Agents

If you take nothing else from this entry, then remember this: good, reputable agents do not charge a reading fee.  They make their money when they sell your work.  Is that clear enough?  You don’t understand?  You’re so desperate to get published you’re willing to stump up your hard earned cash for ‘office expenses’ and ‘presentational development’?  Then contact me and I’ll provide you with my PayPal details so you can make a donation towards the cost of this website and the invaluable advice you’re getting. 

DON’T PAY AGNETS ANY MONEY UP FRONT.

I hope that’s cleared that up.

Now, the majority of major publishing houses use agents as a filtration system and do not accept unsolicited manuscripts anymore.  (There are exceptions – generally the smaller presses – so check.)  This means that there has been increased pressure on agents as writers aim for the next lowest rung on the ladder.  The chances of being accepted by an established agent are about one-in-a-thousand.  Yes, you read that correctly.  That’s not a number plucked from the tree of worrying clichés, that’s based on conversations with the people themselves.  Even though those odds won’t be any different when the agent is initially setting up, there are only so many clients an agent can usefully serve and so the best time to approach them is when they are actively seeking to build their client base.  Follow the links below to get the best up-to-date information on who’s doing what.  And don’t forget: good isn’t good enough – only exceptional writing, in tandem with a sound commercial outlook, will get their attention

Your first port of call should be the Artist’s and Writer’s Yearbook

http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/

Do as they say.

Another interesting place is

http://www.agentquery.com/

And if you are UK based, you can’t go far wrong with

http://www.writers.net/agents.html

When you get an agent, listen to them – they know publishing.  It’s one of the reasons you’ll be paying them a percentage of your earnings.

 

 

Manuscript Requirements

As a general guide to the format required for submissions, you can’t go far wrong with this:
Typed, A4, double-spaced, single page, numbered, good margins. (Go look in a paperback and increase the proportion by about a third.) Have a title page that includes your name and word count. And don’t send out copies that have already been seen by others – send a virgin copy.
All good agents and publishers will have their submission guidelines available somewhere. Read them. If they ask for a synopsis, covering letter and the first three chapters, then resist the inclination to send the whole thing, because they will – as sure as hell – resist the temptation to read it.
Check to see if they accept electronic submissions and, if they do, what format they like.