How to get a literary agent...
And do you really need one? (TL;DR: yes)
Hello and I hope you are all enjoying this amazing sunshine we’re having in the UK! And welcome to the new subscribers who have joined after reading my Bookseller piece about transparency in publishing - I really appreciate all the kind comments.
One of the things writers often email me about is getting a literary agent, and whether or not they should. Nowadays, with so many new publishers doing exciting things and the self-publishing industry booming too, I can completely understand why you might feel as though you don’t need an agent. However – and this is just from a personal perspective and might not be applicable to your own experience – I do think a good agent is very much worth your time (and their % of your earnings!) This post will talk about why I think that, and then run through some practical steps as to how to actually get one.
A great author-agent relationship can last a lifetime, and one of the key things that agents can do for you is open doors. Whilst there are publishers and imprints that take unsolicited submissions (and this is becoming more prominent) it’s still the case that the majority of traditional publishing imprints do require you to have an agent before they will look at your work. If a submission comes into me from a literary agent – especially from an agent I know well, or have worked with before, I will prioritise it, often because I might have bought books from that agent in the past and feel as though we have similar tastes, i.e. there’s a good chance I will like the new book they’ve just sent me too. Your agent will be able to assess what kind of book you’ve written and decide on the best editors to send it out to – if they’ve been in the industry for a while, they will know the different tastes and methods of editors, and will do their best to find your manuscript a home with an editor they think will love your work, and champion you in their publishing house (which is so important for your book!)
Another thing agents can do for you is fight your corner. When my latest book deal was being negotiated, my agent did all the back and forth with my publisher and ended up having to have slightly sticky conversations (nitty-gritty of royalties etc) which are definitely not conversations I would have been comfortable having about my own contract. It’s like with any part of life – it’s so much easier to fight someone else’s corner than your own! An agent should also know the ins and outs of a book contract, and this is essential – especially if you are a debut author and have no idea what the various clauses on the paper you’re about to sign are!
So how else do agents earn their 15%? Well, if you’re signed up to an agency they’ll also have a foreign rights department, and if your agency keeps your world rights, they’ll be able to sell your book into other territories and negotiate the best deals for you overseas. If the rights lie with your publisher, they will also do this for you, but the process is slightly different. The foreign rights teams work incredibly hard, attending big book fairs such as Frankfurt, Bologna and London, and again, your agency will have built up strong relationships over the years with foreign publishers, meaning they’re in a good position to pitch your book out. So much of the publishing industry is about relationships, and it can be very tough for an author to build these on their own. Equally, a reputable literary agency will be better placed to sell your film and TV rights – of course this doesn’t always happen, but they will have the right connections to give it the best possible chance!
Some – not all – agents also provide editorial feedback for you on your manuscript before they send it out on submission. With my debut, I worked with my agent on it for probably over a year before we actually sent it out, and her advice undoubtedly made it a stronger book. By the time you’re in a position to email your book to agents, you’ve probably read it a thousand times, and having a fresh pair of eyes is essential, as it really does need to be in the best possible condition before it lands on editors’ desks.
But it’s not all about the initial stages of the publishing process. Your agent is also someone who can act as a sounding board throughout your career, helping you make key decisions, negotiating new contracts for you, and keeping an eye on your publication process – from marketing to publicity and pricing, there are so many factors that go into publication, and your agent will always be there to check that your publisher is doing everything they’re supposed to be doing! On the flip side, a good agent will also rein you as an author in if you’re perhaps feeling overly anxious or expecting too much for your publisher – it’s always sensible to keep your expectations realistic, and an agent will have experience and be able to help you navigate through choppy waters. Publishing can be a really up and down industry and I think it’s helpful to know that you’re not alone – a good agent will always have your back and be there to provide you with an honest opinion when you need one. (Mine has definitely listened to me cry before!)
So as you can see, there are a huge amount of benefits to having an agent and the above is my personal opinion. But this wouldn’t be a fair newsletter if I didn’t explain the other side of things. If you don’t have an agent, you obviously don’t have to give them a percentage of your earnings, meaning you do get to keep more of the income for yourself. But on the flip side of that – a brilliant literary agent is more likely to secure you a better deal in the first place, so you can also think of it that way. If you don’t have an agent, you don’t have to wait for them to respond – agents are busy people and the waiting time can be agonising sometimes. If you take that out of the equation, you might feel as though you have a little more autonomy over the process. More and more these days, self-published authors (predominantly in the romance, fantasy and romantasy space) are doing very well on Amazon’s KDP platform (self-publishing) and traditional publishing houses are seeing their books rising up the charts and reaching out to them directly. However, in most cases, these authors then end up securing an agent after this has happened, anyway, because the agent can then help them secure more global deals and advise them when it comes to doing traditional contracts that might get them into different formats and bigger global territories.
