How does one go about getting an agent?

I'm not from America but I would like to take a chance with the novel I wrote in English. Any advice on how to go about writing queries and where to find appropriate agents? How was your experience in traditional publishing?

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@rainelorenzo There are English agents too.

Start with the Writer and Artist's Yearbook. Check out which agents represent your genre, then check their website to make sure they are accepting submissions now. It's always worth ringing up to see if it's up to date, and to see who in the agency you should submit to.

Also check Editors and Preditors to make sure they have a good reputation, and do your research. Agents like a personal approach, so if you can say "I'm writing to you because I know you represent X who is similar to me" or "I was impressed by the deal you got for Y".

Then write a brief professional query letter, mentioning the genre, length, setting, target readership and anything which makes makes this book particularly salable.

Sum up the plot in a couple of lines. That's it. The agent is not interested in more.

If you don't have a track record in writing, don't make up stuff, let the story speak for you.

Unless otherwise told, include a synopsis and the first three chapters.

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@Ctyolene Thanks for the advice! Can I ask how was your experience as a published author?

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@rainelorenzo Elana Johnson is a fabulous author with Simon and Schuster who's written an ebook on how to write query letters--it's free and you can get it here: http://www.elanajohnson.com/#!query-to-the-call I know this will help tremendously. Best wishes on your endeavor!

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@rainelorenzo I second Editors and Preditors. The Absolute Write water cooler forums are a great place to learn more about individual agents/agencies. Casey McCormick has a great blog detailing submission packages for each agent she's featured: http://www.literaryrambles.com/. When you are querying, QueryTracker (I blog for them) is free and a great tool for keeping track of your subs. Elana's book is awesome!

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@rainelorenzo Er, pretty much life as normal. Except that I get royality checks and an occasional e-mail from someone commenting on my books. I get asked to lead the occasional writing course, and have actually been asked for my autograph, but in general, it's life as normal.

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@ElizabethMueller @DanyelleLeafty @Ctyolene Thank you so much for taking the time to answer me! Since I'm new at writing (with no background at all), I'm trying to find out as much as I can about the industry. This is especially because I'm quite sure there aren't publishers here in my country who are in the business of publishing English YA novels.

It's different being a reader from being a writer and I'm glad you took the time to bother with me. =)

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@rainelorenzo The big difference in the last ten years is that you don't have to live near your publisher. I have two publishers, one in a different country and one in a different contintent!

The most important thing is to have a great book, and have it edited and polished as well as possible. Publishers no longer take on authors because they think they have potential so they are prepared to work with them for years. Now, if you don't have a book that they can sell now, they are not interested.

Yes, research the industry but without the amazing book, it's wasted effort.

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@Ctyolene I agree. It will always be the book that matters. As I'm sure everyone will agree, a good book isn't something that can be produced in an instant. It takes passion and hard work and I'm slowly coming to realize that.

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@Ctyolene Do you have to pay an agent?

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@puppycakes21 The agent gets a percentage of your royalties. Typically 10-15% on home sales, and 15-20% on foreign sales.

You do not pay an agent upfront. There should be no charge for reading or submitting or anything else. If your agent has a manuscript assessment service, that is a different thing and is not connected with the actual job of being an agent.

If you are thinking about submitting to say, Harlequin, which have a boiler plate contract, there is no point in having an agent, the terms of the contract will be the same with or without him, so you are paying 15% for no work. But if you have a big publisher interested, then find an agent immediately to make sure you get a good deal.

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@Ctyolene Is it better to find an agent before or after getting a deal with a publisher, no matter the size.

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@puppycakes21 Some publishers will only accept submissions that come through agents. In that case, you need an agent to submit in the first place. But many smaller publishers will take direct subs, and if they have a boiler-plate contract, then an agent is a waste. But if you get a big deal, involving several books and film rights, then you really need an agent.

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@Ctyolene Does that happen to wattpad authors very often?

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@puppycakes21 I've seen several published authors on Wattpad, but in general they were published before they joined WP, it didn't happen as a result.

I can tell you that publishers and agents are NOT trawling through the What's Hot list looking for the next big thing. Most of them have slush piles that are several hundred high (think no more room in the office, so the corridor is lined with stacks of paper) which are completed and mostly spell-checked. And reading those is on top of their regular work which is looking after the authors they have.

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@Ctyolene Oh. That makes me sad. I actually looked for an agent last night. Only problem is that I need to actually finish a book to get an agent. :'(

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@puppycakes21 And rewrite, polish and edit. You should have your book ready for publication before you approach an agent or publisher. You also need a proper synopsis (not the blurb you see on WP. a synopsis that tells the full story, including all the twists and the ending). Polish your query letter as well. Most submissions are rejected on the basis of the query letter alone.

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@Ctyolene When it's ready do you think that I could run my query letter by you since you seems to do great on your own and you are already published?

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@puppycakes21 Yes, pm the letter you are thinking of sending, and I'l help you polish it.

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@Ctyolene @puppycakes21 Wow! Reading your conversation alone was really helpful! I just finished my own story but I still have lots of editing to do. I intend to try and submit to an agent soon but as Ctyolene said, I still have to come up with the synopsis and of course, the query letter itself. =)

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@Ctyolene I will once I find an agent and finish my book. Thanks for accepting to read it. It really means a lot!

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@rainelorenzo You're welcome!

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@puppycakes21

Hi! This link goes directly to my website: http://www.authorelizabethmueller.com/darkspell-plotting.html. There's a 9 step structure on how to break your story down (plug in your hero/ine where it says Winter, and use my sentences as a sample for your own).

After you're done with the outline, string your sentences together. There's your awesome synopsis (another thing that most writers aren't too fond of besides query-letter writing).

Hope that helps for synopsis writing!

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@ElizabethMueller Umm I got the message that htis 404 does not exist.

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@puppycakes21 Sorry, I for some odd reason, the link comes up with a 404 message. Just hit the "Darkspell Plotting" tab on my website. Thanks! http://www.authorelizabethmueller.com/

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