Finding a literary agent to represent your work is the second step on the tried-and-true pathway to a contract with a commercial press. (Step one, of course, is writing a great book.) Finding the right agent for your work through the querying process can be rigorous, time-consuming, and often discouraging, but it's worth the effort and will be good preparation for the final round: finding a publisher.

What Literary Agents Do

Literary agents have become the tasters and trendsetters for today's publishing industry. Editors know that the agents they work with regularly have rejected hundreds of manuscripts before picking the one to send and that they are sending a particular manuscript not just because the quality is impeccable, but because they know that this editor is in the business of publishing this kind of manuscript.

Knowledge and taste add to that all-important business acumen. A good literary agent knows what makes a reasonable advance, knows what rights to protect, knows the ins and outs of selling subsidiary, translation, and media rights. On top of that, good agents are consummate professionals.

Here is a summary of what an agent does for an author:

• Discusses ideas for new projects and career advancement.

• Reads a manuscript and offers suggestions on how to make it saleable.

• Reads a revised manuscript and offers up even more suggestions until it meets publisher standards.

• Sends the manuscript to targeted editors; keeps the author apprised of both interest and rejections.

• Shares comments from editors who reject the manuscript; decides with the author whether to stop sending it out and go back to revising.

• Lets the author know when publishers are interested, and keeps in communications as negotiations continue.

• Negotiates a book deal, making sure that the terms are acceptable to the author; if multiple publishers are interested, conducts an auction; advises the author on which deal to accept.

• Sends the author the negotiated contract for review, and later for signature; sends the signed contract back to the publishers; sends a copy of the contract signed by all parties.

• Manages the advance and royalties—checks will go to the agent who, in turn, sends the author a check for the total less the agent's cut; the current industry standard is 15%.

• Negotiates (or subcontracts) media and foreign language rights.

• Discusses the author's future career, and strategizes what to write next.

Here's what a legitimate, reputable literary agent does not do:

• Charges the author a fee—agents get paid only if and when the author gets paid.

• Writes your book—if an agent offers to doctor your book (for a fee), run the other way.

The official organization of professional literary agents is the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). Visit their website at www.aaron-line.org to get answers to frequently asked questions, read their "canon of ethics," and find the list of member agents.

You want an agent who is enthusiastic to the point of being embarrassing someone who will be your number one booster and supporter. It should also be someone you can trust and talk to, someone who will return your phone calls. But, your agent doesn't have to be your friend. Remember, this is a business relationship.

Do You Need an Agent?

Whether or not you need an agent depends on your publishing goals. You need an agent if your goal is to sell your book to a major publishing house. These days most editors at major and even mid-sized publishing houses only consider manuscripts submitted to them by agents. Prestigious agents get their submissions taken more seriously and turned around more quickly. Ultimately, it's the manuscript that makes the sale but it's the agent who gets the editor to pay attention.

Many small presses consider submissions directly from the author. Check the publisher's website for their submission guidelines. So if a small press is your goal, then you may not need an agent. Your advance will be small, possibly not even worth an agent's time. But you should have an experienced attorney, one familiar with issues of intellectual property, read through the contract before you sign it to be sure you're retaining all the rights you're entitled to.

An agent most likely will not be interested in representing you if you are self-publishing or going with a vanity press. They're in business to make money and there's usually not enough to go around if you go that route. If you have self-published a novel and it has sold well (a few thousand copies), a literary agent may be interested in representing you and helping you sell that manuscript to a traditional press.

Targeting Agents

Do your research and target agents who represent the kind of work you've written. Don't send a science fiction manuscript to an agent who represents an author whose work is on the New York Times bestseller list if he's not looking at science fiction. Try to assemble a list of ten to twenty agents. Then prioritize, from your top choice on down.

Finding Agents That Represent Novels Like Yours

There are many sources available to you to find agents. Here are a few:

• The database of professional literary agents at www.aaronline.org lists its agents, the kinds of work they are looking for, and how they prefer to be queried.

• Www.querytracker.net is an interactive website and online community with a database of literary agents; just enter the kind of manuscript you are shopping, and back comes a list of literary agents and more information about them.

