Find and Love Your Literary Agent

‘Cus it’s til death do us part

I’m posting this piece in response to a subscriber asking for posts on the business side of this writing thing. I will be posting such pieces with this coin photo—for a quick visual reference. (For Americans, these are one and two dollar coins… Canadians have heavy pockets! But did not want to post a pic with nickels and dimes!)

Literary agents are like boyfriends: you shouldn’t marry the first one who comes along. Finding an agent to handle your work is too much like finding The One, and so much more difficult to divorce.

You need to keep a cool and calculating head, think about your needs, read fine print, and Make Decisions.

Ironically, you need to have all the acumen that you are seeking in the agent; the role you want for them in your career, is exactly what you need to be in the instant of finding and signing. Just remind yourself that after this point, they can fill the role and you can step back and get on with writing.

Four agents

I have had a total of four agents, with the first two retiring, and “inheriting” my fourth when number three left the agency to venture into another area of publishing.

And I have witnessed dozens of students and friends acquire an agent and be happy and/or miserable afterward. Know that my title here is not a joke; for all intents and purposes you become connected — coupled — with your agent, in a relationship that should be symbiotic, but can become anxiety-causing or downright hostile. And, bottom-line, as long as your work is in print, even OOP (out of print), you will be connected with that person. Look at the fine print of your contract to see what happens in the event of your death, or the death of the agent… and you might find yourself paying royalties to their heirs. Forever. It can be a bad case of “you get the children this weekend, now and forever more, until they are senior citizens, honey!”

Things to know about agents

There are three kinds

There are agents who excel at selling. Obviously, this is a good thing. There are other agents who have amazing editorial chops. They can read your work, and offer useful feedback to bring the story to another level, both in terms of story and in salability. And the third kind is the agent who can do both these — editing and selling. The commission rate for agents used to be 15% when I started working with one, and now is 20, even 25%. So do not settle for anyone who cannot do both editing and selling. For the record, my #2 agent did not consider herself able to edit, but she would find someone who could, and they did not charge. This is key. Any editor who “finds” someone to edit or offer feedback, and wants to charge you ANY FEE at all for this…don’t! Run away. This person is not a legitimate agent.

Then there are agencies

Large ones, and boutique, and loner-agents. Each has its positives, and otherwise. Always, with large anything, you can end up feeling like a number. Yet a large agency gives agents access to resources and knowledge close at hand, and that is invaluable. A boutique agency might be highly specialized. Again, if you research the site of such, and notice that each person really does have their niche, then the resources may be more than adequate. A loner might have decades of experience and contacts, and just has an independent soul. Research enough about the individual so you know they are a truly viable option for you.

Resist the urge to send letters and sample pages to anyone who is even a remote possibility. Be thorough. Go through the following steps. And make it clear in your letter why you think the two of you are a good match. Yes, it is like dating; the match is between the agent and your WORK.

How to find one

Here is the time-consuming part, and there are no short-cuts. None.

When my second agent retired, I set about finding the next. I wrote a list of what I needed. Editorial ability; multi-genre knowledge; able to deal with both Canadian and American markets.

1. Reach out

I opened up conversation on Facebook, and reached out to friends with agents, asking what were their experiences. (This was not asking for a reco; this was just finding out who was happy with their agents and what that looked like.) Then, I began to search sites to find names. The most useful sites, for my purposes, were QueryTracker and LiteraryRambles. This last is focused on writing for children, and is an amazing compilation of info and interviews, together with links to blogs and sites.

QueryTracker is useful for all writers, and lists US, Canadian, and UK agents for all genres. Individuals update as they seek an agent, so that the data is current. (Be careful of what YOU post on this site; remember that agents also review this site, and will take note of words and attitude. As binding as this relationship is for you, so it is for the agent.)

Use that conversation-opening to seek out other useful sites. manuscriptwishlist, for instance, looks promising.

2. Read

Read interviews, and all the info you can find, go to those blogs, and all social media. Include the blogs and sites of the agencies, too, not just the single agent. If you can afford it, get a subscription to Publishers Weekly, and read thoroughly; this will inform you of who is selling what to whom. Note the agents’ names, and the deals they close and what genre they are representing.

This is a long process; at the end of my search I’d tracked my hours and discovered I spent between 4–6 hours per agent researching and taking notes.

