DONE!! But can you guys provide some specific ideas about agents?

[DavidBrent]

Hey all,

First novel finally complete and I'm thrilled! So now I've carefully read and researched a bunch of the threads on choosing who to send your query letters to but I'm still stuck. Writing the query is no problem, I know all the resources to use to find agents and their requirements, I know I should stick to their requirements, and I'm obviously going to check out everyone on the "Beware Board" BUT that still leaves about 2500 agents. So where to go from here?

I know some people have suggested choosing someone who represents a favorite author, or one that represented a similar book, etc. - I've gotten 2 or 3 from that but would really appreciate some additional guidance. I'd classify my book as literary fiction, fairly edgy and serious subject matter, and right at 98k words. I'd ideally like to start by querying my "dream" agents and then work my way down as the rejections come in...the problem is I don't know who those "dream" agents should be! Can anyone provide some very specific suggestions of particular agents, certain agencies, even certain publishing houses (were I to try to submit directly) that I would be really excited to have represent me?

Thanks very much!!

[Siddow]

Dude, do your own research!
A dream agent is a very personal thing. Mine might not be the same as yours. Make a list of, oh, a hundred possible agents, then query them 10-20 at a time.

It really doesn't matter what other people think of your agent; only that your agent sells your book.

[Judg]

2500. Wow. My genre is apparently too narrow; I don't get anything remotely close to that.

Check their sales record, unless they're new, in which case check their previous involvement in the publishing industry. Google them, do a search in here, and rejoice that you have so many prospects.

[Linda Adams]

Seconding on the research. Just because they say they represent your genre doesn't mean they've actually sold in your genre. Or even if they've sold in your genre sold the kind of books that suggest yours might be a good fit. I'm submitting a thriller, but I have passed on agents who have actually sold thrillers because their focus is on crime thrillers (mine isn't a crime thriller).

And ... not all the agents are listed in the Writer's Market. I've found some through Publisher's Weekly that have verifiable sales in my genre, and I've also found some through book fair Web sites.

[Rolling Thunder]

David? Is this the first draft you've finished or a polished and edited final draft?

[Susan Breen]

Congratulations on finishing your novel. There's no real scientific way to figure out which agent is best for you, or vice versa. You get a kind of vibe when you read their comments or look at their web pages and you might want to look at that Jeff Hermann book with the agent interviews. But if you feel you're ready to start querying, I'd pick five or ten possible agents and send out your query. You just need to jump in.

[Scrawler]

I often troll bookstores and libraries with a tiny notepad. Whenever I read or see a book in my genre or similar, I'd note the author, book title and the agent's name (usually found in the acknowledgments). Then I'd research the agent either on the web or using Writer's Market.

[job]

What everybody said.
Congratulations.

In your local bookstore, pick books off the shelf that interest you and have a writing style and a flavor a bit like your own.

You can find the author's agent in a couple different ways.

Sometimes they're in the acks of the book.
Sometimes Google the author's name and 'agent'.
Or do a search at Amazon of the author name and 'agent'.

As Linda said, above -- Join Publisher's Marketplace.
That's another way to find an author's agent.
You can also see who is making sales in your field.

One way to keep track of what agent represents who and what an agent has sold, is to buy one of the print guides ... Hermann is fine, Writers Marketplace is fine ... and make notes in the margin.

Decide whether you want a big agency or a solo agent, someone young or old, man or woman. Do they have to be in the 212?


Once you have a short list of agents ... Google the agent name and "literary agent" and see what folks have to say about them.

Then start sending your queries out ... as Susan says above ... do it in groups of 5 to ten.

[Will Lavender]

As Linda said above:

Go to the bookstore and look at the Acknowledgements pages of books in your genre. Go to agents' websites and see what authors they represent.

When you do research you begin to see that the "2500" number you quoted is, in reality, much more modest.

Good luck.

[Novelhistorian]

Congrats, David, and I wish you luck.

As someone who has written literary fiction, I've been faced with the questions you ask. I didn't know there were 2500 agents who represented literary fiction. But whether that number is correct or not, be warned that just because an agent has represented a book or two that you or I would consider literary doesn't make him or her an agent who typically represents the genre. And sometimes, the reference websites and books are wrong. One of my nonfiction books was published by a university press that doesn't do fiction, yet my editor there routinely gets queries for novels. At least one of the agents listed on AgentQuery as representing literary fiction doesn't represent fiction of any kind, which I learned by visiting his website.

