Finding a literary agent

There was a time when you went straight to the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and flipped to the section on literary agents and read the relevant blurb for information on manuscript submission. This was, after all, the prime directory for all things related to the publishing industry and therefore the best way to find a literary agent.

But things have changed, and the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook has lost relevance. Why? Primarily because of the internet. As with a domestic phonebook, much of the information is out of date by the time it comes off the printing press. Many contemporary literary agents are living month to month, if not minute to minute. Ditto for publishers. Which means that if you want to keep abreast of what's going on, you need to get online too.

Yes, the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook still has a place. But you can't trust it for relevancy.

If you're serious about getting published, you need to create your own directory and update it regularly. This means making a list of the top 50 or so literary agents and methodically researching them before even considering submitting your manuscript.

Favourite authors and literary agent blogs

Who are literary agent? Where have they come from? Which books are they representing? What are their professional quirks (and they all have those, believe me)? And where are their soft spots?

Soft spots?

You read it right. I'm talking about the things that get literary agents personally or professionally excited or interested or even frothing at the mouth. And those things might be anything. Favourite authors (usually literary). Labradors. Hobbies. Colours. Films. Cars. Shoes. Ice cream.

The list is endless.

This information is often also available on the net in the shape of remarks and comments tossed out in interviews or blogs. You need to collect all this stuff and collate it into your working file. And often, you'll be following new threads leading you to other industry professionals. All this is potentially useful information that you can exploit when you feel you've got a coherent picture. And those soft spots can be used when writing submissions queries or synopses or whatever.

How?

If, for instance, your manuscript has a hero with an Alsation dog, you might consider switching it to a Labrador if you're pitching to an agent who you know favours that breed. You might, alternately, look at the agent's name and see how you can contrive to give your lead character a similar name. Or use an agent's maiden name, where applicable.

Plenty of agents have biographies on the net. So read them, study them, act upon them.

Sly? Devious? Manipulative?

Of course it is. Welcome to the publishing industry. In fact welcome to the world of advertising, or politics, or any other industry. It's all sly and manipulative. You either get on board, or get off the train. It's your call. But if you really want literary agent representation, you need to throw away the rule book and think tactically.

Help with manuscript submission approaches

If you want to be really methodical, you might consider drawing a literary agent family tree and hanging it on the wall somewhere close to your workstation. Or get a pegboard and a large ball of string and some coloured pins and some postcards.

Can't be bothered with all that?

I know the feeling. It's hard work. But getting published is all about hard work. It can be brutal. Having a great manuscript is one thing. But having the right connections and the right information at the right time is just as important.

You need to find out who's in the ascendancy, and who's on the way out. You need to know who's hungry, and who's got their bellies full.

So stay informed. Or stay in the dark.

You might even want to consider creating two family trees; one for British literary agents, and one for American literary agents. After a couple of years—and you have to take the long view in getting published—you'll have a very comprehensive "map" of the British publishing industry that will serve you well in your numerous manuscript submission approaches.

Remember to send only fresh copies of your manuscript with each submission. Don't keep sending out the returned copy. It will look increasingly tatty and amateur, and literary agents like to feel that they're getting exclusive treatment. That means you need to send out your manuscript as if it was the first time.

And no, a slightly knocked about MSS isn't necessarily going to get you a rejection slip. But a clean manuscript will increase your chances of getting published.

Printing costs can, however, rack up. This is why you should never send out a full manuscript unless it's been specifically requested. That said, expect to spend some time preparing your manuscript only to have it returned in the same condition that it was sent.

In other words, untouched.

I've experienced this many times. It's easy for a busy agent to thoughtlessly ask for your manuscript when he or she hasn't really studied your query letter to check that your book really is what they want. And it's not all that hard for them, or their secretaries, or work-experience gofers to stick on the return postage stamps you sent and hand your MSS back to the postman.

I wonder if some agent just like to get a lot of mail and put a column of manuscripts on their desk (to impress their visitors, perhaps). Regardless, just because you've been asked to send a manuscript, don't assume that anyone out there is really paying attention.

It's a cruel world.

Searching the net

Random subject searches are a good idea. By this, I mean searching not for the names of literary agents, but searching by your literary subject. If you write westerns, for instance, don't simply look through lists of agents hoping to find one who'll take a cowboy story. Instead, be more proactive and search for "western fiction" and "cowboy fiction" and "gunfighter fiction" and "gunfighter stories". Search for exactly the kind of books you want to read. Look for links to agents. And editors.

Be imaginative and try other connections, such as "modern cowboy stories" or "supernatural cowboy stories" or "romantic cowboy stories". You never know what you'll catch in your internet. You just have to keep trawling.

If you persist, you'll find all kinds of lateral links to books and authors you might not have heard about, which in turn will lead you to agents you also might not have heard about. It's laborious, but it's the kind of thing you can do at the end of the day when your writing chores are complete (unless, of course, the end of the day is exactly when you're at your most creative). Either way, don't let this research get in the way of your "core business" which is writing words.

Check the paperbacks in the bookshops

Published writers frequently make some mention of the behind-the-scenes people who've made their book a reality. It might be the name of their editor, or publicity people, or technical experts—and more often the name of their agent.

Get that information and put it on the pegboard. Treat it all as the intelligence desk in a war room. You're battling it out with tens of thousands of likeminded hopefuls, remember. Some will do very little to find the right agent, and will get lucky anyway. Some will do little and will get nowhere.

