Friday, April 1, 2011

A is for Agent


and April Fool's Day, and Author...

I decided to do the A to Z challenge on writing. So, if I'm creative enough, you'll get 26 posts on writing and the book industry.

Do you need an agent?

That depends. Are you hoping to sell your work to the national market? If so, the answer is a solid "yes". You need an agent if you plan to work with the big publishing houses.

Are you satisfied with staying with a small traditional press for your writing career? If so, then no, you don't need an agent.

Does getting an agent guarantee you will sell your manuscript and end up with a big juicy contract?

No. You might not even sell the manuscript that landed you the agent in the first place. But, if you keep writing and working with your agent, you are likely to hit a vein sooner or later and get into a decent-sized publishing house.

Is it easy to get an agent?

No. It's rare for a writer to land an agent without spending considerable time on queries and studying the agents out there. Brush up your synopsis. Make sure your manuscript is glowing.

4 comments:

Chersti Nieveen said...

Thank you for sharing - that's pretty awesome that you got a full request by Jodi Reamer. She seems so fantastic.

And that's a really good list about agents. I've been querying recently, and I very much agree that an agent isn't an easy thing to get. :-) But I think if we writers work hard enough it's something that can happen.

So excited for your book coming out!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Very encouraging "A." Continued good luck with the challenge!

Holly Jahangiri said...

Awesome news and a helpful post! I'm bookmarking your blog. Very nice.


Holly Jahangiri
It's All a Matter of Perspective

This year, it's personal - I'm now a "survivor." Please give to Relay for Life.

LouMac said...

Hey that's awesome about Jodi Reamer. Thanks for the encouragement!