How to Get a Book Agent

If you’ve written a book and are looking to get it traditionally published, you may have heard that it’s in your best interest to get yourself a book agent (also known as a literary agent).

But who is that? Do you really need one? And what do book agents do?

Below, we’ve broken down what an agent is, what they do, where to find a literary agent, and how to get a book agent of your very own. 

Quick Links

• What Is a Literary Agent?
• How to Get a Literary Agent
• Start Your Writerly Journey 

What Is a Literary Agent?

A book agent is someone you very likely need if you’re looking to get your book traditionally published.

There are agents in all sorts of media industries, like TV, film, and music, and they’re the people who represent the talent. They place their work, they negotiate what they sell, and they generally navigate the industry on behalf of their clients.

It’s no different in the book world. Essentially, a literary agent is the person who represents you and your book and (hopefully) sells it to a publishing house. 

But they’re also more than that.

What Do Literary Agents Do?

Most major publishers don’t accept unagented submissions, so literary agents are likely the only way to get your book in front of a large traditional publishing house. 

But they’re also seasoned veterans of the industry. (Or, if they’re newer, they’ll have a seasoned mentor.) 

So they’ll also negotiate contracts on your behalf, advise you on your next projects, and help shape your career and author brand. Plus, many of them are editorial as well, meaning they’ll help you edit your book.

So how do you get one of these elusive literary agents to represent you?

How to Get a Literary Agent

To find a book agent, you query—or send your book to literary agents. But before you do that, there are some additional steps to take.

Write a Great Book

First, to find a literary agent, you need a book an agent is going to love enough to rep.

Traditional publishing can be incredibly competitive and quite discerning. So spend time making your book the best it can be before querying. 

(Hint: Check out this guide for how to write a book in any genre.)

Do Your Research

Once you have a query-ready book, it’s time to research agencies.

Most importantly, you want to find a reputable agency. There are a lot of what’s known as “schmagencies” in writer-speak out there: agencies that charge you to read your work, agencies with bogus contracts, or agents who don’t have the connections and expertise to get your book in front of the right editors. (All major red flags.) Writer Beware is a great resource for weeding out the schmagencies out there. 

To find a list of reputable agents and agencies, a membership to Publishers Marketplace is a great place to start. It will cost you $25 per month, but it’s well worth it, if only for the few months you spend researching. There, you’ll find every book deal made in the past decade to a major publishing house and be able to see which agents and agencies are making the deals in your genre and age category (and which ones aren’t). 

If you don’t want to shell out for a PM membership, you can also look at who represents books similar to yours and use that to build your target list. For example, if you write YA thrillers, check out the current top-selling YA thriller authors. Usually those authors will list their agency and agent somewhere—on their websites, in their Twitter bios, or in the acknowledgement sections of their books.

Find a Book Agent Who Represents Your Genre

Once you have a list of reputable agencies, you’ll want to find the agent at each one who’s the best fit for your story.

Agents often have profiles on literary agencies’ websites stating their genre and age group preferences, along with other specifics. For example, some agents represent only adult fiction, some only children’s fiction, and some strictly nonfiction. Some agents prefer romance novels, some are big sellers of thrillers, and others may be noted for how much science fiction they acquire. Some agencies allow you to query more than one agent; others only allow you to pick one.

In addition to the agency’s website, many literary agents list their #MSWLs, or manuscript wishlists, either at mswishlist.com or on Twitter. Here they’ll list more specific preferences, such as that they’re looking primarily for sapphic stories, or they love fantasy based in a non-Western setting. 

Also take a look at their lists: the books they’ve recently signed and sold. For example, if a certain agent has recently signed a few YA rom-coms, chances are they’re looking for more. (Again, Publishers Marketplace is a great place to find this info.)

Another way to determine which agents are worth querying is getting involved in the online writing community. Many writers talk openly about their experiences with agents on Twitter, and this is incredible insider knowledge into who’s repping what, who loves their agents (and who’s had to leave their agents due to issues). Joining this community has other benefits, too, like finding critique partners and beta readers and feeling less solitary as you pursue a writing career.

Learn How to Query a Literary Agent

Now that you have a list of agents, it’s time to query your book.

Start by writing a query letter, a memo of around 400 words that pitches your book in a way that will make agents want to request more. 

Spend time ensuring your query letter is well-crafted, using resources such as this blog post or Query Shark. You can also apply to mentorship programs like Pitch Wars and Author Mentor Match, where you’ll work with a seasoned writer to help you write a query, or ask fellow writers to critique your letter. Some agents don’t read further than the query letter, so it’s important that it represents your book as best it can.

A few decades ago, you’d send your query in the mail, but these days, you send it either via email or Query Tracker. Check the agents’ websites to see which they prefer—and ensure your submission is following all their other preferences. Some agents want only your query, while others request your first pages (anywhere from three to 50). Follow their guidelines so as not to put yourself on the auto-reject list.

Cross Your Fingers

What happens next? You wait.

Traditional publishing is a long game of waiting, starting with querying. Many agents take months to get back to you. Some agents who don’t feel your work is the right fit will send form rejections; some will send personalized feedback with a rejection; and some simply will not answer you at all.

But the ones who are interested will get back to you, requesting your full manuscript. Then it’s another round of waiting—until one of them eventually offers you representation.

That’s when the real fun begins.

Start Your Writerly Journey

Signing with a literary agent is usually the very first step on a publishing journey. It may seem superfluous if you don’t know the industry well, but trust many professional writers when we say that having a literary agent in your corner is very much in your best interest. Follow all the steps above, and you, too, can be one of those writers.

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