That said, AgentQuery is a terrific place to start. Not only can you search by genre, the listings sometimes say what kind of books within a genre the agent prefers. Some will say they like edgy, quirky, or contemporary literary fiction, for instance, so it's worth paying attention. As for others, if they handle the estate of Josephine Q. Famous-but-long-dead-author, that doesn't necessarily make them representatives of literary fiction by not-so-famous-and-still-breathing authors. So a look at the titles they've sold recently, which many of the entries list. Also check out the websites; not every agent has one, but if they do, AgentQuery will give you the link 99% of the time. By careful cross checking (not hockey style), you should be able to winnow down the list considerably and find what you think are the dream agents--those who seem to like the kind of work you do or books you admire, who've sold in the genre, or who've said things about themselves that attract you. Sometimes there are links to on-line interviews with the agent, so you can get a sense, however incomplete, of who they are. That can be a siren song, because they know they're putting on a public face (I've been fooled), but still, you may learn something.

I subscribed to Publishers Marketplace for a while, and I didn't find it that worth while, especially for $20 a month. The database of agents wasn't that large; literary fiction wasn't that well represented, either in the database or the deal roundups; and the deal roundups you can get for free, with Publishers Lunch. (Caveat: I subscribed more than a year ago, so things may have changed.)

In any case, I wish you the best.

[herdon]

My suggestion is to start an excel spreadsheet and keep track of your submissions. Obviously,you can use something besides excel, but try to use something that allows you to sort the list.

As for starting from the top and working down -- always a solid way of going about things but who your 'top' are might be quite different than the next person's top agent list. I'd suggest buying Herman's Guide as it not only has a list of agents but also has a questionaire that they filled out that gives more insight about who they are.

[DavidBrent]

David? Is this the first draft you've finished or a polished and edited final draft?

Hey Thunder,

It's a polished and edited draft. I'm reluctant to say "final" because everytime I read it there's one or two little changes I feel like I have to make! :)

Thanks,
DB

[herdon]

It's a polished and edited draft. I'm reluctant to say "final" because everytime I read it there's one or two little changes I feel like I have to make! :)


I know what you mean ;) I prefer to use the term 'polished' as opposed to final. Anything is up for possible edits until it is accepted (and then its just going to go through more edits).

[DavidBrent]

And I apologize - I didn't mean literally 2500 agents, I just meant that when I narrow down by genre and manuscript length, there's a very large number of agents. Probably not 2500. Just an unmanageably large number. :)

Sorry for the confusion and thank you for the replies!

[DavidBrent]

One more follow up - it seems like what a lot of you are saying is to find an agent that "fits" with me, my genre, etc. I guess part of my question, though, is also aren't some agents "better" in the sense of being more likely to get my book sold? Like I might not really care if we have common interests or if they've done my style of book in the past if they're a very well-known agent who has a much better chance of getting someone to buy my book? I think further to what Job said that sales is one great indicator, but I wonder if there are others (ie. these are the 10 or 20 best known agencies in the business, these agents have many contacts with major publishing houses, etc.)? What I'm having trouble with - further to Job's question - is that I couldn't care less whether the agency is big or small, whether the agent is young or old or a man or woman or if they're in NYC or Lexington, KY. I just want the person who has the best chance of selling my book!! :) So in addition to all the helpful suggestions above, does anyone have additional thoughts on particular agents/agencies who would be most likely to be successful at doing that?

[herdon]

I think you might have incorrect expectation of agents. An agent does not 'sell' your book to a publisher, an agent gets that book in front of the publisher. Your manuscript will either sell itself or not -- a publisher is not going to buy a manuscript because the agent put forth a persuasive argument.

The reason why you narrow it down to your genre is because a single agent will not know every editor at every publisher. Agents tend to specialize in certain genres and thus know/are known by editors in that genre.

In other words, just because someone might be considered the top agent of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror doesn't mean they know any editors for a true crime drama.

Don't get me wrong, there are certainly good agents and bad agents, but your first step in creating a list is to narrow it down based on the genre of your manuscript and those agents that work with that genre. The top of the list should be comprised of agents that 'specialize' in that genre (i.e. multiple sells of that genre -- statement on website that they are 'especially interested in' that genre, etc).

