Good morning, Bloggarts.
It occurred to me that some of my readers might not know what a literary agent is, why a writer would want/need one, and what the querying process looks like. Since I’ve jumped feet first into this stage of my writing career, let’s talk about it!
What is a Literary Agent?
A literary agent is someone who represents authors and their work to the editors at publishing houses. Publishing is a giant business with only four major players (Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Hachette, and HarperCollins). Each of these big companies have smaller “imprints” which typically focus on particular genres of work. And at all of these imprints are Acquiring Editors. People who read manuscripts to find books they want the imprint to buy and publish.
But, very rarely will an acquiring editor look at an “unsolicited” manuscript. Meaning, a manuscript that isn’t sent to them by a literary agent. In order to have your book considered by a Traditional Publisher (not Indie or self-publishing – that’s a whole other blog post), you have to have an agent representing your work.
That’s the bare bones of what a literary agent is. But, they are more than just sales people. They are business partners, and a good agent wants to build their authors’ careers for the long haul – not just a single hit book. They’re savvy to all the legalese that comes with selling rights to intellectual properties (and there are so MANY kinds of rights! Audio, foreign, film, etc.,), and advocate for the author in all negotiations with the publisher.
An agent doesn’t get paid until the author does, and receives a standard rate of 15% of the author’s earnings.
Why Do I Want an Agent?
Well, I want an agent because I want to traditionally publish. Generally speaking, there are three different ways a writer can publish their work: Traditional, Indie, or Self. Traditional is what I outlined above. It’s the old school way of producing books for sale in brick and mortar stores with broad distribution from a large publisher. Books you find in Barnes & Noble or in airport bookstores are traditionally published.
Indie publishers are small presses operating on their own, outside the realms of the “Big 4” publishers. Not a Pipe Publishing is an Indie press here in the Willamette Valley. Poisoned Pen Press is a larger Indie press based out of Scottsdale, AZ and publishes mystery fiction. So, they exist and can be very successful and viable options for authors. It’s one I haven’t entirely ruled out.
Self-publishing is another path to publication, and I think it tends to get a bad rap. People often think it’s easier or somehow less legitimate, when really, self-publishing is HARD. You are your own agent, marketer, and publisher. You spend a lot of money upfront (cover art isn’t free, and neither are editors) and have to market your ass off to see a return. If you want to see an example of a successful self-published author, look no further than my good friend Whitney Hill. Her Urban Fantasy series Shadows of Otherside is phenomenal! 
But, I know that self-publishing requires skills and strengths I just don’t have. And I don’t really want to have them. I’m willing to be patient and play the long game and have my little wins time and again, until I find an agent.
So, How Will I Get an Agent?
Well, first off, you need a finished book. And I mean finished. As done as you can make it. As good as it can be without professional assistance. Then, you need a query letter and a synopsis. Then you need your list of agents (I organized mine in a google sheet by agency and then by fit – aka how well I think we’d work together). Pick somewhere between 5 and 10, a mix of fits so you don’t send to all the top tier agents at once.
Only then can you start the slog of emailing or filling out forms. And then you wait. Some agents are quick, responding in less than 15 days. Others will take months to get back to you. Some won’t get back to you at all, and you just have to assume that, after so much time, they don’t want to read your book.
There are no guarantees in publishing. So much of it is luck. Sure, skill and talent matter, but only insofar as when someone (like an agent or an editor) notices you, you have the chops to keep their attention.
COVID did a number on publishing (like so much else) and things are really slow right now. And that’s on top of the usual slowness of summer. And a lot of agents gave up the job after how hard things have been the past couple years. They couldn’t afford to keep agenting. And more than a few agencies have closed with little to no notice, leaving their clients high and dry.
No lie? It’s kind of a scary time to be querying.
But, here I am, maintaining my list, sending out my little emails, trying to find someone who loves Something Sulfurous as much as I do. In the meantime, I’m writing more stories. Working on other books. That’s all you can do.
I hope this was a helpful little dive into querying and literary agents, and gave some insight into what I’m doing right now. I’ll be back on Monday with the usual Goals Summary.
Until then, Bloggos.
BZ
