Warning: The following post is not for the weak hearted.

A question I’ve heard countless times at conferences is “How do you start to find an agent?” The poor author blinks and waits for the quick, simple response. HA! Unfortunately folks, it’s not an easy answer. The process of finding an agent can be as involved (and as frustrating) as completing a novel.

See, there’s a ton of information out there, but none of it is easy pickings. I’ve queried a couple times and this is how I’ve developed my lists: Build the list, Trim the list, Send to the list.

Here are some methods I’ve had success with:

I.     BUILD A LIST

Just tracking down names is mind-blowingly difficult. So don’t discriminate too much when building this list…if there’s a glimmer of possibility, jot the name down (don’t worry, you’ll refine the search later on). I also like to make sure I include the agency as well as any clients or books they rep, just to remind myself why they’re on there in the first place.

1. Sign up for Publisher’s Marketplace: I’ve been a member for a while ($20/month) and they send a daily email with all the most current deals, categorized by genre (down to YA, Middle Grade, Picture Book, etc). For 99% of the deals, there’s a brief description of the newly sold novel and then the names of the editor, the publisher, the agent, and the agency. They also have a terrific search function which includes a search for “Who represents   ” and “Search most recent deals by                .”

2. Join SCBWI: And check out their online list of agents. ‘Nough said. 

3. Go to conferences’ webpages: Psst. You don’t actually go to the conference, but the faculty list will give you some names of agents who’re likely looking for clients – it also means they’re fairly legit, if the organizers see fit to bring them aboard. Also, the big conferences (such as the semi-annual SCBWI Internationals) often have blog archives of the conference sessions, which is 2^nd to being there. 

4. Acknowledgement pages: Pick some of your favorite books and flip to the back. If there’s an acknowledgement page then the author’s agent will likely be thanked (and, if not, it’s a small red flag anyhow). 

5. Boards: Like Talia suggested. Just listening in on what people are saying about particular agents will give you a good idea of whether they’re worthy of being added to your list. 

6. Writer peeps: Go to a conference or reach out to your friends. I know not everyone has a Talia in their group (and you can’t have her, she’s ours), but other people have done this sort of research before. They have their own lists and might be able to suggest some good agents to look into. 

7. Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. This is a terribly thick book with a huge amount of info – and not just about agencies. It's worth a read if you're interested in the business side of the children's publishing world.

II.     TRIM THE LIST

Once you’ve got some names, the real work begins. Time to asses which agents on this massive list could really be a good match. I do this by:

1. Visit their websites: I know this seems obvious, but it’s critical. You may find lots of stuff about what they’re looking for on Publisher’s Marketplace or hearsay through a board, but I only consider what’s on their site as official. Often they have bios, blogs, or client lists which help to smell out a match. 

2. Read interviews: To find interviews, search for an agent or sometimes they have links from the agency’s website. Also, there are some good sites such as Literary Rambles which collect a ton of info. 

3. Look at the books/authors they Rep: From the client lists or interviews, take a stroll around your local bookstore or cyberspace and check out the titles. You’re not looking to see if they have something exactly like what you have, but if you’ve got a Zombie Wedding book and they only do Christian Prayer books…you may not want to waste anyone’s time. 

4. Predators &Editors and the AAR: There are plenty of sleaze bags out in the world, including *gasp* children’s publishing. Doing a quick search of this website will give a quick assessment of the d-bag-ness. Also, see if the agent is a member of AAR (Association ofAuthor Representatives) who have an ethical code of conduct…which includes not charging reading fees or providing paid editing services.

III.     SEND TO THE LIST

Now you’ve got a solid list of very good agent matches, so you’re ready to go? Not by a long shot. I’ll assume you’ve put together a super polished manuscript, an amazing query letter, a tight synopsis, and a stellar author bio (each of those are different posts for a different time). After all those are nailed down, there’s still more to do:

1. Check the Query Requirements: Unfortunately, every agent wants different objects when they look at a query packet…it can even differ between agents within the same agency. And – ugh – sometimes what it says on the agency’s general submission page is contrary to what’s on the agent’s blog (in this case, I always default to the source closest to the agent…the blog). Don’t let them say No-way, Jose off of a technicality.

Note: I know some authors who just get fed up with all the different or conflicting requests in queries and just ignore all the rules. THIS DOES NOT WORK. The first test agents put us through is whether we can follow instructions...actually, it’s not a test at all. They receive so many submissions, they have to formulate a system to filter through them all. Ultimately, this speeds up their response time and creates an apples-to-apples comparison methodology. 

