Seeing things through a literary agent’s eyes
knowing what they’re looking for. how you can work with them. how to get signed.
Your average writer believes finding a literary agent is straightforward and easy. Believing they can send an email to an agent, signed in a few days, and have their novel published by the end of the week.
Then they get rejected a million times wondering what went wrong.
In this blog, we will be seeing things through a literary agent’s eyes…
SEEING THINGS THROUGH A LITERARY AGENT’S EYES
Table of Contents
The problem with new writers is they don’t understand what it’s like being a literary agent. Hopefully, this blog will give some idea of what being an agent is like. This way you can understand the book-publishing world from their point of view. Making it easier for everyone.
The first rule is understanding you’re not the only human on this planet who wants a book published. Literary agents get countless submissions every day. They’re busy, to say the least. They have countless things that have to get done on a daily basis.
YOU’RE ONLY HALFWAY THERE
Agents do not decide what books get published. They submit your book to the publishing house who decides if your book will be published. It seems new writers believe getting published all comes down to the agent. New writers believe if you get an agent that’s it, your book will be published. But in reality, you’re only halfway there. It now has to go to the publishing house for the final decision. From that point on it’s out of their hands.
Everything for an agent is about having good standing with the publishers long-term. Anything can affect that in a bad way. If an agent submits a novel that’s horrible the publishers will not be happy getting it. If the agent submits another book that’s just as bad the publishers will start looking at that agent in a negative light. Anytime a new book arrives at the publisher’s building from that agent the publishers will be less likely to look it over. Since that agent has a history of submitting bad books. The agent will lose their good standing with the publisher.
AN AGENT GREATEST FEAR
Therefore the publisher will be less likely to return calls to that agent. That agent is now in a negative light for years to come to the publisher. All agents fear this. Being in good standings with the publishers is everything to them. Lose the publisher’s respect and you might as well close up shop.
There are countless agents out there all competing with other agents for the publisher’s attention. The publisher can only return so many calls in one day. They are more likely to return calls to agents they like. Agents who annoy them will get called back “later”. No agent wants this; this is why it’s a gamble for an agent to represent you. They’re putting their name on the line with every book they represent. If they represent your book and the publishers don’t like it, it hurts the name of the agent overall. Publishers will look at that agent as someone who can’t do their job right. Every time a publisher sends a book to a publishing house it’s their name on the line. Too many bad books can spell doom and gloom for the agent.
THEY HAVE A STACK OF EMAILS TO GO THROUGH
Most literary agents have a full-time job. New writers believe all agents are sitting around bored looking for a novel to be sent their way. But your average agent has a full-time job then comes home to a stack of emails to get through and phone calls.
There are some agents who work full time. They are the famous ones, they represent famous writers. They do not take emails from new writers. It’s next to impossible to find an agent who represents the biggest names in the writing world to represent you.
THEY DO MAKE MONEY TO PAY RENT
Agents make money from book sales. If they represent you and your book does not sell they do not make any money to pay rent. The money they use to pay food and bills comes from your books selling.
An average day is a busy one for an agent. They have to represent their current clients. Make calls on their behalf. They have to look into books being published. Royalty checks for published authors and have to deal with the countless new emails from new up-and-coming authors.
AND YOUR WELL WRITTEN EMAIL IS IN THE MIX
Sadly they receive countless emails from writers who do not know how to write a proper email much less a novel. Sadly literary agents have a negative mindset from the start when they sit down to look at emails. And your well-written email is in the mix. The last thing you want is for your email to be deleted along with the rest because so many of them are annoying the agent.
What bothers agents more the anything are people submitting query letters who do not represent your genre. If an agent represents horror and you submit a comedy it will be rejected for that reason alone. No matter how good it is. If an agent represents young adult drama and you submit science fiction you’ll be rejected. Leaving the author wondering if they’re good enough. But in reality, it’s not because your book is bad it’s because you submitted it to the wrong agent.
YOU CAN SEE THEIR GUIDELINES ONLINE
In reality, with the Internet being what it is there’s no reason for a writer to not know what an agent is looking for nowadays. You can see their guidelines online. If they ask for a query letter only, you shouldn’t submit the full book. It shows the agent you don’t take instruction well. If you are a problem on day one you’ll be a bigger problem down the line.
There was a time many years ago where an agent would have a ton of submissions from new writers that do not match up with what they represent but this was understandable because most new writers didn’t know what genre an agent represented. But today with agents being online and their submissions guidelines right in front of you there’s no reason why you should be submitting to the wrong person.
