How To Get An Agent As An Indie Author

So you’ve had enough of trying to sell books on your own and you want to get a book deal. How do you become a published or hybrid author? First, you’ll need a literary agent.

Why do I need an agent?

An agent is the only real way you can break into the trade publishing business. Sure, there are independent presses that publish in a trade way that may welcome unsolicited submissions, but the real way to get a buzz about your manuscript and sell it for one of those coveted six-figure sums is with an agent.

What does an agent do I can't do myself?

Agents have built contacts within the trade industry for years, and know the set process for getting your book sold to a publisher. They will know what is happening in the industry and what publishers are looking for what kind of book. They will most definitely champion your work, and you, if they decide to take you on as a client. They will have access to the best editors in town, and will work with you tirelessly to make your book the best it can be, for free. This saves you a lot of time, money, and effort.

Oh, hang on, scrap the effort part. It is going to be a lot of effort. You will be expected to work hard to edit and rewrite your book extensively to their specifications in order to sell it.

Is it okay to show them a manuscript I self-published already?

No. The agent will want to see something new that has never been in the public arena.

How should I talk about my indie author career so far?

Ask yourself if you have an indie career. Did you sell thousands of books? If so, tell your potential agent about it, because this means you have a reader base. If not, it’s best to say you wrote a few books for interest over the years but this is your first foray into a career as an author. These books are more than likely dead in the water, unfortunately, and it’s best not to resurrect them.

Isn't this a huge betrayal to indie publishing?

If a betrayal is getting yourself a writing career…Look, you are considering what it is to be a hybrid author. You can always still publish indie style. But this mansucript will be for the trade world.

How do I approach an agent?

You must check their requirements on their site, but mainly they will expect you to be a solicited submission. That means you need to write to them first and ask if you may send the manuscript. Some say you can submit directly, which means you don’t have to ask. You have to read the submissions page in detail.

However, there are some things that are not negotiable:

You must have written the whole book and have it edited to perfection before you submit, even if they ask for a few chapters. This is because if they like it, they will want the whole book immediately.
You must live in the same country as the agent. There is no point in submitting to an English agency if you live in the US. If you live in a smaller country, you should find the best agency you can in your biggest city, and they will no doubt have contacts worldwide.
The Golden Rule: ONE AGENT AT A TIME. There’s this hideous misunderstanding that it’s okay to blank drop on your list of agents hoping for a bite. But that’s not the way it works. You must have researched your agents, and made a shortlist of agents that are looking for your genre and your type of book. Make a shortlist from this List of Literary Agents at P&W.
You will need to send a query letter.

How to write a query letter to an agent

1. Find out the name of the agent. Don’t assume their gender. “Dear Sir,” will kill all chances to a female agent, for example.

2. Stalk them on social media, find out what they like, what they read, and what they have said in interviews about authors in the past. Look at “buzzwords”, i.e. the words they use to describe the books they want to find, e.g., dark fantasy, sword and sorcery epics, and decide which buzzwords to include in your letter.

3. Introduce yourself, but not extensively. Do not mention personal details unless it’s relevant to your book. Mention a niche fact relating to your book. Something like, “My name is Algernon Pervis, and I have been an historian for twelve years at the University of Engleton” or “My name is Christina Heenie and I have extensive interest in Canadian romance literature of the 80s.”

4. Don’t quote their author lists back to them. “I see you have represented Donna Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis, and that makes me think you could represent my book.” Instead, use words that will evoke those authors. “I write dark, twisted literary fiction set in New York.”

5. Use a neat font and type a clean email from a good email address (If your email is “mommyicecream@ or “cherrycheeks@” or something similar, you may want to make yourself a new Gmail address, just your name, something like “clarebrown123@”. Most agents want email, although you may find some want a letter in the mail. In this case, type on a fresh sheet of white typing paper and use a plain white letter envelope. You should not use notelets or silly stationery, nor should you send photos or anything but your query letter and the manuscript.

6. Type your manuscript on clean white typing paper of letter size. Make sure you follow the agent’s instructions for spacing, page numbers, and titling your manuscript. They will usually also have a fastening preference, such as staple one corner, do not fix your manuscript, or use one paper fastener on the left margin etc. Follow this religiously. Consider the presentation your first test to see if you are a fit for the agent.

7. Remember: If the agent wants to represent you, they will not forget to contact you! So don’t send silly “I was wondering how you were getting along” emails.

8. If you don’t hear back in ten weeks, it is safe to move on to the next agent on your list. Don’t even think of writing an angry letter to any agent on rejection. It is a very small world. That agent may tell all their friends about you…