How To Find A Literary Agent — Or How They Find You
- Posted by Essays Blog in Essays Blog |
- April 8th, 2009 |
- Comments
How to find a literary agent is the first lesson new authors must learn. Is is hopeless? Do you have to be published to find a literary agent? Fortunately the answer is no.
We asked over 60 booming literary agents:
Where Do Agents Find Clients?
Referral from one of their other clients 39%
Direct contact by the writer 33%
Referral from editors and publishers 9%
Referral from other authors not their clients 8%
Referrals from other agents 5%
Attendance at writers’ conferences 3%
Other 3%
It comes as no attack that referrals from their current clients were the apical method cited. Publishing is a relationship based industry. Contacts are extremely important. A recommendation from individual whose opinion an agent trusts always is valued and receives prompt attention. Various careers of apical selling authors were launched when another bestselling author took them low their airfoil and introduced them to agents or publishers.
What might be amazing is that as many as one-third of the agents said direct contact from the writer was the most common artifact they found new clients. Thither is most definitely hope for the budding authors out thither, diaphoresis over the last draft of that perfect query letter to send out to agents.
Attending writer’s conference is often recommended as a artifact to get any face time with a literary agent and make any contacts in the publishing class. The survey shows that only 3% of agents overall find a new client as a result of a writer’s conference. But, and it’s a big but, the agents that attend are thither for that real purpose. Don’t act for the pitch sessions, talk to the agents during the break sessions and informal networking.
You can find literary agents interested in your book. Polish your query letter and pitch to those agents who represent the identify of books you compose.