[blacbird]

Prayer. I've been told it helps, but have no first-hand experience.

caw

[Rolling Thunder]

One more follow up - it seems like what a lot of you are saying is to find an agent that "fits" with me, my genre, etc. I guess part of my question, though, is also aren't some agents "better" in the sense of being more likely to get my book sold? Like I might not really care if we have common interests or if they've done my style of book in the past if they're a very well-known agent who has a much better chance of getting someone to buy my book? I think further to what Job said that sales is one great indicator, but I wonder if there are others (ie. these are the 10 or 20 best known agencies in the business, these agents have many contacts with major publishing houses, etc.)? What I'm having trouble with - further to Job's question - is that I couldn't care less whether the agency is big or small, whether the agent is young or old or a man or woman or if they're in NYC or Lexington, KY. I just want the person who has the best chance of selling my book!! :) So in addition to all the helpful suggestions above, does anyone have additional thoughts on particular agents/agencies who would be most likely to be successful at doing that?

Hey, David. I'm glad to hear you have a polished and edited draft. That's a good first step. Now is the time to start even more research, which always seems to be the hardest part.

Now, as far as getting an agent goes, AW's Uncle Jim has advised that every writer needs to research which agent fits best for the writing you are presenting. You can use Publisher's Marketplace or Agentquery.com to start. Check each agent's profile and submission guidelines. Some won't accept certain genres or even unsolicited queries. After you put a list together start to google each name. Look for interviews and blogs, webpages and other information that will help you narrow down the list. Ask questions here and on other forums about specific agents but don't expect a magical answer. Finding the proper agent for your work is not easy.

Once you have the list ready you want to start at the 'best' agent and work down. By this I mean the most successful, best known agent in your genre. This way you stand a good chance of getting the best representation for your work if the agent and you fit well together. As you go down the list (rejections are a given, remember) you hope to get some personal feedback that could be of benefit to you. Remember, this business is tough and your first book is important to your career as a writer.

You have to do the research on those particular agents/agencies. You know your book best so you have to determine who that agent is.

Good luck and welcome to AW. :)

[job]

>>aren't some agents "better" in the sense of being more likely to get my book sold? <<<<

Let's say you have a publishable manuscript.
Let's say,
(this is generally the case,)
that your worthy ms is not universally publishable, but of interest to six New York publishers, and maybe not of interest to them all the time.


Publishing is a big place.
Agents, of necessity, are specialists.
You are looking for an agent who knows all six of those possibly-interested-in-your-exact-ms editors.
That's why you look for an agent who has sold mss similar to your own.

Once the ms plops onto the editor's desk, does it matter which agent put it there -- knowledgeable small agent or famous, high-powered agent?

I'm inclined, myself, to think not.

[eskkar]

David,
hi, and congratulations on finishing your first book. It is a major milestone that very few people attain. But as I was following the thread, I didn't see any mention of critique group review, or specialty readers review, or published authors review.
I ask, because when I finished my first novel and started sending it out, I had omitted that step. A published author provided incredibly valuable suggestions that unfortunately required a major rewrite. He also suggested I join a critique group. When I had finished the revisions, I took the first few chapters (now perfect, I thought) of my ms to a critique group that contained several published authors.
Needless to say, they pointed out numerous areas for further improvement, which required another major rewrite.
Naturally I was discouraged by each of these revisions, but the compelling (and ultimately obvious) examples they provided convinced me that the ms would be stronger in the long run.
During this process, I'd continued to send out my first few chapters, which were steadily rejected. After all these revisions, and a few more, I landed a NY (as in well-connected) agent who sold the ms to HarperCollins.
In the process, my writing became stronger and stronger, so despite the extra time and delays, I'm convinced the ms would never have been published with those improvements.
Incidentally, these helpful suggestions cost me nothing, except a few pizzas when it was my turn to buy lunch. And by incorporating their suggestions early on in writing my second book, that, too, was sold to the same publisher.
Good luck with your writing, and with your submissions,
eskkar

[ClaudiaGray]

What others have said about doing your research works for the selling part, too -- if you are pulling books similar to yours off the bookstore shelf and looking to see who agented them, then you're seeing the proof that they can sell a book, provided the book is good enough (which is your job).

Your best bet is to find the best fit for your work, and there's really nobody who can tell you that but you.

[Maprilynne]

*cough, cough* Go to agentquery.com and search under your genre. Seriously, that website was my best friend.:)

[Shady Lane]

*cough, cough* Go to agentquery.com and search under your genre. Seriously, that website was my best friend.:)

I just spend my whole afternoon on agent query. Most productive afternoon of my life.

