If you want to become a professional author I would recommend getting an agent (and not just because I am one). Agents are professional advocates for authors, they help to protect the interests of authors, negotiate contracts, and generally get you work. Most publishers will not take submissions from authors directly and prefer to work exclusively with agents. If you're going to seek an agent I would recommend making submissions to several agents simultaneously.
Getting an agent is just a first step. In order to get an agent first you have to search. I recommend the following resources:
- The Association of Author’s Representatives: They are the governing body for agents, members in good standing must pay dues and abide by a strict code of ethics. If you go to their website they have a resource which lists agents, and allows authors to search for agents by genre. I would compile as long a list as you can of agents, because there’s no guarantee that the first agent (or the fifth, tenth, or nineteenth for that matter) will like your book and want to represent you. Read each agent’s submission guidelines very carefully and follow them exactly (I’ll fill you in more on query letters and submissions later)
- PublishersMarketplace.com (aka PubLunch): PubLunch is a website which agents, publishers, and authors utilize to make announcements about forthcoming books. You can view profiles of agents, authors, and publishers and see announcements of deals for forthcoming books. This is an insider, industry, subscription only service ($20 a month). It’s not absolutely necessary for your agent search, but it can be helpful. If you wanted to find the agent who represents your favorite children’s books, you can search their “deals” section to find out who made the deal for that author, for that particular book, and you can find that agent’s specific contact info and submission guidelines. It’s also just a good tool for research in general, if you wanted to see what kinds of projects publishers are currently buying in your particular genre.
- Predators and Editors: P&E is a website which utilizes user input to compile a list of publishers and agents and to rank them by reputation. There are a lot of scams out there wherein unscrupulous “agents” and “publishers” try to rip off unsuspecting authors by promising them to “publish” their books for a certain fee. This site is a good way to verify if someone is a scammer or not, and also to find information on agents and publishers. It’s a bit of a dinosaur, and a little harder to navigate than the others, but still a valuable resource.
Once you’ve compiled a list of agents that you would like to submit your book to, you’ll need to prepare a submission. Each agent’s submission guidelines are unique, but there are a few things that are commonly asked for.
The first is a query letter. A query letter is a brief letter (usually three paragraphs) which introduces your project. It should be brief and concise, and should get the agent interested in reading more. There are a few books out there on how to write a query letter. For a brief summary, see the guide created by the service AgentQuery (I don’t recommend the service, you can save your money and do the same thing yourself) on how to write a query. It gives the basics. If you want to learn how to write a really good query that will really sell your project, then you might want to go to the library or search Amazon for a book on the subject (there aren’t any that I’d specifically recommend, not having read any, but I know they exist). Some agents will ask for the query letter only, and base their decision on whether to request your work solely on how they feel about the letter, so it’s important to get it right. Some authors have a misplaced resentment about the query letter. It seems like such a miniscule thing to base one’s judgment of your entire work on, but it’s important. You only get one chance for a first impression, and your query letter is it. Just keep in mind that your contacting someone you don’t know, and who doesn’t know you, about a book they haven’t read and you have to convince them to read it. If possible tailor your query letter to each individual agent.
The second thing that is commonly asked for is a synopsis. This is a brief (one or two page) summary of the major plot points in your book. Not every agent will want this, but it’s good to have it drawn up in advance just in case they request it. It's also good practice for a query letter, because it helps you to figure out how to best summarize what happens in your book. A synopsis isn't necessary for illustrated children's books.
The third thing is usually a sample. If you’ve written a novel, it’s usually the first few chapters. If you’ve written an illustrated children’s book, it’s usually the complete text of the children’s book or “script” (because they’re short), and a few examples (photocopies or images) of the artwork. Like the synopsis, not every agent will ask for this up front, but they may want to look at it eventually, so have it ready.
(For non-fiction you will usually be asked for a book proposal, rather than a manuscript or sample materials. Guides on how to write book proposals are abundant, I would suggest searching online. The structure varies, as does the advice. So, be forewarned.)
I would recommend having both physical copies available for agents who only accept submission in the mail, and a digital version of your submission. The physical version should be comprised of:
- Query letter on bond (fancy) paper,
- a synopsis (if necessary) and sample (or script) on plain paper, 12 point font, double spaced
- (if applicable) two or three examples of your original artwork in high quality digital printouts or photocopies on standard 8 ½ x 11 sized paper.
- SASE: stands for Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. This is an envelope addressed to yourself with proper postage which the agent will use to send you a notice of rejection if they are not interested in representing you. Some agencies will also return your materials upon request. You should include a separate envelope in that instance. In most cases your materials will simply be discarded after being reviewed, so don’t be too fancy.
Your digital (email) submission should be comprised of the same things, but each thing should be pasted into the body of your email. Agents receive hundreds of queries a day, some don’t have time to wait for your attachments to open and load, and will discard your query on that basis. You query letter should address the agent you're submitting to, and should note the material included in the body of the email (i.e. “synopsis, sample, and sample illustrations included below”). Your images (if applicable) should be low-resolution (file size under 200 kb) jpeg images which can easily be pasted into the body of your email and transmitted. Make sure to fill in the subject line with the title of your book. Email each agent individually, using their name in the query letter, do not send bulk emails to several addresses at once. You don’t want to get caught in someone’s spam filter, and you don’t want to give the impression that you’re just contacting agents at random. Monitor your email closely, you may get a response sooner than you think.