The other thing worth noting is that all of the plus points above are only relevant for good literary agents – of which there are many. However, as with any industry, there are unfortunately some agents (or people calling themselves agents) who might not be acting in your best interests – who might be inexperienced, unreliable, or even who might charge you money – and these are best avoided! You should never have to pay a literary agent an upfront fee – the way it works is that they take a percentage of your sales once your book is sold to a publishing house. Before that, you are not paying them, so if you see otherwise on an agency website then please proceed with great caution! I’m sure if you’re at the point where you’re considering sending your work to literary agents, you’ve already put a huge amount of work into it and therefore you deserve to find a brilliant person to represent you. Take your time to do your research and make sure you get in contact with legitimate, respected agents who will act in your best interests. That’s not to say you have to go with long-standing agencies – there are lots of new agents popping up all the time who will have bags of enthusiasm and more space for you on their list, but remember, before you sign with anyone, you’re well within your rights to ask to meet them in person or speak on the phone, find out about their way of working, their other clients, and why they want to represent you – and doing this will hopefully ensure you create a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with someone lovely who will guide you through your writing career.
So, how do you go about securing a literary agent? Please note the following advice is mainly applicable if you’re writing fiction – the guidelines around non-fiction are slightly different, mainly in that you usually need a proposal and sample rather than an entire finished manuscript – but lots of the other tips can be applied to both!
Finish your manuscript! This might sound really obvious, but actually I think a lot of people send off their first three chapters to agents without having actually finished their whole book. I totally understand the desire to email agents as quickly as you can and get the ball rolling, but it’s far better to finish your manuscript, and make sure it’s in the best possible condition before you begin querying agents at all. This is because, once you’ve emailed an agent with your three chapters, synopsis and introductory letter, they can ask for your full manuscript at any time and you don’t want to be caught out if you haven’t finished it yet! Often it does take a little while for agents to respond (e.g. up to 12 weeks) but at other times, they can be super speedy (my agent asked for my full manuscript a few days after I emailed her - though this is the same woman who now has to listen to me crying occasionally, so perhaps she regrets it…!) Agents are busy people and they get A LOT of queries, so it can depend on how much else they’ve got on that week and how many other authors they are working with as to when they will read your email – but you want to be prepared if they do get in touch. You might only get this chance to impress them, so it’s best to be ready and professional with your manuscript ready to go.
Do your research. There are lots of amazing agents out there, but each of them will have their own wish-lists and requirements and there really is no point in querying an agent who doesn’t represent or isn’t looking for the kind of book you’ve written. Most agents have individual profiles on their agency websites which specify the kind of thing they’re after, and also list what they’re not after. Don’t pitch your YA sci-fi novel to an agent who is only interested in rom-coms! It’s a waste of both your time and theirs. I’d also recommend having a look at which authors the agents you’re wanting to query already represent – do they feel similar to you? Do you think you’d sit alongside them well? Agents are people and they have different and subjective tastes as well as knowing their market, and so it’s always worth checking to see whether you think your writing fits in with the current authors they have on their list. Once you’ve done a decent amount of research, you can draw up a list of agents you’d like to query, in the knowledge that you’re targeting people you have a solid chance with. I recommend getting a copy of The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2025 (it is updated every year) as this lists all the official agencies. You don’t have to have an agent in the same country as you, but obviously, it can be helpful to!
Keep track of who you’ve submitted to. When I was first querying agents (as an author, not an editor!) I kept a big Excel spreadsheet with the name of the agent, their agency, the date I’d submitted on and then a column for whether they had replied / rejected / wanted the full manuscript. That way I could make sure I didn’t accidentally query the same agent twice (it could happen when you’re sending out a lot of emails at once) and I could also check how long I’d been waiting. A lot of agency websites now have guidelines as to how long they might take to get back to you – if it goes past their timescale it’s fine to send a polite email asking them about your query, but try to resist emailing them again before that time! And if it’s been AGES and they still haven’t got back to you, I’d cross them from the list (I always used the rationale that I wouldn’t really like to be represented by someone who took 8 months to respond…) But as I say, it can take a while simply because of the sheer volume of emails agents get, so patience is a virtue in this game and keeping track of the dates on a spreadsheet can help you to feel slightly more in control of the whole thing.