Although the goal is to find someone, the real goal is to find the perfect someone. Or close to. So if those hours yield nothing more than the knowledge that this person should be crossed off your list, that is useful. The real research payoff came when I wrote letters to each, and was able to pull personal tidbits.

There’s a line between being an obsequious pain in the backside, and having a genuine point-of-connection. Opt — always — for the latter. If for instance, you see this person loves to hike and ski, you might want to mention the role of nature — and your connection to it, and enjoyment — and how it is always some thread in your work.

Or it might be a simple human connection. “Your blog post about your cat made me laugh…” Or “I noticed that you sold _____ to ______. I have read that book three times now.” And include a note about why you connected with it. (That Publishers Weekly subscription will pay off. Or at least be a tax write-off.)

You might find discussion boards, too, where others have shared words about possibilities. But a word of caution: I adored my second agent and was unhappy when she — age 70 or so — decided to retire. But was shocked to find negative review of her work on a discussion board. The disgruntled writer wrote that she would “not touch this agent with a ten-foot pole.” (Hmmm…maybe Agent told her she should avoid cliche…) Those words did not at all reflect my experience with her. So keep an open mind!

3. Consider your current needs and your future needs

This can be tough. If there is one job interview question I loathe it’s that one of “Where do you see yourself in five years?” But at this point, write out all the genres and age groups you write for, and all that you are interested in. For me, this was a tough one, as I have published picture books, middle-grade historical fiction, young adult contemporary, educational nonfiction, a ghost-written Boxcar Children, short fiction for adults, and memoir for adults. Whew… and if I think about what I’d like to explore in future, it’s an even longer list.

More than anything else, this reality of my career left me with a rather short list of options. I knew I did not want to deal with more than one agent, which is often the only choice left to those who have gone too broad. So I had to find one who is able to cover all. Remember my words about large agencies? Although my agent’s knowledge might sound as if she is spread too thinly, she is always able to reach out to colleagues for their experiences. This has been true value-added.

What do you send to them?

You send a letter that shows them (show don’t tell!) who you are and what you are about. You “show” by having your voice come through your words. Let them hear your humor! Show some color! You can also show respect by not making the letter any longer than it absolutely needs to be. You’ll include a synopsis of your immediate work — the one you hope they will take on — and do not be coy about the ending. Share the ending and any highlights of the story. And share other projects you are working on, have worked on, or are intending to work on; an agent is not going to come on board for one project. They want to know that you are a writer who has goals and is motivated and is going to be consistently working and growing.

And what else? Some agents want only the first five pages. Some want the entire manuscript. Scrutinize their site and their submission guidelines and do exactly as they have asked. That in itself will reveal that you take care with research and are responsible — and that you are someone who understands how to work together.

Be strategic

It is much more challenging to send work directly to a publisher now, but back when it was easier, I had a manuscript “sitting” with an editor, seriously considering it, and I used that window of time to find an agent. I wrote to one who’d been in the top three on my list, and told her the situation, sent her a copy of the manuscript… and her curiosity was piqued, and she signed me. That deal did not go through, but I ended up with my first agent.

When searching for #3, I received a rejection letter from a major agent in the States. He said he’d read and thoroughly enjoyed the manuscript, and would like to take me on, had thought at length… yes, yes, yes… you’ve heard all this before, right? But he sounded genuine about the fact that he had too many clients (and I respect when someone acknowledges that, and is committed to serving those people, and is not greedy). I took that “rejection,” and used his name on my next cover letter. (Which is why you don’t send out too many queries at once; work through your tiers of choice.) I let the next agent know that so-and-so had shown serious interest. She in turn took a solid look, and she signed me.

Strategy. Even artists are capable of it!

Find someone who has passion for your work

You are looking for an agent because writing is also business. And you want a business-minded person in your court. But you also want passion, because there is no substitute for an advocate (advocate, not agent… think of the difference) for your work. That excitement leaks right into those covering letters they write on your material; it adds a certain tone to their voice when conversing with editors. It creates a compelling vibe in their negotiations. You and your work need that, and deserve it. If the agent who appears to be interested in you is not excited to have you on board… find another. Don’t let someone tell you “that’s okay, it’s business.” This business is art; art has many forms, one of which is business. Face it: business-minded people are those who are excited by what they do! You need that commitment.

And you’re ready to say I do.