What can you do to maximise
your chances of having your submission read and being taken on by a literary
agent? Here are some hints to help:
1.
Research
agencies to find the right fit. This is very easy to do, not least from looking
at agency’s own websites, reference works, The Bookseller etc.
2.
Look at
similar books. Look in the acknowledgements pages of books that are
comparable to see who the agent was. My agency doesn’t handle poetry, short
stories, science fiction, romance, fantasy, women’s fiction, religious so it’s
a waste of your time to send to me.
3.
Personalise
your submission. Target it to the right agent and use their name. Show
you know what they handle and suggest how your book is similar. Give the
impression this is an individual and not blanket approach.
4.
Don’t
submit too early. You only have one shot. Make sure your submission is
grammatical and polished by having it checked by a freelance editor.
5.
Build your
profile. The more Twitter followers you have and the greater your engagement
with social media and sites such as Goodreads the
better.
6.
Give agents
what they ask for. If they want chapter synopses or first three chapters then
send that. It shows professionalism and will help the agent properly assess the
submission. I personally want a one-page pitch on book, a page on authors and
their platform, a page with details on five similar books and how your book is
positioned in the market and suggested marketing outlets for book such as
organisations, websites and magazines.
7.
Network. Go
to where agents gather such as literary and writing festivals, meetings of
Society of Authors etc.
This is an extract from
an article that first appeared in issue 7
of Publishing Talk Magazine written by Andrew
Lownie, the bestselling literary
agent in the world according to Publishers Marketplace, who was short-listed
for The Bookseller UK literary agent of the year in 2014 and 2015. He has run
his own agency, the Andrew
Lownie Literary Agency, since 1988 having previously been a director of
Curtis Brown and worked as a bookseller, journalist and publisher. www.andrewlownie.co.uk
Thank you for this article, Di. As a writer who recently started out to get on top of all the stories and manuscripts that have been piling up over the years, but never saw the light of day, I'm very much interested in the process involved in getting an agent. I recently attended a workshop run by Mary Cunnane, which was also very helpful but there don't seem to be many Australian agents specialising in children's lit. Would it be better to not waste time and submit to a publisher directly (where unsolicited MS are admissible? Thank you for blog post.
ReplyDeleteI am a beginner and i found this very useful , Thank you for the post
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Thank you for taking your time and delivering this valuable content.
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