AGENTS SEE THIS ALL THE TIME
Don’t try to scam the literary agent by sending them science fiction if they represent romance and say, “it’s OK, there’s a small love story in the novel, so it counts.” Literary agents see this all the time and it never works. A new writer will think, “It may not be what they represent but once they start reading it they’ll love it and represent the book anyway.” Agents get this all the time and do not like it.
However, an agent will tell you the greatest thing invented is emails because now they can receive full novels sent to them all online in one file. Before agents would have full actual novels sent to their office. Within days their office desk would be filled up with manuscripts. Soon the whole office would be filled. Now with emails, an entire manuscript can be sent quickly not taking up any room. Agents can have countless books on their hard drive at least it’s not filling up their office.
YOU WILL BE FRUSTRATING THE AGENT
We’re all human and we make decisions as any human would. What you do will have an emotional reaction from all agents. If you submit a novel and not follow the guidelines you frustrate the agent. You’re showing you do not know how to take instruction; the agent knows how this will play out. If you’re bad at following instructions now you’ll be bad at following instructions all the time. You get them frustrated with you. They will not want to work with you. They don’t need the headache. It only makes sense, we’re all human. If you annoy someone they will avoid you. First impressions mean so much. If you are polite there’s a much better chance they’ll work with you.
The one thing agents do not like is a client who calls every day looking for updates on their novel. If an agent says they’ll get back to you in a week give them a week. Do not harass them every day. Agents do not like being harassed daily by an upcoming author. Nobody does, so they avoid you from the start.
THE AGENT NEEDS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE NOVEL
Don’t submit a query letter saying your book is “Amazing” “wonderful” “you’ll love it.” What an agent needs is a description of the novel. They need to know what it’s about. Saying it’s amazing does not answer the question. And it shows you do not take instruction well. All agents want to know what your book is about, the plot, the characters, the ending. They need to know about it so they can decide what to do. Telling them your mother read it and loved it means nothing. It still leaves them in the dark as to the storyline.
Don’t break the golden rule by sending a query letter saying “my book appeals to everyone of all ages”. this will get you rejected in a blink of an eye. No book appeals to everyone of all ages. A book loved by 12-year-olds will not be read by 60-year-olds. What a 10-year-old boy reads will not be what a 50-year-old man reads. When you send a letter to an agent know your target reader’s age and genre. Knowing these things will show you know what you’re doing. And have one genre, not a mix of them all thinking it will help sell the book. It only hurts it.
THEY WILL TAKE YOUR PERSONALITY INTO IT
Agents like working with clients with who they get along with. Not only will the agent take your book into consideration but they will take your personality into it as well. Just as a boss of a company hiring someone new. It’s a human thing to do.
Agents know they only get paid if your book sells. They cannot work with novels that cannot be sold. If they do they go bankrupt. Imagine if you were an agent you’d be looking for books to help pay the bills.
FIND AN AGENT WHO’S PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR BOOK
Your goal is to find an agent who is passionate about your book, someone who will fight for you. You do not want an agent who signs you but doesn’t care about you. Your agent has to believe in you and you have to believe in them. It’s not an easy marriage to find. It can take time, but the goal is to find the best agent for you.
All agents are looking for the one thing. The next Stephen King. The next J.K Rowling or the next Tom Clancy. Your goal is to be that next big thing. If an agent can find the next Stephen King they’re financially set for life. Just like you’d be if published, one person helps the other. Agents can get jaded looking through the list of new writers because of the number of badly written books. You want to be the one who stands out.
THINGS WILL WORK OUT SMOOTHER
By seeing through their eyes and their daily workload things can go so much faster, smoother for them and you. Look for their guidelines and send only what they ask for. Send only to agents who represent your genre. Do not harass them with daily phone calls looking for updates. They make their living and pay their bills by your bookselling. They’re not mean for saying no to your book.
They’re just trying to make a living. They can’t risk hurting the relationship with publishers for any novel. They can only submit the ones they truly believe in. Fulfill your end of the bargain by writing a book so amazing they can’t turn it down.
you might be interested in these blogs…
THE RISKY SIDE OF SELF-PUBLISHING YOUR NOVEL
HOW TO EDIT AFTER YOUR FIRST DRAFT
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T SWITCH GENRES HALFWAY THROUGH