But the smart writers get the right intelligence at the right time and act upon it while it's still fresh. There are no guarantees, of course. It's just a question of improving your chances, of evening up the odds.

Literary agents respect other professionals

Quite simply, this means that a literary agent will more readily respond to your letter or submissions query if they feel they're dealing with another professional. By that, I mean that they'll take you more seriously if they see you've done your homework.

Don't overdo it, however.

Don't be dumb enough to make the agent feel as if you're stalking them—except, perhaps, if you're stalking them online which gives them a certain degree of privacy and security. Just let them know that you're watching the industry. Let them know that you're a "player" and not just another wannabe—which, at some level, we all are (but don't rub it in, huh?).

Let them know that you're methodical and professional and sharp and resourceful. These are the kind of skills you're going to need to stay ahead of the game.

And literary agents want winners, not losers.

If you build up enough contacts, it's conceivable (if rare) that an agent will contact you at some point with a project of his or her own. I know this happens because it happens to me (I turned it down, incidentally, because there was too much risk in it for me, and not enough reward—and I was busy with my own project that I didn't want to put aside).

Look at online directories of agents and publishers

But don't rely on such directories. Most are out of date; many being years out of date. Most have irrelevant information. Or confusing information. Or misleading information. Plenty of them have long lists of dead agents (either literally dead, or just metaphorically).

Just use the online directories to broaden your picture of what's going on. You'll have to use your own initiative to find the relevant sites.

Take note too of the warnings about dodgy or fraudulent literary agents. There are plenty around, and the old adage about "no smoke without fire" generally holds true. I'd suggest that you build your own fraud list. It could save you a lot of heartache.

And postage.

Writers groups & forums

This is pretty much self-explanatory. You search the net and find the relevant group or forum and get involved and listen to the propaganda, etc. Some groups and forums are, not unexpectedly, pretty awful. Others are better, or very good.

But get involved in at least one of these groups and just read and study for a while. Use a pseudonym if you prefer, and try and put something back when you've got a handle on what's going on and who's who.

If you can find a non-virtual group in your neighbourhood, then consider attending. Often these groups are a nest of clashing egos and internal politics. But there are some good groups too. Just remember never to let such groups distract you from what you're really doing there. It's all too easy to get tied up in the machinations of a forum or group and abandon your writing goals.

Remember too that a lot of the really good information is likely to be jealously guarded in much the same way that you're going to hold tightly to your own red hot leads. Most writers are pretty friendly on one level, but when there's a gold rush, it's every man (or woman) for himself/herself.

Ask a literary agent for leads

So you've sent your manuscript and it's been sent back. What do you do next? Well, you might consider a brief thank you to the agent; an email will do with a clear THANK YOU in the subject line. No one wants to have their time wasted, after all. And keep in mind that some agents won't want to receive a thank you. They've rejected your material and, as far as they're concerned, you're history. You'll just have to play this one by ear.

For instance, if the agent has been curt and dismissive in his/her reply, leave it be. If, however, you sense a friendly agent, write your brief thank you, and add a line asking if the agent can recommend any other agents.

Many literary agents are very helpful (I've even had agents send some of my own material on to rivals/associates; but this is rare).

Avoid writing about anything else in the "thank you" email. And avoid writing at length. Just make a clear, concise point asking for a recommendation or suggestion.

It can and does work. And when it does, put the information on your war board.

Literary agents on You Tube

There's a lot of material here, so check it out. As with forums, there's a lot of nonsense too. But there's always intelligence to be gleaned if you actively hunt for it. The trick is to act rapidly when you sense a kill.

Literary agents on TV and the radio

Once again, you've got to keep your eyes and ears open. Occasionally an agent will turn up on a book programme, and often when they're on a hunt of their own looking for the next Dan Brown or J K Rowling or Stephen King, or even William Shakespeare.

Watch and listen carefully for those other hints that frequently go unnoticed. It might be talk about new publishing trends (in which case you can try to subtly, and very shrewdly, spin your query letter in that direction). Or it might be talk about a newly developing sub genre that exactly fits your own project (gothic chicklit, or steampunk novels, etc).

Equally importantly, you'd do well to study literary agents "in the wild" to get a better feel for their mindsets and the language of the industry. That can carry you a long way, so learn to walk the walk and talk the talk, etc.

Visit the book fairs

This can be expensive and take a lot of time. But it's worth doing if you can afford it. Plenty of agents, if not all agents, at some time or another use book fairs as a way of networking. With the right approach, you can make some useful and enduring contacts.

But remember that the agents are often there to network with editors and publishers, and not exclusively with the hopeful writers. So pick your moment. Get in quick, and get out quick. Be polite and professional.

Mr Edit. Pitching fiction to a literary agent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy698w2Ooc8

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Creative writing

● Writing tips

● Plotting a novel

● Finding a literary agent

● Choosing a literary agent

● Agent query letters

● Inspiration for writers

● Rejection letters

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● Writer's block

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Dirty Business

Murder and mayhem following an industrial pollution cover-up.

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A light hearted tale about a holiday venture, with a difference.

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Exit Point

An aviator becomes embroiled in a terrorist murder plot.

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A tale of blackmail following a hit-and-run incident.

Sample 5

Exclusion Zone

A middle-aged man takes a couple of suitcase bombs onto a London underground train.

Special features

Darley Anderson, top UK literary agent, on books,
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Zoë Sharp, creator of the

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Jeff Kleinman, New York literary agent, talks shop

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