• Guide to Literary Agents is an annually updated guidebook that lists agents, how they each prefer to be contacted, and what kind of work they represent; it is also chock full of advice about selling your book.

• Preditors & Editors (www.pre-ed.com), a volunteer-run source for information that provides word-of-mouth feedback from writers about agents, editors, contests, conferences, and more, has been collecting information since 1997 including resources that are "not recommended."

• Writer Beware (www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware), a resource maintained by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, offers excellent advice for finding a good literary agent and for avoiding scams.

Using Book Acknowledgments to Target Agents

An agent's track record is an excellent indication of whether he is likely to be interested in your manuscript. To find agents who have represented books like yours, take a field trip to a bookstore and pull off the shelf all the books that remind you of your manuscript. Look in the "Acknowledgements" sections where most authors thank their agents. Make a list—the book, the author, and the agent. Then go to one of the databases and research the agents to find out how to contact them. Start a list!

Getting Referrals from Other Writers

Taking writing classes or going to writing conferences is an excellent way to meet published writers working in the same genre as you are. Writers you meet, especially ones who've read and enjoyed your work, may be happy to share their agent's contact information. If you make a very good impression, they may even be willing to let you use their name in your query letter. But always ask permission. Add names to your list!

Meetings Agents at Conferences

Many writing conferences have "pitch sessions" where you can sign up to pitch your work to a literary agent. At these conferences agents often hang out between sessions in the bar. Introduce yourself, but don't make it a hard sell. On the other hand, when an agent says, "Tell me about your book," be prepared to pitch it in two pithy sentences. Research the agents who will be at the conference ahead of time so you can be sure that you are seeing an agent you would be interested in your work.

If an agent at conference asks you to send something like thirty pages, send the first thirty pages of the book. And be sure, in your cover letter (or email), to remind him right away: "Hello this is Jennifer Gioia, I met you at the Writers Stuff conference last week in Atlanta and you asked me to send you the opening chapter of my novel..." Don't assume the agent will remember who you are. Remember, agents meet hundreds of authors.

Asking Everyone You Know

Personal referral is one of the best ways to get an agent you've never met to read and respond to your query. So ask everyone you know and use whatever contacts you have.

You may not think that you know anyone who knows an agent, but when the time comes, it doesn't hurt to ask. Someone's college roommate, or uncle, or ex-husband may not be an agent.

It's so much stronger to start off your query with, "Your sister Virginia Lockhart suggested that I contact you..."

Querying an Agent in Writing

Agents, like all the rest of us, have their preferences. More and more are taking query letters via email, and some accept only email queries. Others prefer snail mail. Still, others are open to either option. Do your research so you approach agents based on their preferences.

Email Query

If the agent is open to an email query, then put the query letter right into the body of an email message.

In the "Subject" line, make it clear that this is a query. You don't want your query to be overlooked or deleted as spam.

Subject: QUERY: MORE THAN SHE CAN CHEW

Send queries individually to each agent and personalize the body of each. Never send a query to a list of email addresses. If you do, your query will probably get deleted without even being considered.

Snail Mail Query

Yes, many agents still accept queries via mail. Some prefer them, saying that it cuts down on the volume they receive and seems to generate a more serious, focused set of submissions.

Mail the agent your one-page query, single-spaced, printed on white paper, with a stamped, self-addressed envelope for response. Be sure you include your contact information; often when agents are excited about what they read, they reach for the phone.

Querying Q&A

Q: Can I include a synopsis or a chapter with my query?
A: Check the agent's preferences and only send what is requested. Some want to see a chapter (always Chapter One) and a synopsis. Others do not.