Once you’ve made your submissions, the only thing left to do is wait for someone to call you, or for the rejections to roll in. This process could take at minimum a month or two. Most agents ask that you not follow up on your submissions. Most agents cannot track when, if, how they decided to reject your submission. They receive hundreds every day, and have to sort through based on the query letters for projects they find appealing. If they decide against yours, they will either submit a form rejection letter (i.e. “it’s just not for me, thank you for submitting anyway”) or on occasion they will write you a personalized rejection letter that instructs you how to better fix your project in case you wish to submit it again. If you don’t hear back from an agent, I would recommend resubmitting rather than trying to call or email them only to be stymied by their army of assistants, associates, and secretaries who don’t know anything and can’t help you. You can also just consider their silence a tacit rejection, and move on to the next possible agent.
If, at long last, an agent contacts you, they will request whatever complete materials they are interested in, including your complete manuscript to review, or a mock-up of your illustrated book. A two week exclusive review period is typically requested, which means you cannot submit these materials to another agent for the period of two weeks from when you sent in your complete manuscript/mock-up. Review of your materials can take a while. I would recommend following up if you don’t hear back in a month, and continuing to follow up every two weeks after that.
If, at the end of your long search for an agent, all you’ve collected is a file full of rejection letters, it may be time to re-evaluate whether the book is really ready for commercial publishing. If that’s the case, there’s not much you can do aside from publishing the book yourself, which will cost you money, and has a very slim chance of ever earning you that money back. Self-publishing can be done successfully, but I don’t have any experience with it, so if you want to take this route I would recommend heading to the library or Amazon for a book on the subject. Avoid at all cost any self-publishing services that promise to place your books in stores, and advertise on your behalf, they’re usually a waste of money.
If you’re fortunate enough to have an agent who offers to represent you, congratulations you’ve made it to past step one!
Now, hopefully you’ve heeded my advice about going to the AAR website and only submitting to reputable agents, but just in case you skipped over that part, I’ll mention it again. Do your research. Make sure the agent who is offering representation has other clients who have books that are published by an imprint of a major publisher (Simon and Schuster, Random House, Hachette Group, Macmillan etc.). Make sure to read the AAR’s canon of ethics and see if the agent adheres to them.
An aside about agents, publishers, and getting paid: agents work on commission, which means that you do not pay them directly, but that they take a percentage of the money paid to you by the publisher. Standard commission for domestic deals is 15% of net revenue for all books which the agent represents, sales of subsidiary rights are typically 20% with the agent splitting that commission in half with a subsidiary rights agent. Subsidiary rights agents are agents in foreign countries, or in other fields besides publishing (i.e. film/tv/movies) which aid an agent in negotiating in other languages/countries or in specialized circumstances (film contracts are very different than publishing contracts, and need someone experienced to navigate them). When a publisher wants to buy rights to publish your book they will pay an advance, which is a lump sum payment based on their estimation of how much money they expect you to earn in royalties for your books. The advance can be anywhere from a thousand dollars to millions (though typically for first time authors you can probably expect between $7,500 and $30,000). Provided you turn in a book that satisfies the publisher, you get to keep that advance money no matter how well your book does. If your book earns royalties in excess of your advance payment (in publishing lingo it “earns out”), then you will receive additional payments. All these payments will have the 15% commission deducted by your agent in return for their services in getting you the deal, negotiating the contracts, and monitoring whether the publisher is paying you fairly. Because an agent’s compensation is tied into how much money you are earning, it’s in the agent’s best interest to make sure that you are earning a steady income.
So back to what I was saying. An agent has offered you representation. The first thing you have to do is sign an agency agreement. Most agents aren’t interested in making a handshake deal with you. They know to get everything in writing, and they want a few things from you and you in turn should demand a few things of them. It’s important to go over your agency agreement and clarify anything you don’t understand with the agent, and make sure that you’re comfortable with the arrangement. That’s why it’s called an agreement, because you’re both supposed to agree on how your business relationship is supposed to work. Once this is done the agent is going to help you prepare your work for submission to publishers.
Your agent may want you to fix a few things with your project before submitting it. Let them help you out, and be responsive. The more on the ball you are, the easier it is for them to focus on your project (they have other clients too, so they don’t have all the time in the world to spend just on your project). Typically these revisions are small, but sometimes they can take months.
Once your book is ready for submission, ask your agent to provide you with a list of editors they plan to submit the book to. Sometimes they will send it to just one editor they know is looking for exactly what you’ve got. Most times, however, they’ll send the book to several editors who acquire books in the genre most closely associated with your book. It’s important to give feedback in this process. Research the editors they choose using PublishersMarketplace, and see if the editors’ past projects are similar to yours. If there are editors who have edited authors you particularly admire suggest them. Your agent my not agree with you, but they will try to accommodate you, or at least explain their rationale for choosing the editors they’ve chosen.
The submission process can be long and grueling, but thankfully your agent will be doing most of the work. Getting a book acquired by a publisher can take as little as a month, or more than a year. Make sure to follow up with your agent every month, or two months, to see about the status of the submission. Ask to see the rejection letters and strategize about other possible editors than the ones your agent has already submitted your work to.
While the submission process is ongoing, it’s also a good idea to get started on new projects. Pitch new ideas to your agent to see which ones they are most interested in (they’re not required to represent you for any project they don’t like) and try to have something new ready.
If your book doesn’t get picked up by a publisher you might have to shelve it and work on something new. Don’t fret. That first book will always be there if you need it. If you get a new book published, and they want more from you, you’ll have that first book to give them.
If in the end you don’t end up getting published, don’t sweat it. It happens a lot. If you’re not too disheartened by the whole thing, dust yourself off, and keep trying.