2. Professionalism matters: Show that you’ve done your research, don’t address your query to “Whom it may concern,” but rather to “Mr.                       ,” or “Ms.                         ,” And make sure you spell their name correctly. I’ve heard many agents say that they don’t get past the opening lines if those things are incorrect. Simply put: being professional won’t land you an agent, but it’ll give you a shot. 

Note: Gimmicks don’t work. As much as we want to stand out in the crowd, sending flowers with the Query might be nice, but ultimately it won’t get them to represent you any quicker. In fact, they may smile about it and never even open your letter. 

3. Double check the query requirements: Did they want three sample pages or the first chapter or the first page and a brief synopsis? With so many requirements at so many agencies, it’s very easy to crisscross things. Moments before I send a query, I revisit their requirements page to double check that I got everything. I also like to keep track of their response policy, just so I have an idea of when (or if) I’ll be hearing from them.

Whew! And now comes the most difficult part of all…

You wait...

And wait...

And wait…

This week’s topic is, well, topical.

Over the past days I’ve talked to a few aspiring writers who have asked for advice on the agenting process. Very smart of them to seek out information. This is a big decision in a writer’s career, one that can’t be underestimated.

An agent is your representative in the business world. They are your face to publishers, media, foreign scouts and other literary agents. Your relationship with an editor and publishing house is liable to change, but you want to choose an agent who can stick with you for the duration.

It’s imperative that you research, before and during the agent querying process. Here are a few of the things to consider as you evaluate the agents on your list.

Does the agent handle your genre? What have they represented—and sold—recently? Does the agent have contacts with foreign publishers? How about film? If the agency is large, find out what the advantages—and disadvantages of a large agency are.

UNDER THE NEVER SKY
French cover. Just because.

If you move to the next step and receive interest from an agent, have a conversation –or more than one—to get a sense for how you might work together. Is the agent an editorial agent, i.e. can you expect to receive editorial feedback on your manuscripts, and if so, how extensive is that feedback? Talk about your career—long term. How do you see yourself evolving after this manuscript? And what about after the deal? How will your agent support your career once the deal is closed? Finally, if you can, talk to other clients and find out what their experience has been like.

I don’t have correct answers for you. Every agent is different, and every writer has different needs. But by asking these questions you will begin to understand where your comfort level is with various aspects of the business, and with the prospective agent.

I also recommend meeting an agent in person, if possible. Writing conferences are great for this. It was how I met my agent a few years ago. There’s no better way to get a feel for someone than by having a face to face, and it’s also a great way to rise above the dreaded slush pile. Most agents will take a writer who attends conferences and workshops more seriously, and I know quite a few writers who have been offered representation during conferences.

If you can’t meet an agent in person, there are many great resources—online and in print. Take advantage of them.

Most of all, keep at it. This is a business that rewards professionalism, talent, and tenacity. Stick with it, and you'll have an advocate who supports your dream. 

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Submitting to Agents and Dating

After reading Katy's post yesterday about discovering her wonderful agent, I was reminded of a post I wrote on my personal blog back when I was knee deep in my actual agent search.  Only in my version of the metaphor, the agent is the elusive Bachelor and us writers are all vying for that final rose ceremony.  I thought it would be fun to revisit this post a couple of years later, so here it is:

Originally posted on "From Unknown to Slightly Better Known" on February 15, 2010:

Submitting to Agents and Dating

I've heard the analogy, that finding an agent is like dating. After all you're looking for a long term relationship with someone who will love you (or at least your work), and who is communicative, enthusiastic, professional, etc.

Except its not like dating at all. Unless you're dating on the Bachelor.

Because let's face it, when you send out that query letter, you've already vetted the agent and presumably assumed that they have what it takes to market your work. The agent is the awesome guy that everyone is vying for. Now how to make yourself stand out from the pack?

With the query, it's not so much a date as an audition. Is my manuscript pretty enough, funny enough, engaging enough, to make it past the producers? Will my manuscript ever even get to meet the Bachelor, er agent?

And when you do make it past the query stage, and the agent requests sample pages, it is a bit like a first date. But it's a first date with 30 other pretty, funny, engaging manuscripts hanging around in the background, waiting for their shot with the agent.

Maybe you get a rose or two, and the field gets narrowed. Things feel like they're really clicking. And you make it all the way to meet the parents and the agent reads your full manuscript. Great news, right?

So your manuscript was selected from the 100s, possibly thousands who auditioned. You made it through some rose ceremonies. All the way to the finale. At this point, half the country (or at least your family and friends) is routing for you. And you just might get picked. Or you might get kicked in the teeth on national television.

