Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work (8 page)

Now fee-charging agents have been essentially eliminated from the mainstream marketplace. Today it’s standard practice that an agent will never charge a writer any amount of money to review his work or represent his books. An agent should only make money when
you
make money. All agents are different, sure—with different personalities and skill levels and experience—but the biggest thing to watch out for is that agents do not charge you money up front.

While today’s pool of literary agents won’t have a “fee-charging” category, the new danger to watch out for is false agencies on the Internet. Some scammers got wise to the Web years ago and realized that people who were uneducated in the publishing world were relying on Google too much and simply searching for “literary agency” online. This led to the creation of fake agencies.

These supposed agencies work like this: After you submit, the agency sends you a form letter saying that they read your novel and love the writing. They offer you representation, and you agree, even signing a letter of consent. Then, once you’re hooked, they say the book needs some work. This is where the euphemisms come into play. It’s never a “fee”; it’s always something like a “marketing investment” or an “editorial review.” You fear you’re already in too deep to stop now, and you fork over the money and hope for the best. But the fake agency never provides any worthwhile edits, and they pocket the money. And whether the agency edits it or not, they have no true ability to sell the book, because they’re not a legitimate establishment and have no real connections. Bingo—you’ve been scammed.

But like I said, writers today are generally savvy to the submission process, and the mere fact that you’re reading this book makes me think you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do to protect yourself is two simple things.

1. USE TRUSTWORTHY DATABASES THAT SCREEN FOR ANY QUESTIONABLE AGENCIES.
   In addition to the
   Guide to Literary Agents
   , I suggest Querytracker.com and Publishersmarketplace.com. Stick with the documented professionals, and you will steer clear of any worry. While not every rep has a charming personality or the IQ needed for MENSA admission, I do assure you that legit agents will not rip you off and will not steal your work—and that’s what’s important.
   
2. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH.
   When in doubt,
   research
   . Before you submit to an agency, look for interviews with their agents. Investigate them on Facebook and Twitter. See what books they’ve represented. Believe me: If the writing public has concerns about an agency, the Internet will tell you very quickly. You see, writers are a thoughtful, intelligent bunch—but they’re also vindictive. And if an agency online is scamming people, writers will swarm over to message boards and forums like piranhas to sound the alarm. That means if XYZ Agency is not a legit choice, all you would have to do is Google “XYZ Agency”—some of the top results would be warnings not to submit to them.
   

If you ever have a strange gut feeling about dealing with someone, feel free to check out the following popular watchdog sites that alert writers about deceitful individuals.

• WRITER BEWARE:
  www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware
  
• PREDITORS & EDITORS:
  Pred-ed.com
  

Both of these sites were created to protect writers from scammers. Use them on your journey.

Did you ever personally think about becoming an agent and representing writers? Well, guess what—all you have to do is snap your fingers, and it’s done. I’m not kidding. There is no exam or degree. All you or I or anyone has to do is simply print up some business cards, build a website, and put out a call for queries. That’s it.

This may sound like a shaky proposition, but that’s where the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) comes in. The AAR is the closest thing to an accreditation body for an agent, and it exists as a verification organization for representatives. The following statement can be found on the AAR website: “Authors can be confident that our agents pledge to follow the highest standards of professional conduct in serving the needs of their clients.”

To be accepted into the AAR means meeting certain criteria set forth by the group: An agent “must have at least two years as a full-time working agent, with at least ten reportable sales over an eighteen-month period, and be primarily responsible for executing publishing agreements, translation or performance rights in these properties. Applications need to be accompanied by two letters of reference from current members.” The AAR also accepts representations at an “associate agent” level, which is a tier below established agents. To be in this second tier, an agent “must be currently employed at an agency and should demonstrate an increasing level of responsibility. Applications need to be accompanied by a letter of reference from a full member at your current agency.” The AAR has more than four hundred member agents—most are book agents, but some are dramatic agents dealing with theater.

If you see the letters AAR by the name of an agent, you can feel secure that she’s a tried-and-true rep with a history of sales and is dedicated to treating clients with top professionalism.

But what does this imply regarding non-AAR personnel? Can those agents be trusted? My answer is: In all likelihood,
yes
.

The AAR has four hundred agents in the organization, but there are one thousand–plus agents nationwide. So taking a strict view of the matter (such as “I need an AAR agent or bust”) is not the wisest approach. I can speak from experience: My agent, Sorche Fairbank of Fairbank Literary Representation, was not part of the AAR when I signed with her in 2008, though she joined the organization years later. If I would have turned down her offer of representation simply because she lacked three initials after her name, we wouldn’t have sold any of our six books together.

If you’re concerned about protecting yourself and your work during the query process, remember to research and look for key elements: what the agent did before agenting, if she is part of a larger agency, if she has sold any books to publishers, and if there are complaints against her online concerning any kind of fees or work practices. The initials after a name are great to consider but should not be the absolute, deciding factor.

NOTE:
You can read the entire AAR Canon of Ethics in this book’s resources section.

What I want to do in this chapter is not spell out
how
to self-publish your book but rather
how to pitch
an existing self-published work to literary agents. Doing so is a different proposition than pitching an unpublished “new” manuscript. This topic is especially relevant in today’s marketplace, as the ease of self-publishing and e-publishing has made such a path more reputable and much more common.

