How a Literary Agent Can Help You

Making the right connections is critical to getting your work published. You could mail your book to a dozen different publishing houses and hope for the best, but publishers often reject unsolicited manuscripts. Besides, how do you know what they are looking for in the first place? Having an advocate who can get your work in front of the right people can make all the difference. That’s where a literary agent comes in. 

Literary agents are the crucial link between writers and publishers. As your point of contact with the industry, your agent can leverage their inside knowledge to identify which publishers are the best fit for your work. These professionals are acutely aware of a publisher’s niches, so they will know exactly who to contact. They can also help you fine-tune your manuscript to make sure it meets the standards of specific publishing houses. Finally, your literary agent can handle all the drudgery—networking, contract negotiations, marketing, finances, and other tasks—so you can focus on what you do best: writing. 

All in all, a literary agent will help ensure that the publishing process goes as smoothly as possible for you. They are professionals in their field and know more about the workings of the publishing world than you’ll ever do. Thus, to be as successful as possible as an author, securing a literary agent is a must. 

How do I find a literary agent?

Finding a literary agent takes work, but it’s well worth the effort. With some research, you can discover literary agents who are open to representing new authors. You first need to determine which agents are accepting new submissions. You also want to make sure you’re querying agents who specialize in your book’s genre. Once you’ve found one you want to work with, you’ll need to review carefully their requirements and write a query letter explaining why your manuscript is a good match for them. 

Does that sound challenging? We can help. If you tell us a bit about your manuscript, we can compile a list of relevant literary agents for you to pitch to.