I don't know about you, but when I was dating, my husband didn't already have an established girlfriend that was his top priority or a throng of women competing for his attention. (Okay, there were one or two, but that's another story).

I know that a beautiful story is all it takes. And if it's really good, the tables can be turned. So maybe my manuscript will go on to be the Bachelorette.

It worked for Trista.

BACK TO YA MUSES:

Shortly after I wrote this post, I got my first nibble from an agent, a revision request.  She was lovely and told me that she had enjoyed my Bachelor post!  I updated my agent search on April 25, 2010 with this post:

Sunday, April 25, 2010

In which my manuscript becomes the Bachelorette

I have been submitting my paranormal YA for a few months now. There have been many hopeful meetings with producers (queries) that led to a few callbacks (requests for partials) and even a few dates with the Bachelor (agents who read the full). There was even one meet the parents that was so close, but alas, the Bachelor did not choose me.

And then something strange happened. All of a sudden I had not one, but two agents requesting revisions and offering to look again. Then an offer from one. Then an offer from a third agent. Everything seemed crazy and possible, and for a week I could barely think straight. My manuscript, like Tristan, got to be the Bachelorette.

So yes, you really can find a match on a reality TV show, I mean, through the querying process. I am pleased to announce that I am now represented by the wonderful Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency! http://www.greenhouseliterary.com

For those who are querying take heart. I did not know Sarah. I didn't know anyone who knew Sarah. I did not attend a conference where Sarah was speaking. Nope. I did things the old fashioned way. I sent a blind query + 5 pages, following the submission guidelines on her website.

Before querying, I did read her blog and several interviews with her available online. I spent some time on writer forums to get a feel for the buzz about her, and I felt confident that she would be a good fit for my work. I continued to do research even after sending my query, only to see a comment from another writer that Sarah had recently said she was seeing way too many werewolf/shapeshifter books. My heart sank. Yes, I had sent her a werewolf/shapeshifter book. So I wrote that query off.

Then, I got an email in my box from Sarah's co-agent in the UK, Julia Churchill. Julia said she was reading Sarah's mail while Sarah was at a conference, and that she liked the pages. So I sent them out, thinking I was lucky that someone else was reading the mail, but that Sarah would probably reject me pretty quickly.

Not so. Turns out, Sarah had read my query originally, but was on the fence about it because of the subject matter. She liked the sample pages enough to send it to Julia for a second opinion. So I was lucky that Julia liked the pages too.

Sarah went out on a limb to offer representation, even though we agreed that the manuscript would have to undergo a pretty significant revision before it could be submitted to publishers. Sarah's experience as an editor (she has worked with Phillip Pullman and Meg Cabot!) gave me complete confidence in her judgment. I agreed with her comments, and feel like the revisions are going to take this book to a level far beyond my original vision.

Finding an agent who believes in you is a major milestone for any writer. Finding someone who believes in you AND is willing to put the time in to make your work sing. That's priceless.

So, I am of course thrilled, excited and bouncing off the walls.

But enough gushing.

I have work to do. My poor characters have no idea what's coming...

 
 AND FLASH FORWARD TO 2012 AND THE YA MUSES:

Ha!  I had no idea what was coming, but wow did Sarah teach me a ton about plots and story structure.  Like Katherine, I feel so lucky to have found an agent that I respect and admire.  Her business savvy is unmatched and there is no one I would rather have in my corner.

I think its important to note that I found my agent the same way Katherine did- through research and querying.   Querying is stressful and rejection is hard, but one thing I've learned about agents that I didn't know when I was querying is that they want to love your work.  Agents are looking for a love match too.  They want to discover new voices and exciting manuscripts.

So I guess do believe it's possible to find a love match on publishing's version of the Bachelor. For all of us.

Imagine a reality television show like The Bachelor, only instead of hot tubs and romantic lobster dinners and quiet conversations on the settee,  the prospective groom has to trawl through blog posts and mini-biographies and tantalizing bits of information online. (I know, it wouldn’t make very good TV, would it?  But bear with me.)  He knows the girls’ names, he knows where they work, who they interact with, what their preferences are.  He knows who says good things about them, how many people they’ve dated recently, and even how well those dates went.  He knows what they say they’re looking for, and what they’re least interested in.

Maybe he met a few of the girls at different parties or at a speed-dating service.  Maybe he heard one or two speak about their jobs and their interests and how they want a relationship to work.  Maybe he even got to talk to one once for fifteen minutes about something important to him, important to a future relationship together.

Now imagine that this Bachelor has to enter into what he hopes is a life-long committed relationship with this girl, based only on those few things.

That’s what finding an agent is like. 