When you contact agents to pitch a self-published book, you must disclose that the work in question is indeed previously published, as well as through what channels it is currently available and how long it’s been out. You do not have to mention any previous self-published books that have nothing to do with what you’re pitching (though you certainly may include mentions if sales are good).

A self-published book is any book where the decision to publish the book was the author’s alone and/or the transaction involved the author paying any up-front costs for services. This includes:

• E-publishing—such as Smashwords and CreateSpace
  
• Vanity presses
  
• Print-on-Demand (P.O.D.) publishers
  
• Book printers
  

Basically, if you think your book falls under the umbrella of “self-published” books, then it almost certainly does, and that means you must pitch it as one.

Pitching a self-published book to a literary agent is a tougher road to submission than other roads. That’s because when agents review a query for an unpublished novel, they’re looking for voice and story. When agents review a query for a self-published novel, they’re looking for voice and story—and they’re
also
looking for one or several good reasons why this book deserves a second life via traditional publishing. So give them those good reasons!

Agents look for factors that hint at money and success. You are trying to show that your book is head and shoulders above the other million items that are self-published each year and thus demands fresh attention. So here are four elements to include in a query letter for your self-published book that can impress an agent.

1. SALES NUMBERS.
   How many copies has the book sold? And by
   sold
   , I don’t mean free downloads. How many print books have you sold? How many e-books? (And since it’s assumed e-books are usually downloaded at $0.99, have wording in your query if the price was higher). “Impressive” sales numbers differ from agent to agent, but you shouldn’t query before you’ve sold at least two to three thousand print books or between ten thousand and twenty thousand e-books.
   
2. AWARDS AND ANY RECOGNITION.
   Did your book make any online “best of” lists? Did it reach number one in any category bestseller lists on Amazon? Has it collected any accolades that vouch for its content and quality? Such recognition could be a local honor, a niche fiction award, or anything else. Most books do not gain accolades, so having one attached to your book can make an agent sit up and take notice.
   
3. HIGH-PROFILE ENDORSEMENTS OR BLURBS.
   Since your book’s release, has it attracted the attention of any notable authors, politicians, celebrities, or persons of interest? If so, whom? What did they say about the book? Have you personally asked them if you can use the endorsement as a book blurb on the cover of future print copies? A blurb from a recognizable name is a great marketing tool, and agents know this.
   
4. MEDIA ATTENTION OR REVIEWS.
   Has your book received a review in any mainstream publications or media outlets, such as morning TV shows (local or otherwise), newspapers, magazines, or notable blogs? If so, explain some of the greatest hits. Obviously, the bigger the better. Please keep in mind that Amazon reviews do not count. Meanwhile, if you’re donating a portion of the book’s proceeds to charity, and thus the charity is promoting your book for you, that, too, would be something to mention in the query because it equals sales and money.
   

Many authors hope that, after a book is self-published and available for purchase, a literary agent will come across the work and come calling. Does this happen? Occasionally. Does this happen with any degree of regularity? Absolutely not.

Some agents make an effort to scan Amazon’s e-book bestseller lists and find hidden gems that are blowing up the charts.

In fact, this happened to Colleen Houck, author of
Tiger’s Curse
. After she e-published her book and spread the word to friends, it remarkably made its way to the number one spot on the Kindle children’s bestseller lists for seven straight weeks. Getting to that spot for just one week would have been impressive, but seven straight weeks is quite amazing. This feat attracted attention from all kinds of places. Says Houck: “Costco contacted me about selling my series in some of their stores. I was contacted by China, Thailand, and Korea to see if the translation rights had been sold. A film producer e-mailed me. My world was spinning when a literary agent contacted me. He said he’d found me on Amazon and was impressed with my reviews. Two days later I had representation at one of the top, if not the best, agency in the country, Trident Media Group. My new agent went to work immediately. Within a few weeks, I had a [traditional] book deal.”

So this possible path to an agent can indeed happen, but it’s a rarity in a marketplace glutted with self-published works. That’s why, rather than waiting for an agent to swoop in from out of nowhere and take control of your career, you should take one of three other routes with your book instead.

1. TRY FOR AN AGENT FIRST.
   Since you’re reading this book, I’m guessing this has been your plan all along. I urge you not to self-publish the book outright without trying to get an agent. Instead, try the traditional publishing route and give your novel a fair chance. Remember that it’s easier to get an agent to represent a book that is not already available online.
   
2. GATHER AMMUNITION AND ACCOLADES FOR YOUR QUERY LETTER.
   If you do self-publish, you cannot count on agents finding you. You’ll have to query them yourself, and, as discussed previously, your query letter has to give them a reason to be interested in your writing. So actively collect media attention, endorsements, awards, and more for your book. These items don’t come quickly or easily, but including them in your query letter will immediately make your work stand out among other self-published books.
   
3. SIMPLY LET THE BOOK(S) REMAIN SELF-PUBLISHED.
   Here’s a hard truth: While there are plenty of quality self-published books produced every year, most aren’t traditionally published for a reason. Only the crème de la crème of novels and nonfiction books are published through traditional houses and see the inside of bookstores. Remember that, as writers, we get more skilled over time—bettering our craft with each novel, book, and short story we write. So it’s perfectly acceptable to simply let the book remain self-published and move on. In other words, write a new novel and then query for
   that
   manuscript.