Selecting a Literary Agent

Your work is finished and now comes the scary part: securing literary representation since most major publishing houses, imprints of publishing conglomerates, are now closed to unagented submissions.  It is a daunting process to select the right agents to query and then send out a bit of your soul in emails and envelopes.  Where does one begin?

 

There are numerous online sources for literary agents, but the two “bibles” for selecting an agent are still Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents and Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents.  Both books give detailed listings for agents, as well as articles on the current state of the literary marketplace.  Herman’s directory is a bit more selective, offering fewer agent listings, but his listings tend to be more detailed and offer personal insights from participating agents.  The Writer’s Digest directory has far more listings, but about one-fifth of the information is already out-of-date (or simply incorrect) by the time new editions hit the bookstores each year.  This directory, whenever possible, should be cross-referenced with online listings when agencies publish their web addresses.  This enables an author to double-check info, such as street addresses, telephone numbers, the kind of material that is represented, and a list of agents and sub-agents.  You’ll soon find that Writer’s Digest, however useful it may be, does not proofread its entries carefully for basic information.  Zip codes, telephone numbers, and street address numbers are often “off” by one or more numbers—or completely incorrect.  It’s common for agents to move from one agency to another, but some listings show agents still at an agency even though the agents have moved on years ago.  Submission requirements also don’t tally in many instances.

 

Assuming an agency has published its URL (or is accessible through Google), it is always preferable to get info straight from the agency’s website.  You will more often than not find a complete and contemporary list of agents and what they prefer to represent, as well as their sales records.  You can also gain some insights into their personal interests and get a feel for who they are.  You can also find new agents at large agencies that are in the process of building new client lists and therefore more willing to look at unpublished authors.  These listings are invaluable because they give the exact submission requirements that other directories haven’t gotten correct.

 

If allowed by an agency, it is probably a good choice to send an email query.  Agents tend to check their email on a daily basis, whereas they get to their slush piles whenever they can.  Email queries therefore tend to get faster responses.  Always follow submission requirements to the letter, but be prepared to wait a very long time for some agencies to respond.  Additionally, be prepared to 1) not receive any reply at all, or 2) get back a rejection slip minus the sample chapters you have forwarded despite the proper postage.  Lastly, if a manuscript is requested, don’t assume that it will be returned in a timely fashion—or ever.  All authors have their own horror stories to share, but in the last five years, it has become more and more common to receive no reply from agencies, even regarding requested manuscripts, whether complete or partials.  Fortunately, this doesn’t apply to all agents, but it happens.

 

But how many agents should you submit to?  Most agents allow simultaneous submissions.  Some don’t.  It’s a numbers game in the end, and it is wise to submit to between five to ten agents at a time.  If you get three to five requests after submitting to fifty agents, you’re ahead of the game, although if your work is outstanding you may get many more.  If an agent wants to see your work and asks for an exclusive look, honor that stipulation but insist that the agent get back to you in a reasonable amount of time (a month being reasonable).  If you were to submit your manuscript exclusively to twenty agents who take their sweet time to read it, you’d be in the nursing home by the time you got all of your replies.

 

Submitting manuscripts can be frustrating.   For fiction, it was once possible to submit a one-page query letter and three sample chapters.  These days, you may find an agent requesting the first chapter(s) of a book, then the first fifty to one hundred pages, then the entire work.  The entire process can take up to a year and a half.  There are, of course, exceptions.  For nonfiction, you must submit a detailed book proposal with many components, such as your hook, a synopsis, an outline, your marketing platform, credentials, bio, and other elements.  The book doesn’t necessarily have to be written if you clearly demonstrate an ability to write or complete the work.

 

Suppose you succeed in getting an agent’s attention.  How do you know if it’s the right agent?  This is where it gets interesting.  Don’t be timid.  Ask the agent for his or her track record.  Inquire as to whether he or she makes multiple submissions and ask how many contacts he has for your genre.  Every agent has to start somewhere, but if your prospective agent hasn’t sold many titles over a period of two years or has never been apprenticed with publishers or other agencies, then you may want to think long and hard about whether to sign on.  Most agencies don’t have contracts, although some offer year-long contracts with termination possible with a thirty-day notice.

 

Never sign with an agent who refers you to a book doctor, who will allegedly take your work and make it into a bestseller for a few thousand dollars.  This arrangement is usually a kickback scheme—and a scam.  If you have any suspicions about an agent, check with online watchdog groups such as Preditors & Editors, Absolute Write, or Writer Beware.  The links for these sites are on the Publexicon blog.

 

Every agent is different.  They’re human like anyone else.  Some are warm and open, others are curmudgeons.  Others won’t give you the time of day.  Take a deep breath and give it a go.  There’s one way to never get published: let all this stuff intimidate you.  Get out your stamps and run the gauntlet.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Literary Journals

Scenario:  You’ve written short stories and poems and don’t know what to do with them.  You’ve probably assembled them into a collection at some point and submitted them to agents or editors.  You’ve also accumulated enough rejection slips to wallpaper your office.  (Don’t laugh—writers really do this sometimes, and the extra layer of paper makes great insulation on cold December nights.)

