I asked my friend and literary agent Chip MacGregor (www.macgregorliterary.com) to give some hints on finding an agent..
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By Chip MacGregor
First, you should know that BEFORE seeking an agent, you should have an idea of what you’re looking for. Different types of personalities require different types of agents. Some authors need a contracts manager, some need a career counselor, some need an editorial type, etc. If you haven’t explored your own strengths and weaknesses a bit, if you don’t know what sort of person you’d partner well with in a business relationship, and if you don’t know what you actually need in a literary agent, I suggest spending time researching those issues.
Second, go into this with your eyes open. Be aware that there are no requirements to call yourself a literary agent — so I’ve seen complete dipsticks try to pawn themselves off as agents. And…it’s not like I can name then on a web site, since I’d quickly find my derriere in a sling. But don’t take someone’s word that they’re good just because they say so. Check out their reputation. Learn to ask good questions (like “who do you represent?’ and “what books have you contracted in the past year?” and “who did you contract those books with?”).
Third, you can find lists of agents in books like the Writers Digest Guide to Literary Agents. (There are numerous others — check on Amazon.com or go to any big bookstores and look in the “writing reference” section.) Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers Market Guide has a list of agents who focus on the CBA. Some other organizations (such as the Writers Information Network) post a list of “approved” agents.
Fourth, you can search some of the helpful web sites, including some that name names on the real stinkers (such as Writer Beware and Predators and Editors).
Fifth, if you subscribe to Publishers Lunch and Publishers Marketplace (and if you’re planning a career in writing, you should consider doing so, just to keep tabs on the industry), you’ll find a database of all the announced publishing deals for the last several years. That would allow you to see WHO has represented WHAT.
Sixth, to be fair to some of the CBA types, they haven’t always participated in Pub-Mar, so perhaps all their deals won’t be listed. I was doing deals for years, but it wasn’t until I had a book hit #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list that some of the agency watchdog people bothered to even list my name.
Seventh, be aware that some are NOT members or fans of the national literary agent organizations. They have had a tendency to be slightly to the left of Ralph Nader, so unless you endorse every nutcase liberal cause, you may not be a fit. (I, for example, can’t ascribe to the divinity of Hillary Clinton.)
Last, I want to encourage you to listen to the wisdom being shared by some of your fellow writers — the BEST way to find an agent is to go meet some. You wouldn’t normally pick a lawyer or a doctor or a realtor out of a book. Don’t rely on that method to find yourself a good business partner in your publishing career.
There you have it! The 12 Steps to Publishing a Novel. For more articles and advice on publishing, try the following:
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Thanks for reading and blessings on your writing journey!
Susie May
