How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent (excerpt)

How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent

Noah Lukeman

How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent

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CONTENTS

Introduction

PART I: YOU

Chapter 1: Why You Need an Agent

10 Reasons Not to Query Publishers Directly

10 Reasons Why You Need an Agent

When to Query a Publisher Directly

Chapter 2: Preparing Your Manuscript

The Final Draft Rule

Avoiding Quirky Formats

Fiction versus Non-Fiction

Aspects Unique to Fiction

Aspects Unique to Non-Fiction

The Non-Fiction Proposal

Different Genres of Non-Fiction

Memoir

Can I Cross Over?

Chapter 3: How to Build Your Platform and Credentials

Fiction versus Non-Fiction

Planning for a Longer Effort

8 Ways to Build Your Platform (for both Fiction and Non-Fiction)

9 Steps to Building Your Bio (for Fiction)

The Importance of Getting Out There

Before you Build Your Platform (Non-Fiction)

8 Ways to Build Your Non-Fiction Platform

PART II: THEM

Chapter 4: How to Research Agents (35 Resources)

13 Factors to Consider When Evaluating an Agent

24 Free Resources for Researching Agents

11 Fee-Based Resources for Researching Agents

Chapter 5: Your Approach

The 4 Musts of Submitting

3 Things Not to do When Submitting

To Fed-Ex or Not to Fed-Ex?

To E-Mail or Not to E-Mail?

6 Crucial Issues When Querying Via E-Mail

Chapter 6: The Art of Follow Up

How Long to Wait?

4 Keys to Successful Follow Up

To Revise or Not to Revise?

4 Tools to Have at Your Disposal

Why Rejection Doesn't Matter

Chapter 7: How to Protect Yourself

3 Resources to Protect you from Agent Scams

5 Ways an Agent Can Take Advantage of You

To Use a Book Doctor?

The Agency Agreement

7 Ways to Protect Yourself in an Agency Agreement

To Hire an Attorney?

PART III: AFTER THE STORM

Chapter 8: How to Keep Your Agent (and When to Let Him Go)

What it's Like to Work With an Agent (a Step-by-Step Timeline)

A Publication Timeline Chart

The Agent's Role in the Timeline

15 Ways to Assure a Great Relationship With Your Agent

What if Your Agent Quits?

When to Let Your Agent Go

6 Reasons to Drop Your Agent

Chapter 9: Now What?

To Self Publish?

Continue to Improve Your Craft

Write Another Book

Never Give Up

{EXCERPT}

Introduction

As a literary agent, I've come into contact with thousands of authors over the years, and I can't begin to tell you how many of them tell me the same story: they spent years completing their manuscript, approached the publishing industry, were rejected, and then gave up. When I ask them what their "approach" consisted of, they invariably tell me they sent their manuscripts to a handful of agents (usually about six) over the course of one or two years. Based on those few rejections, they deemed themselves to have been officially turned down by the publishing industry.

When I inquire further, I discover in nearly every case that these authors not only approached agents inappropriate for their work, but also approached them in an amateur, improper way. As a result, their writing was never read by a single publishing professional for whom it might be appropriate. After years of working on their manuscripts, after laboring over every word, these authors never gave themselves a chance.

After years of working hard on a manuscript, you might, understandably, be excited and eager to share it with the world; your first impulse will be to immediately get it onto the desks of those who might publish it. However, I assure you that rushing into the submission process will end up counteracting all of your hard work. Indeed, it never ceases to amaze me that writers will spend several years working on their manuscripts, yet only a few hours sealing its fate by hastily choosing a list of agents out of a random (usually outdated) directory, or by the first, random website they happen to stumble upon.