[scribbler1382]

Just finished a day job contract and tottled off to craiglist. Most recent post was Agent(Literature). I had to look. The ad, in its entirety, says:

Looking for an agent to assist me with getting published.

That's a new approach on me! :D

[herdon]

Heh, craigslist has all kinds of crazy stuff.

hi i am looking for someone to finish my history paper. i can pay five dolars and only take two hours to do

[Kasey Mackenzie]

*cough, cough* Go to agentquery.com and search under your genre. Seriously, that website was my best friend.:)

I second that. =) Then make sure to Google all of those agents and check preditors and editors and all the usual sites just to find out as much information about each agent as you can.

[Medievalist]

Read these things:

Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Editor: On the Getting of Agents (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004772.html)

Neil Gaiman: Everything You Wanted to Know About Literary Agents (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/01/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.asp)

[Klazart]

Does anyone know please if there is a site for UK agents that divides them by genre similar to agentquery? Far fewer agents here have websites etc. so it's hard to get detailed info.

[Gwenzilla]

Does anyone know please if there is a site for UK agents that divides them by genre similar to agentquery? Far fewer agents here have websites etc. so it's hard to get detailed info.

A simple google search revealed http://www.firstwriter.com/Agents/ -- but I haven't really checked the site out, but you can search by genre. At a secodn glance, there seem to be just as many American agents listed there as UK agents, though. I'm interested in finding a UK agent as well, so I'll keep digging, and maybe we can help each other out. :-)

[waylander]

You have to be a subscriber to get anything useful from that FirstWriter site.
AFAIK there is no such site that has a good listing of UK agents searchable by genre. The besting listing site of UK agents I know of is here http://writersservices.com/agent/uk/index1.htm

[Toothpaste]

Again, I always recommend The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook for UK agents. Yes it is an actual book and you have to go outside the house to get it. You don't have to buy it if you don't want, but rather go to the library. In it they list all the UK agents and in each entry it specifies what genres they accept. May be more old fashioned, a book and all, but it also has a wealth of information in it aside from just an agents' list.

[Prawn]

Read these things:

Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Editor: On the Getting of Agents (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004772.html)

Neil Gaiman: Everything You Wanted to Know About Literary Agents (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/01/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.asp)

Now I am totally confused. I am planning on submitting my novel to agents in the next week or so. I researched agents, all shiny and bright, and I am going to start with the brightest five and send them all my query.

But now I look at these websites and see that they both suggest getting an offer from a publisher first, and then finding an agent. Should I be submitting to publishers instead?

P

[Toothpaste]

Personally I would say still go the agent route first. All the authors I am in communication with, as well as myself, followed this path. Yes of course if a publisher is interested, an agent may be easier to get, but it is just as hard to get a publisher interested as an agent, and fewer options with publishers as most do not accept unagented manuscripts. Just send your stuff out to agents.

[Judg]

Prawn, I asked this question of the next-to-appear agent in the Ask the Agent forum because I've seen the conflicting advice too. Until I hear otherwise, trying agents first makes more sense to me. They might not appreciate having some of their markets burned for them by inept querying of the publishers by an inexperienced author. But if the agents won't have me, I may well try publishing houses directly afterwards.

[job]

Hi Prawn --

This is why you get an agent --

-- The agent knows which editors and which publishers will be interested in your work. Not just 'they publish this sort of thing'. But 'Jenny is looking for something set in France with Vampires.'

-- She can get it seen by editors who do not accept work over the transom.

-- She can get it looked at faster.

-- She can probably negotiate a higher advance.

-- She can very likely negotiate a more favorable contract, and certainly prevent you from making huge, expensive, suicidal mistakes.

-- She can arrange the sale of foreign rights.

-- She will make enough extra money for you to pay for the 15% she charges.


This is when you don't need an agent --

-- Short stories. Poems.
-- Self-publishing, POD publishing, e-publishing.
-- Small press.
-- Academic press.
-- Non-fiction where you know the market. (Hire a contracts lawyer, though.)
-- Where the contracts are cast-in-stone -- Harlequin.
-- There are a few publishers that traditionally accept unagented mss. Tor.


This is why you will want an agent for your novel,
probably.
And, in general, as somebody said, your agent-to-be will not be pleased with you if you have 'poisoned the well' with the most likely publishers.

[Prawn]

Amen, brother, you are preaching to the choir. I was just responding to the links that Medievalist put up that both said you should get a publisher first. That seemed bass-ackwards to me.