You can find a lot of information online – client lists and previous sales and statistics.  You can read “How I Got My Agent” columns in magazines.  You can go to lectures and workshops at conferences, enter query and first page critiques, try out agent speed-dating, and enter contests like The Baker’s Dozen.  You can learn a lot about someone online.  But can you learn what that person is really like?

I queried agents two years ago.  I made up a list of names based on people I’d heard at conferences and rumors I’d heard around the lunch tables and bar stools at those same conferences.  I sent e-mails to my top ten list first – I figured it was better to be rejected than always to wonder what might have been.  Every time I got a rejection, I sent out another query.  And I got a lot of form letter rejections.  I told myself agents weren’t interested in historical fiction – that it was one of those words that shut people down immediately, like vampires or rhyme.  But I knew that if what I had was good enough, someone would pick it up.  Just like there are still vampires and rhyming picture books showing up on shelves.

I had full manuscripts out with a couple of agents when enough rejections came in to bring me to the end of my researched list.  I turned to Talia, who had just gone through the same process.  And Talia does all the research.  She suggested Catherine Drayton.

There’s not a lot out there on the Internet about Catherine.  She rarely tweets, doesn’t blog and if you Google her, you get interviews from three or four years ago.  InkWell, the agency she works with, has a stunning client list, however.  And so does Catherine – including Becca Fitzpatrick, Tara Hudson, Lisa and Laura Roecker , John Flanagan and Markus Zusak.  My first thought was, “She’s never going to want to represent me.”  But I queried her anyway, noticing that her turn-around time listed on QueryTracker was pretty quick.  (and a quick rejection means another query can go out!)

I was lucky to end up with more than one offer.  Including two from my original top-ten list.  Agents I had met personally and liked both as people and professionals.  I didn’t know Catherine.  Knew I may never get a chance to meet her face-to-face, since she lives in Australia.  Knew she keeps a very low profile, and I wouldn’t be getting a big, shouty I LOVE THIS BOOK boost from her in the Twittersphere.  From what I’d learned over the barstools and lunch tables, I knew that a great client list doesn’t always mean great compatibility.  But neither does a great blog or scintillating personality.  And what one person loves and cherishes might be cited as irreconcilable differences by another.

I was dating blind.  As are we all when choosing agents.  It remains to this day one of the hardest choices I’ve ever made. 

And one of the best.

I loved Catherine because of her matter-of-factness.  Her dry and rather irreverent wit.  And because from the very first conversation we had, I knew she would never blow smoke.  I love her now for her single-word e-mails, her sage and unflinching advice and her uncanny ability to call me right in the middle of some kind of insanity at my house (like, it’s full of pre-adolescent boys, or I’m in the middle of a writing session and can’t remember what year it is, much less what day, or my cell phone has decided that my entire house is a no-bar zone).  Best of all, she loves my writing, she gets what I’m trying to do and she gets behind it.

Ultimately, that’s what you want from an agent.  Someone in your corner.  Someone who is looking out for your career.  Someone who loves your writing. You also need someone with whom you’re compatible – in work ethic and communication and strategy and stick-to-it-iveness.  Those are all things that are almost impossible to tell from a few blog posts, a bio and a single phone conversation.  So the best you can do is go with your gut.  And believe in luck.  I did.

I'm taking a brief break from our regularly scheduled topic to share some of the SILVER launch fun.  I flew into Sacramento on Saturday afternoon and was caught up in a long line at the car rental terminal.  I rushed into the Avid Reader in Davis a little after four to a full house.  Talia was poised as ever as she welcomed everyone and spoke about her fantastic book blogger support.  Then Katy, Veronica and I joined Talia at the front of the room. (Unfortunately, Bret wasn't able to join us because he had a prior engagement, but we missed him terribly!)   We all read selections from our books, and Talia treated the audience with a teaser for GOLD, the sequel to SILVER.  Then we had some great questions from the audience and gave away door prizes, including some ARCs of SKINNY my generous publisher sent.  So much fun!  And the best picture of the night is definitely the one of all of us holding up our books - the first time all books are present!

It's always so fun to meet fellow Muses' family members and see writer friends.  The after party is a time to catch up on the latest news and talk of books, books and more books.  I was lucky enough to sit by a wonderful group of book bloggers.  Veronica and I tried to pick their brain for their wealth of book knowledge and insights into the publishing experience from the bloggers perspective.  A very informative conversation!

Click below for more SILVER launch pictures and to check out a few of the fabulous book bloggers who were there:


Two Chicks on Books

Books over Boys

Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

Tales of a Ravenous Reader

Tater's Tall Tails