“How NOT to Get A Literary Agent...
--An Expert's Step-by-Step Guide”
Avoid these mistakes and you're on your way!
by Steve Manning
The Secret to Not Getting an Agent.
Getting a literary agent for your book is dead easy. So I’m always amazed that just about every first-time author shoots themselves in the foot right from the start. Here are the mistakes 95% of writers make. Just by avoiding these, the agent will want to see your manuscript right away. Ready? The first mistake is a simple one.
About 50 per cent of the 100 query letters a typical agency gets each day will get a form rejection because the author put the wrong address on the envelope. What I mean is, you’ve sent your query letter for a thriller to an agency that never handles thrillers. Or you’ve written a fantastic non-fiction, and you’ve sent the query letter to an agency that handles only fiction.
Doesn’t matter how good you are, you’re getting a rejection letter from that agency. This is really a tragedy because you’re going to think immediately that your work is not good enough to be represented by a literary agent. Nothing could be further from the truth. This agent just isn’t interested in that kind of work and no effort on your part is going to make them think differently.
So, before you send out a query letter to a literary agent, make sure they represent the kind of book you’re producing.
Next, 20 per cent of the 100 query letters are not professionally written. Think of the person whose second language is English, and they started to learn just a few days ago.
“Have good book, you buy?” I’m not kidding, I’ve seen them. Agents aren’t on this planet to make you a better writer. If they do, that’s just a pleasant by product. They’re here to take your manuscript as it is and sell it to a publisher who wants it. In many cases, they’re not even going to read the whole thing. They just want to know you can write it, that you have the ability.
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Moving on, 29 per cent of the query letters are not produced by someone with superior writing skills. You have to write well. Your query letter is the audition for your book. It’s got to sing, dance and sell its heart out with the pure magic that only prose can present. The agent should be finishing the letter and saying to themselves, “Wow, this person can really write well!”
Hey, we’re up to 89 per cent already. If you can just accomplish those previous three things, you’re well on your way. But now let’s remove the last obstacle.
Make your book about something “Special,” unique, haven’t seen this one before. In other words, if you’re writing for children, keep away from Harry Potter-esque stuff. Want to write a thriller? Let’s give Da Vinci a rest. This is tough because publishers are known for wanting the very same stuff that sold well last year… agents aren’t. So make Harry Potter a western. Or set your next thriller IN Renaissance Italy.
If you can avoid those four challenges when you write your agent acquisition letter (also known as a query), before the week is out you could be hearing from an excited agent who wants to represent you!
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