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Welcome back to the How to Get Published Series.
The subtitle of this post is "how to find and sign with a reputable agent," and yes, the emphasis should be on the word reputable. While reputable has ethical connotations (and this matters a lot too), what I really mean is "how to sign with an agent who will actually get your book sold rather than one who is taking a real crap shoot with your project and may end up doing more harm than good."
Did that scare you? Good, because it should. You should go into this part with your rose-colored glasses off, because this relationship will be the most important one you create. Publishers will come and go, but a good agent will hopefully be by your side for life.
Which is not to say that you can't switch agents. I actually did switch agents once, and even though it was a really good parting, it was sickening and gut-wrenching with a lot of "what have I done" feelings mixed in as well. Do yourself a favor and choose carefully. Oh, and go back and review the last installment to keep it fresh in your mind as you read this one.
A lot (though certainly not all) of the best agents are in New York, where most of the publishing houses are located. Though all good agents will have a sales record (and have it be easily accessible either through the agency site or by a quick Google search on the Web) or be a junior agent with an established literary agency (junior agents generally assist agents, learning the ropes, and then start to build their own list with the assistance of an established agent in their agency. I would not be nervous about using a junior agent at a place like Writers House.) and therefore you can view their agency's sales record.
I would not work with someone who has not made sales at the type of publishers you want to work with (in other words, if you want to work with a big six publisher, make sure your agent has made deals for their clients with big six publishers). You are looking for a sales history that fits your book -- not just any old sales history.
Because anyone can slap on the title agent and try to sell your book. But that has the potential to seriously damage your project.
Let's say you sign with your friend's Aunt Tina who works as a solo literary agent in her own self-named agency, and you think how lucky you are to have this connection and get an agent so easily. Aunt Tina sends your book to a few publishers blindly, and they reject it outright because they don't know Aunt Tina. You've now closed off the possibility of working with those publishers.
Okay, not completely because a good agent can undo some damage, but what I'm trying to get across is that it matters that you take the time to find an agent who works well with you personality-wise (be clear about your needs and they'll be clear about their needs -- this is a working relationship), who has connections in your area of writing, and who follows AAR (Association of Authors' Representatives) guidelines (they don't have to be a member of AAR, but I like to see that they follow AAR guidelines).
There are multiple ways to find an agent:
- Use connections: do you know agents, did you meet one at a conference, do you have a friend who could introduce you to your agent?
- Go to the bookstore and peruse titles that are close to your book, but not exactly the same thing. And then look at the thank you page to get that author's agent. In other words, if you want to publish a book on potty-training techniques, go find other parenting books and write down those agents. When you query those agents, you're going to mention this book so keep track of which agent represents which author.
- Get a one-month subscription to PublishersMarketplace and use it to find out the agents of favorite authors. When you write them, mention that you think they'd be a great fit for your book because they already represent so-and-so. Point out that you've done your homework and there's
