Should I Try to Get a Literary Agent?

Should I attempt to find a literary agent who will represent my novel to traditional publishers?

This is a question that comes up frequently from first-time authors. The short answer is “yes,” but there are several things to keep in mind with this decision.

You will probably not be able to get your book published by a traditional publisher without a literary agent. Publishers figured out a long time ago they were spending too much time reading query letters and sample chapters from would-be authors, only rarely finding something they wanted to publish.

So, they created a vacuum only a middleman could fill. Literary agents now do all the dirty work, and publishers don’t even pay them for it. Literary agents receive a percentage of published authors’ earnings. This way, publishers only consider book ideas that have gone through the filter of agents whose reputations are on the line when they present proposals. 

From the writer’s perspective, the only real difference is that instead of convincing a publisher to publish your book, you have to convince a literary agent to take your idea to a publisher. But persuading a literary agent to represent your book is at least as difficult as persuading a publisher would be.

If you decide to go the traditional publisher route, as opposed to self-publishing, my suggestion is to acquire Guide to Literary Agents (Writer’s Digest Books). Identify agents who represent books in your genre, then determine what they’re looking for and how they want it presented.

Some literary agents only want a one-page query letter, while others request a query letter and synopsis. Other agents seek a query letter, synopsis, and brief bio, while some want a query letter, synopsis, brief bio, and sample chapters. Most only accept electronic transmissions, and only a few will open attachments.

One of the biggest drawbacks in attempting to get a literary agent interested in your work is that you probably won’t receive constructive criticism. Most are inundated with queries, so you’re lucky if you get a brief “no thanks” message cut and pasted from their last rejection note. And with many agents, it can take weeks to get that.

When I was pitching literary agents regarding a novel I had written, only one took time to provide a brief suggestion regarding how to improve my pitch. I took her advice and wished I could have received feedback from more agents. But that’s not their job.   

What about self-publishing? Personally, I would not self-publish unless I first failed to convince a literary agent to represent my book. But I’d rather self-publish than see my hard work go unpublished.