I third that one - while there are authors who are discovered through the slush pile, your best bet is to find a literary agent who represents your genre. He/she not only has direct contact with the editors at multiple publishing companies and therefore knows what they are looking for, but also knows all the ins and outs of publishing, such as legalities. They are the person who will try to get you a good deal with respect to advances and royalties, and will make sure that you retain as many of the rights to your novel as possible (such as movie rights, foreign rights, etc.). Your agent is paid a percentage commission only if they are able to sell your book
to a publisher.
Important things to know:
1. You should never have to pay an agent to read your manuscript.
2. There's something fishy going on if an agent says they like your manuscript, but want you to pay a professional editor to polish it up, and by the way here's the contact info for an editor we really like.
3. You should never have to pay to have your book published unless you are using a print on demand (POD) service (though Lulu does not require up-front payments, with the exception of a few optional services, such as buying an ISBN).
4. Finish the novel before querying agents. This isn't necessary for nonfiction, or for established authors who already have a publisher, but if it's your first novel, it needs to be done and polished to the nth degree before you try to get an agent.
This is what agents typically require:
1. A one page query letter - Some prefer hard copies, other prefer emails, and most others don't specify a preference.
2. Within the query letter, a short summary of your story that includes the ending. When I say short, I'm talking maybe 200-300 words, at most. You don't want to ramble, just get the idea of the story across without losing their attention, and try to keep the voice true to the story. Some people can do it in one or two or three sentences. I find a couple of paragraphs works for me. Think "back of book blurb" here, but with more information revealed.
I've also recently been coming up with 1 or 2 sentence "tag lines" for my stories to include in the letters when I start querying.
3. Also within the query letter, any credentials, awards, publications, education, etc. that are relevant to writing a novel.
4. Many will ask for a synopsis. If they don't specify a page count, you're usually safe with 3-5 pages that really focus in on the main points that lead to the main conflict. It should be single-spaced with a double space between paragraphs, and written in third-person present tense, regardless of the POV or tense within the novel.
5. Some agents request the first 3-10 pages, to get a feel for your writing. One of the agents out there whose blog I read has suggested that you always include a few pages, unless specifically told not to.
It's always a good idea to have a synopsis written, in case an agent asks for it later on. If an agent is interested, they will usually ask for a partial - about 3 chapters. If they like that, then they'll ask for a full. If they like that, then they will offer to represent you. Doesn't mean the book will get published, but it's at least getting looked at now.
One of the things about agents is that they are people ;D. One might pass on your manuscript, while another one connects with it in some way and loves it. So, when querying, your best bet is to really research agents, find some who represent books that are similar to yours, make your letter a bit personalized, and query all of them. One of the agents who keeps a blog recently did some calculations and noted that out of over 5,000 queries per year, she takes on about 8 new clients. Of course, one of the things that makes this a bit less overwhelming is that this number includes people who don't write within her genre, do a horrible job writing their query letter, aren't such good writers, etc.
Here are a couple of great resources:
Writers' forum, also includes lists of agents, editors, and publishers who you don't want to get involved with, as well as some of the better ones:
www.absolutewrite.com/forums/index.phpMembers include everyone from those just starting their first novel, to multiple-published authors. You get tons of feedback on questions.
Awesome place to research agents; it's basically a searchable database:
www.agentquery.com/Liz
). And, then there’s J.K. Rowling’s story, which is similar to that process. But, that’s not how it is now, is it?
). And, then there’s J.K. Rowling’s story, which is similar to that process. But, that’s not how it is now, is it?
