I save articles on query letter tips, how to write an author bio, and more. I highly recommend this article on query letter writing, as I based mine off the advice.

Do Your Research

Agents get hundreds of queries. In order to make yours stand out, you have to put in the work. Query letter writing is a lot like writing a cover letter for a job interview. You have to be knowledgeable about the company, understand what they’re looking for, and throw in a personal touch to stand out. Agencies will only let you query one of their agents at a time, so make sure you pick the one most suited to your book. If you query an agent who specializes in literary fiction and you’re writing a YA romance, not only will you get rejected, but it’ll leave a bad taste in the agency’s mouth. For me, I have a column in my huge excel doc where I write down favorite books of different agents, authors they’ve represented, and any other info that might give me an edge.

Be Ready for the Long Haul

Finding an agent is going to be incredibly difficult. From everything I’ve read, you have to be prepared for a lot of rejections. If you’re expecting to query 10 agents and be presented with 5 book deal options, you’re going to need to adjust your expectations. I myself have already have 68 different agencies I’m planning to query in preparation for all my future rejections. And that may not be enough. Getting traditionally published is a long, hard road. Even if you sign with an agent, you’ll likely have to edit your story and then the agent still has to sell your work to a publisher!

Don’t Give Up

From all the podcasts I’ve listened to, books I’ve read, and articles I’ve researched, the number one reason people don’t become published is because they give up. It’s going to be a challenge, and all that rejection and worrying can take a serious toll. But in order to be traditionally published, we’re going to need to grow a thick skin one way or another. So even if you get your 50th rejection, just remember all the amazing authors we have in our lives today who didn’t give up. J.K. Rowling immediately comes to mind. If she gave up after all her rejections, we wouldn’t have the wizarding world we have today - and my elementary school days would have been far less magical.

These are my literary agent hunting tips. While I’m still waiting to officially start submitting, getting prepared means I’ll be ready to fire off my query letters as soon as I’m done doing my final edits! Have suggestions? Let me know here or on Instagram!