Hone your cover letter and pitch. I know lots of authors who spend quite a while making sure their pitch is as brilliant as it can be – and it is worth taking the time to ensure you are presenting the very best person of yourself and your book. Try to think of your hook – a one-line elevator pitch that will make an agent instantly want to read your novel – and ensure this is prominent in your covering note. Make sure you keep your letter succinct, whilst not being afraid to show a little of your personality. If you’ve won prizes for your writing in the past, say so! If you haven’t, and this novel is the first thing you’ve ever written, that’s fine too! Always be clear, polite and professional – remember the author/agent relationship is a working relationship and you want to ensure you respect that from the very first communication.
Stick to the agency guidelines. Different literary agencies have different rules – some agents want the first three chapters, some want the first 10,000 words, some want your work in the body of the email and some want it as an attachment. Some might want a PDF, some might want a word document. Occasionally agents may want it in the post (though this is pretty rare now!). I know it might feel frustrating having to tailor each submission but it is worth it – doing so shows you have taken the time to do your research, shows you can follow instructions, and will make the agent’s life easier. It doesn’t take long to ensure you stick to the guidelines, and remember you don’t want to give any agent an excuse to reject your work before they have even read it!
Make your first three chapters as brilliant as they can be! I really can’t stress this enough. Your first three chapters (your first sentence really!) should showcase your very best work. Agents (and editors) get so many submissions that they have to make quick judgements, so there’s no use in saying ‘oh but my book really kicks in around chapter four!’ as unless the first three chapters are excellent, nobody will ever see that excellent chapter four…Spend time honing them and making sure they are as impactful as possible, as it will pay off. On the flip side of that, try not to fiddle for too long once you know you’re happy with it – it’s always tempting to just tweak one more word but at some point you will need to set your writing free and send it out into the world, so it’s just about knowing when something feels good enough to you, and then resolving to send it out.
Make sure your synopsis really is a synopsis! Include your ending (and any spoilers, even in crime) and try to keep to about one page. You don’t need to include every detail, but you do need to include the main characters and main plot events. This isn’t about keeping the agent in suspense, or writing a marketing blurb – it should be an outline of what actually happens in the novel, stage by stage, over a couple of paragraphs. Minor details and character descriptions don’t need to be included – these will come through in the writing of your manuscript. A lot of writers do find writing synopses quite painful, so prepare to give it a few goes until you get it right. Draft and redraft, and if you can, get someone else to read it over for you too.
Keep your expectations in check. An agent might request your full manuscript but then still not offer you representation, and they might even ask to meet you and STILL not offer! (Both of these things happened to me back in 2014-ish…) This is not the end of the world, and it’s still great that they requested your full manuscript (your first three chapters must be working well!). When an agent does offer representation, it’s really exciting, and the bumps along the way will make it feel even more worth it. I can still remember where I was when my agent emailed to say she wanted to represent me (Foyles cafe, #appropriate) and she honestly changed my life.
Never take rejection personally. As an editor I’ve never rejected a book for a personal reason to do with the author – I always judge books based on their content, their hook and how well it will fit with my list, and agents are broadly making the same decisions. If you are always polite and professional, it’s safe to say a rejection won’t be any reflection on you or your personality! Rejection in publishing is absolutely inevitable and has happened to EVERY SINGLE AUTHOR I KNOW INCLUDING ME. Don’t take it to heart – if you get a rejection, resolve to send out your query to another agent that same day so that you feel as though you’ve done something positive. Remember, it only takes one yes! If you’re struggling with feelings of rejection at the moment, this might make you feel better…
Check your contract! If you do get an offer of representation (yay!) first of all, celebrate! It’s a big achievement and hopefully something that will open doors for you. But first of all, make sure you check your contract, check what the agent is offering you, and that it’s in line with the standard. And remember, the author and agent relationship can be crucial for your career so make sure you take the time to ensure it feels like the right fit for you – a good agent should answer any questions you might have, and reassure you if you have any worries – it is a big decision, and whilst it’s tempting to bite their hand off, do take the time to sit back, evaluate how you feel, and be sure you’re making the right decision before signing on the dotted line.
I hope this post is helpful, and do feel free to ask questions in the comments below if you have any. Thank you as ever for reading The Honest Editor. If you want to get in touch with me or have topics you’d like to see covered here, please do so, and please do keep recommending this Substack to your networks if you think they would find it useful.
Phoebe x
Fantastic advice as always Phoebe thank you!
Thank you. This is so helpful! You've provided a bit of structure for my dreams.