Q: What kind of response might I get?
A: "Please send a partial" means you've piqued the agent's interest and she wants you to send (typically) fifty pages or three chapters of your work.
"Please send the full manuscript" is good news and want you want to hear, and the reason why you never should start shopping your manuscript before you've finished writing it.
"Can I have an exclusive?" means the agent wants to read the manuscript and, while she's deciding, you agree to put a hold on shopping the work to other agents. You can grant the requested exclusive or not, it's up to you. It's wise, if you do grant an exclusive, to limit the time period for the agent's reply—two weeks or four weeks, for example, should be plenty of time for a highly motivated agent to get back to you with an answer.
"Thanks but no thanks" or words to that effect. If you get some substantive critique, consider it a gift and an indication that the agent thinks your writing has promise; but don't follow up with questions about why your work was rejected. It's not the agent's job to critique your manuscript. Do thank them, however, for considering your work.

Q: How long should I wait to hear?
A: If you've sent your query and haven't heard in six to eight weeks, move on. If a partial or full manuscript was requested, it could take one to four months before you hear. In that case, it's okay to send a quick email asking for a status update after four months. You may or may not get a response.

Q: Is it okay to query multiple agents at the same time? How many?
A: While this was once considered bad form, it's perfectly acceptable these days to query multiple agents. Keep track of your submissions, and it's a good idea to send them out in batches, say five or six queries at a time. Wait three or four weeks before sending out the next batch. This makes it easier to track your queries, and also allows you to first query the agents you want most to represent you, and then agents lower down in your preferences.

Q: Is it okay to query more than one literary agent in the same agency?
A: Usually this is okay, but wait until one rejects you before you submit to the next.

Keeping Track of Your Queries

It's important to keep track of whom you've queried and the responses you've received. There's at least one website, www.querytracker.net, which offers a free service you can use to organize and track your query letters. Or you can create a spreadsheet and make a record whenever you send out a query, including the name and contact information of every agent and the date you sent the query.

Then keep notes. Note when you receive a response. Note whenever you send out a partial or a manuscript. You should always be able to tell, at a glance, how many balls you have in the air. And when the phone rings and an agent calls, it should be easy for you to quickly look up when you queried that agent and what you sent.

Dealing with Rejection

Some writers sell their novel through the first agent who reads it, but for others, it can take years. Rejection is painful, but it comes with the turf.

Remember, agents pass on scores of manuscripts every day for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the potential of the author. Most agents aren't unkind so much as busy. So don't be insulted if you get what feels like a dismissive form letter.

Expecting rejection can offer some protection against its sting. But rejection can also help your writing by giving you a clue or two about what needs to be fixed.

Save your rejections. Save them all. These are your battle scars. And when you have the good fortune to receive constructive criticism about your writing, cherish it.

If your query is getting repeatedly rejected, consider revising your query letter. If agents are requesting partials and full manuscripts, and they are rejected, consider revising the manuscript. See if, among all those rejections, you can find some clues for making the work stronger.

Here's an interesting fact: fantasy author James Hines surveyed nearly 250 published novelists and asked them how many years they had been writing before they made their first novel sale. Their answers ranged from one to forty-one years; the average was 11.6 years.

After the Sale

If you write a great book and get lucky too, then you'll find an agent who will find a publisher who loves your book and wants to publish it. When that happens, don't forget to celebrate! Break open the champagne. Treat yourself to a night on the town. Bake yourself a cake.

Then get ready to revise, probably several more times, working with an editor at the publishing house. As perfect as you think you've made it, there will probably be both major and minor revisions to be made.

Start thinking about marketing the book—establish a presence on Facebook if you're not already you there, create an author's website, and maybe start a blog.

Talk to your publisher about a marketing plan that might include a blog tour, or a radio tour, or visits to a local bookstore to sign stock, and readings at libraries and bookstores when the book comes out. You may decide to travel more broadly, especially to places where you've lived or have a vacation home and know lots of people, or to where your book is set.

If your book has a strong nonfiction hook, then identify organizations that might be interested in having you come and speak (and sell books). For instance, if your book has a professional golfer as its hero, you could speak at golf events or country clubs. If your boo is about the world of counterfeit coins, then maybe you can get yourself a speaking gig at a coin show.

You may want to do all of this yourself, or invest in an independent publicist to supplement your publisher's efforts and orchestrate your marketing campaign. All of this should begin six months before your pub date. But beware! Marketing your book can consume your time completely, but don't let it. Because the most important thing for you to be working on, after selling your first novel, is writing the next one.

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