 

So what do you do with your work?  Put it in the bottom desk drawer and forget your dreams of publication?  Grow irritable with your spouse and children while you put on a few extra pounds?  No.  Buy some more ink or toner for your printer and start to publish in literary journals.  No, you won’t get rich—payment usually comes in the form of free copies of the volume you’re published in—but many great writers have started in the minor leagues.  And believe it or not, many very well known writers still publish in these journals, even the very small ones, because they realize that it’s important to keep these journals afloat.  Stephen King is just one example of a writer who hasn’t forgotten where he got his start.  There’s a lot of talent out there, and legion are the literary agents who scour these journals to find emerging talent.

 

Ah, I see I’ve gotten your attention.  Yes, it’s a form of paying your dues, but it can also yield big dividends if you’re willing to stick with it.  If you one day submit a novel to an agent or publisher, don’t underestimate the street cred you’ve earned by fishing the waters of large and small literary journals.  Agents like to see people who have taken the time to hone their craft.  To them, it indicates that you’ve learned how to please professionals, editors and publishers who don’t just publish anything, even if they don’t have wide distribution. 

 

It doesn’t matter if you start out submitting stories to the Skinny Loon Poetry Journal or the Anything Goes Short Story Collection for Senior Citizens.  Keep rolling up the credits.  Go from the smaller journals to the larger ones.  Never turn your nose up at publication.  And here’s the good news.  These journals are very accessible, although some are, admittedly, rather exclusive when you start talking about The Southern Review or Prairie Schooner.  Sure, some journals only have a circulation of 100-500, but so what?  Your work is being read!  You’ve now got bragging rights and can speak with authority at cocktail parties when you tell people you’re a writer. You can always submit to larger, more prestigious journals as you go along, but enjoy the journey.

 

But where to submit?  Just go to the closest bookstore and buy the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market or Poet’s Market by the editors of Writer’s Digest.  If you have talent, you’ll start to get some acceptance letters, and that, my friend, is worth the price of the ride.

Independent Presses

 

Like “X-File truth,” independent presses are out there, saving us all from feeling overwhelmed by the publishing conglomerates that have swallowed some of the oldest and most prestigious publishing houses in America, large houses that were themselves “independent” at one time.  As of now, these independent presses are part of a system of literary checks and balances, enabling authors to seek redress in the wake of rejection and become happily published by one of the “indies.”

 

But let’s be clear from the outset.  Independent presses sometimes have one or more imprints, just like the conglomerates.  They also occasionally use conglomerates or their imprints for distribution.  And don’t assume that because a press is labeled as “independent” that the odds of getting published go way up.  Indies receive thousands of queries every year and must select only a few submissions for their lists, so competition is still fierce if one looks at sheer numbers.

 

That having been said, some feel that independent presses are still more accessible than the conglomerates.  Many indies accept unagented fiction, and if you are lucky enough to pique an editor’s curiosity, you may find someone who will give you more time and attention that you would receive elsewhere.  Many authors find that a worthy project, even if initially rejected, will receive nurturance until it passes muster.  And if a manuscript is indeed accepted for publication, many authors find that they have greater input into the overall process of publication, which is always a plus.

 

For some writers, getting published by an independent press is a steppingstone to publication in the larger arena of the literary marketplace, although once again, don’t assume that the indies are featherweights.  Many authors find the right independent publisher and stay there.  It all depends on an author’s particular subject and publishing goals.  It’s okay to dream big—Oprah’s Book Club, film rights, the New York Times bestseller list—but the reality is that if you can get published by an independent press, you’re still way ahead of the game.  

 

Click on the following link for a fairly comprehensive list of independent publishers.  There are more than you think, but don’t get discouraged.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Do your homework and buy yourself a roll of stamps and a lot of manila envelopes. 

About William Hammett

With a Masters in English and Education, William Hammett taught writing at several universities in the New Orleans area for many years before serving as editor at several newspapers and magazines.

 

As a ghostwriter of fiction and nonfiction, Hammett has worked with Hollywood sitcom directors, film producers, professional athletes, a U.S. Congressman, literary agents, juvenile authors, entrepreneurs, and experts in business, medicine, history, and many other fields.  His clients’ work has been published in hardcover and paperback by major New York houses as well as independent and small presses.  His work has been reviewed by Publishers Weekly, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other newspapers and magazines.  Most of his clients are published authors, although he remains open to new authors who have great ideas.

 

Hammett has also published fiction under his own name.  He is the author of four novels: Rimsky Rises (YA), Salamander Illusions, The Erotic Manifesto, and John Lennon and the Mercy Street Café, the last two still in print.  He has also published poetry in several dozen literary journals around the country, such as American Poets and Poetry, The Rockford Review, Black Buzzard Review, Pegasus, Parnassus Literary Review, Poem, Creative Juices, Raintown Review, Offerings, Mojo, Risin’, Lynx, Tight, Ship of Fools, Angelflesh, Poets at Work, Lyric, and many more.

 

He is working on a volume of poetry, a new novel under his own name, and other projects.  He runs Publexicon.com and contributes to many other blogs on writing and creativity.  He lives in southeastern Louisiana and survived Hurricane Katrina after a twelve-day evacuation.