Navigating Traditional Publishing: Why You Need a Literary Agent (and Where to Look)
Being an author can seem like such a glamorous profession. Simply write the stories in your mind and heart and hand them off to literary fairies for proofreading and publishing. But the reality behind even one single book is so much more than a happy writer tapping away at the keyboard.
Though far from easy, some might say the actual writing is the easiest part of a book. For a new author, at least, everything that comes after finishing the manuscript can be overwhelming. If going the traditional publishing route, it may take long months or even years of querying before getting the coveted acceptance letter. If self-publishing, the author will need to not only front the money for a first publishing run, but also take on the marketing, publicity, and distribution responsibilities. Having the printed book in hand is far from the final end goal.
With a finished manuscript (or at least a solid draft) in hand, you may be asking yourself, “what comes next?” If you intend to try traditional publishing, your next steps will involve conversations with literary agents.
What is a Literary Agent and Why do I Need One?
A literary agent represents your interests to publishing companies and is responsible for selling your book for publication. A good literary agent will have experience in your book's genre, as well as a network of contacts within the publishing world. He will know which publishing houses would be a good fit for your book and whether or not the timing is right to send your manuscript out on submission. A good literary agent will also have a solid understanding of book contracts and be trusted to land a contract that protects your work and your rights.
How Do I get an Agent?
You may scowl at the notion, but the first step in finding an agent is completing your book. Agents receive hundreds of query letters each month—the more successful and well-known the agent, the more letters he or she receives. If you can't present them with a solid manuscript that shows time and care, the agent might read several things into it—that you aren't dedicated, that you aren't ready for an agent, or that you aren't going to work in a partnership to bring about mutual success.
“It's really hard to land an agent,” said Cynthia Bujnicki, a self-published author with a Bachelor's degree in writing and publishing from Emerson College. “You really have to sell your book.”
Wowing a literary agent requires a knock-out query letter that provides a synopsis of your book while also highlighting your understanding of writing structure. You will also include the first page or two of your book to entice the agent into requesting more.
If an agent tells you to revise and resubmit, you should do just that, while also applying the feedback to further queries you are submitting. In the traditional publishing world, agents won't say anything they don't mean. So if an agent tells you to revise and resubmit, she means it. If she tells you “no” for this book but to send a query for the next one, she means it.
“Be prepared to get a lot of form rejections,” said author Jenny Perinovic. “I recommend sending queries in batches of 10 so you can make adjustments as necessary.”
Initially a self-published author, Perinovic is working with an agent to traditionally publish her next book, Blood Like Roses. Though she had to face 215 rejections before finally signing an agent, Perinovic's next book now has a chance with traditional publishers.
Many big publishing houses won't take on an author—won't even read the manuscript—without an agent representing her, making your agent one of the most important members of your team.
“It's just something about having an agent that makes you more reputable,” Bujnicki said. An agent helps prove that your work has been polished and appeals to an audience outside your own network of supporters.
Some smaller presses may accept unsolicited manuscripts directly from authors, but you should be sure to research any publishing house you are considering working with. Each one will have different audiences and different practices.
Qualities of the Right Agent
Not all literary agents are equal and you definitely can't just accept the first agent who likes your book. In addition to regular and consistent communication, your literary agent will essentially be a business partner. She will be representing your business interests in conversations with traditional publishers and while looking over contracts. She needs to be someone you get along with and someone you can trust.
Not only that, she needs to have experience in your specific genre. “Aren't publishing contacts enough?” you may be asking. “I just want my manuscript in the hands of someone who can publish and distribute it.”
First off, you could publish it yourself, if that was really all you wanted.
An agent who has experience in your genre will make sure your manuscript gets into the right hands. How well will your Gothic novel do in the hands of a house that publishes educational materials? Will your historical biography do well if it's published by a house that specializes in paranormal romance?
Not that these houses would be likely to give your manuscript much attention to begin with, but the right agent has the tools and connections to see your manuscript transformed into a published—and publicized—book.
Even more than a publisher-author relationship, an agent-author relationship is a partnership. Neither of you get paid unless you both do your respective jobs.
“There are never, ever cases where you should pay an agent upfront,” Perinovic said. “Your agent gets paid when you do.”
You may not be paying your agent out of pocket, but you won't get paid if your agent doesn't do her job, so taking the time to choose a good agent—even when it means waiting—is well worth it.
At the end of the day, the agent you want is one who loves your work and fights to find a home for it among the thousands of manuscripts vying for attention. If an agent isn't enthusiastic about representing your work or doesn't display passion and excitement for it, it may be a sign that she won't commit fully to selling your book or getting the best deal possible for you.
