Tips For Finding A Literary Agent
A literary agent is a person who represents writers and their works to publishers, film studios, film producers and assists them with in the negotiation and sale of their works. New authors mainly work with literary agents because they are one of the ways that one can get public recognition. Experienced literary agents understand the market well and can also be sources of career guidance and advice for writers.
Getting accepted by already established publishing houses without the representation of an agent is very hard and hence the need to get in touch with a literary agent. It is important to note that finding an agent is not an easy task and one ought to be careful to ensure that they choose the right one because their writing career could depend on this. Discussed in this article are tips for finding a literary agent.
It is important to ensure that you are done with your novel before you start looking for a literary agent. You could join a critique group in your area to get feedback on your manuscript. If you are unable to find a face to face critique group in your area, you can always submit your manuscript to an online one for feedback before you start searching for a literary agent. To ensure that you have a perfect and complete manuscript, you can hire a freelance editor to look at your work if you feel that an online platform is not the best for you.
It is important to have an already established platform before you approach a literary agent. Non-fiction writers easily build platforms through means such as speaking in conventions devoted to the subject matter of their books. If you are a fiction writer, you can build a platform for yourself by teaching creative writing to students in prestigious universities.
It is important for authors to learn about the publishing business before approaching literary agents. You should attend writing conferences and speak to various authors and literary agents as well as read their blogs so you can now a lot about the industry by the time you meet a literary agent to speak business.
Be sure to look into prospective agents before you settle on one so as to be sure that you choose the right one. Ensure that you look for an agent who specializes in your genre because just like other professionals, they also specialize.
You should go through their blogs so as to know whether the works they have represented before have become successes and whether they relate to your work at all. After you have identified an agent, send a short query with the reasons why they should represent you a well as a brief synopsis of your book that is proof read for errors.