How to write your first novel – 5) finding a literary agent
So before I start, I know that getting a literary agent isn’t the only way. There are many brilliant and talented authors who’ve gone it alone without a literary agent or a deal with a publisher. The world of self-publishing has opened up a whole new world of opportunity, and I’m continually blown away by the work some writers do to carve their own path in their own way. I salute every one of you.
But this option wasn’t my first choice. Once my first novel was finished, my natural inclination was to try to find an agent. Mostly this was because I knew less than nothing about the publishing world, and I wanted to solicit as much expert advice and help as I could. I thought about it a lot, wondering if I could utilise the twenty-odd years I’ve worked in marketing to ring my own bell. Probably, but that didn’t address my fundamental lack of experience in the book world. Finding an agent seemed like it was worth a go, and if that didn’t work I’d make a Plan B.
So I started looking into how you query your finished book with literary agents, and discovered that it’s an incredibly complex business with decidedly dubious odds. Fundamentally there are too many aspiring authors with unpublished manuscripts and not nearly enough agents. Getting noticed is a challenge, getting signed is a bigger challenge, and even if you manage all that, there’s no guarantee a publisher will want your daft book, however much an agent champions it. Reading some of the many blogs and forums about this hot topic, I seriously questioned whether this wasn’t all a giant pyramid scheme where the only person getting rich is Jeff Bezos.
But it was June 2020 and I was still furloughed and to be honest I had absolutely nothing better to do. One of the many brilliant things about the online writing community is the sheer volume of brilliant advice, so I spent some time reading and making notes and planning my attack. Here are the things I think are absolutely essential.
Don’t hurry. It was tempting to get my first 10,000 words out as quickly as possible, to as many agents as I could find on Google; the literary equivalent of throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks. But agents will know if you’ve scatter-gunned the entire industry, and they won’t appreciate it. Taking a more strategic approach makes a lot more sense - in the end I spent two weeks getting ready before I sent a single submission.
Be selective. I spent days and days researching which agents represented other writers of contemporary romcoms, reading their blurbs and biographies, finding out about their authors, filtering out those who were accepting submissions and making notes on what specifically they were looking for. In the end I had a target list of eight who I felt were the right fit.
Read the guidelines, then read them again. Every literary agency has guidelines for submissions and they are all subtly different, down to exactly how they want you to write the email header. One size definitely doesn’t fit all, so note down exactly what they want. By this point I had a fairly detailed spreadsheet. On the upside, I bloody love a spreadsheet.
Make sure your submission is as good as it can possibly be. Most agencies ask for a cover email, a one or two page synopsis of your novel, and the first 10,000 words. You have one chance to nail these three things, but in reality they work sequentially. A good cover letter might prompt a glimpse at your synopsis, and a good synopsis might encourage them to read the excerpt. I guess my point is that the cover letter has to do a lot of heavy lifting, but if the other two don’t deliver against your sparkling sales pitch, you’re kind of stuffed. In the immortal words of Ru Paul – good luck, and don’t fuck it up.
Sweat the tiny details. There’s loads of brilliant advice about writing cover letters and synopses online, so do your research and give it the time it deserves. My cover letters were all subtly different, mirroring the language and tone the agents had used in their online profiles. If Agent A had said in that they were looking for ‘upmarket women’s fiction full of heart and humour’, I made sure that phrase was in my cover letter. If I’ve learned anything from a career in marketing, it’s that sometimes it’s the tiny details that create emotional connections, so don’t overlook them!
Be patient. I got my first (very clearly automated) rejection about three days later, then heard nothing for another two weeks. Then another rejection, albeit from an agent who had obviously read the submission and gave some constructive feedback. Overall, it was over three weeks before I had an email from an agent who said they’d enjoyed the first three chapters and could I send her the rest of the manuscript. Weeks later another asked the same, but by then I’d already decided that Caroline Sheldon was exactly the kind of agent I needed, and she’d offered me representation.
At that point I emailed the rest and let them know there was no need to waste time reading the submission, and two of the remaining agents replied to say they’d loved the first three chapters and had been meaning to get in touch. I guess the main thing I learned from this is that the wheels of publishing turn extreeeeemely slowwwwwly, so refreshing your email inbox in the early days is a waste of time and you’ll probably give yourself a stomach ulcer from the stress.
Be ready. If an agent asks to see the rest of your book, making them wait for days while you do some panic-tinkering is just rude. Make sure it’s ready to go immediately; it will make you look like someone who is confident in their book and has their shit together. Initial interest is incredibly exciting, but you’re a long way from it being a done deal – your agent is going to want to read your manuscript, get to know lots about you, and be sure you can work together before they even consider offering to represent you. And that works both ways – you need to be confident that they understand your book, your vision and you as a person before you make any commitment. If they liked your book, there’s a good chance another agent might too, and that person could be a better fit for you. So take deep calming breaths and….
Ask questions. The main reason I wanted a literary agent is so I could get expert advice and have a guiding hand in navigating the world of publishing. It’s an amazing gift, so make the most of it. I was lucky enough to land an agent with decades of experience, who was incredibly generous with her advice and support. In the early weeks we spent a lot of time on the phone, and I asked a thousand questions. It shaped my approach to my second book and prepared me for everything that followed.
Don’t get disheartened. Some months later I asked Caroline how many unsolicited submissions she receives in a year, and the number took my breath away. The odds are not in your favour, and yet thousands of new authors get signed and published every year. So you have to go for it, because you’ve already written a sodding book and that’s not something everyone can do.
Writing a story that’s compelling and commercial is half the battle won. The rest is about getting noticed, and a chunk of that is about admin and fine details. It’s not a guarantee, but it will increase your chances. How much by, I have no idea; it’s a bonkers industry. But I do know that if you don’t try, you have no chance at all. If you have any further advice for aspiring authors, please feel free to comment!