A good agent recognizes that her success is your success and your success is her success. Don't settle for anything less, or you'll already be set up for some disappointment.
The Responsibility and Cost Breakdown
An agent's primary job is to sell your manuscript (and the manuscripts of her other clients, so she won't have endless amounts of time to prod you on to the next revision or word goal). She isn't your boss or your project manager, she's your partner, doing a different job than you so that your book is successful.
“She might give me a deadline to get a book out on submission, like before the holiday slowdown or summer when things are even slower, but it's up to me to figure out how to balance writing, revising, and everything else,” Perinovic said about her agent. Though her agent provides a lot of editorial notes, Perinovic still relies on critique partners and writing groups to help her get her book in shape so that she can be respectful of her agent's time.
It takes time to reach a point where you make a lot of money from writing—and even still, you may not see showers of money unless your work goes viral. The standard rate for a literary agent is 15 percent of domestic sales (and until you're established, domestic will be your main focus). Perinovic said her agent is well worth the 15 percent cut she takes. From doing the leg work of selling the book to providing insight and advice for choosing between publishing houses and negotiating contracts, an agent is trained and experienced in negotiating the nitty-gritty details on your behalf so you can focus on your love-hate relationship with your writing (unless you're one of those who simply bleed stories without the hints of self-doubt and impostor syndrome, then maybe it's just a relationship of pure love for you).
Where to Find Your Agent
Literary agents are abundant and busy. Once you start narrowing down the genre and the audience for your book, you'll need to find a literary agent who works with your style. But how do you do that? Several databases can provide a starting point for new authors.
Full of publishing resources, Manuscript Wish List provides both a database for searching for agents and various other services, including guides to learning publishing etiquette and culture, more. The Twitter hashtag MSWL is used by agents and editors looking for dream manuscripts to represent, but the website also allows you to search for agents and editors based on their preferences for genres.
Poets & Writers is a nonprofit that fosters the professional development of all kinds of writers.
Their literary agent database allows authors to search by genre and get a list of agents and details about them, including: the agency they work with (if applicable), what they are interested in representing, and a sampling of the authors they already represent.
Requiring a paid subscription, Publishers Marketplace claims the biggest and best marketplace for finding publishing professionals. A monthly subscription is $25 and gets you access to their publishing contacts, as well as a host of additional data on sales and publishers.
QueryTracker is a website that has both a database of literary agents and tools to help you keep track of your outstanding queries. With both free and paid memberships, QueryTracker has options and resources for any author looking to start the agent hunt.
For those of you who prefer paper cuts and tangible objects, the Writer's Market book series has yearly editions targeting both general and specific writers. Each book includes relevant listings for agents and/or markets for your book.
Although the 2019 sale of Writer's Market to Penguin Random House nullified their online subscription services, you can still visit it to see the most recent books in the series, including Writer's Market and Guide to Literary Agents.
Meeting Potential Traditional Publishers
When your agent agrees to sell your book, she will take responsibility for putting it on submission to the publishers within her network. The feedback she receives from traditional publishers will be passed on to you, and you will continue fine-tuning your project until it finds a home with a publishing company.
“Often an agent can negotiate better terms or help get your manuscript picked out of the slush pile faster,” Perinovic said.
Your agent will do her best to negotiate a fair contract with a potential publisher and should advise you on whether an offer is worth taking, but you still have a responsibility to participate in and verify what you're getting in to.
U.S. copyright law gives the creator copyright of the content without requiring registration, but these rights can be sold to a publisher or producer, and there are various levels publishers and producers might want from you. As a general rule, you want to retain as many rights as you can to your work.
Once you've signed a contract with a publisher, your agent will continue to represent your mutual interests.
“The agent's job at that point is even more crucial,” Perinovic said. “They are the person making sure you get paid, negotiating foreign deals, film rights, etc.”
Traditional Publishing Contract Dos and Don'ts
Authors need to be conscientious about entering into any contract. Bujnicki said the most important piece of a contract is to make sure you, the author, retain all rights to your work. Giving up those rights means that whoever owns them can make any changes they want. If you've sold your rights to the publisher, resisting the changes won't bother them because they can just hire a ghostwriter and remove you from the book. Contracts might also dictate whether a book is standalone or part of a series. Being able to deliver on whatever agreements you make is important.
“If it doesn't sit well with you then don't do it,” Bujnicki said. “Never compromise your work when it comes to your art. And writing is you on a page, it's artwork.”
Other red flags to watch for with a traditional publishing contract are refusal to pay advances or promising royalties but requiring an upfront fee.
“If you are signing a publishing contract, the money should be flowing toward you, never the other way around,” Perinovic said.
At the end of the day, the author is responsible for doing her own research to make sure everyone she works with is reputable and trustworthy.
