Approaching An Agent
How can I make myself attractive to agents?
An author can make themselves more desirable to literary agents by being very straight-forward and knowing what their product is. Know what your novel is about. Authors should not be ridiculously pushy, but they should be focused. There is a thin line between being bugged and hassled, and being sort of encouraged, and thinking, 'Yes, you're right, this person should deserve attention.' There are various common sense things that people should apply when they are approaching a literary agent.
How many agents should I approach?
There is a strange etiquette about approaching literary agents. In the old days, if you approached several, some agents would be very offended and they probably wouldn't even look at your work. Now, I think there are mixed feelings: as long as the author is totally upfront and has said, "I've sent this book to three other agents, just so you know," then I don't have a problem with it, because you can't expect someone to be sitting around for six to eight weeks just to get a standard rejection. On the other hand, no one is paying us to read these books, and you've got to understand that it's not a right of an author to have a literary agent read their books, especially if they've got a list of successful writers anyway. There are lots of courses, creative writing courses, and there is a lot of competition to get their attention. I think I would take a common-sense approach, which is target the agent and then say, "Look, I've picked you so I'm only going to show it to you, but I actually would like a six to eight week window." I think six to eight weeks is probably a very, very reasonable amount of time for anyone to wait, and any more than that is unreasonable.
I've bumped into a well known agent in a social setting should I pitch my book to them?
Being an agent, I have been in social settings where, no matter what, people will always pitch you once they hear what you do, if they are a writer. It seems to be that most of the world is a writer in some form. I would advise you to do it in more a subtle and interesting way than just, "Here's my book," when you're at a wedding and suddenly you're listening to a big, long pitch of a historical novel set in Norway in 8th century. I would use your common sense because you may blow it.
Can I send an unsolicited manuscript?
You can send unsolicited manuscripts. You have to look at the right sort of agency and which agents accept unsolicited manuscripts as there are more that are closing down their departments. At Curtis Brown, we get 600 unsolicited manuscripts a month and we do welcome them, but that is a lot of manuscripts and a lot of them are 300 pages, so we have to make a lot of quick decisions. To avoid being on a slush pile, it's probably to have an idea because that already implies you have done a bit of research. It's best to target the literary agents that you think might be best for your work.
Can I approach an agent via email?
I wouldn't e-mail a literary agent directly. If you e-mail directly, some agents feel that's an interruption in their day. You wouldn't interrupt someone on the train to ask them to buy your product.
What should I submit when I first approach an agent?
The perfect submission for me is three chapters and a synopsis; a very concise, well-written letter. To tell you the truth, I really do look at the letter and if the letter has grammatical errors in it, it just shows they really have just dashed it off and I'm one of 25 other literary agents they've sent it to. It won't be the top of my priority list.
Can I approach an agent before I start a book?
If you are very famous, or you're a journalist with a following, you can possibly approach literary agents. However, if you are a teacher or social worker, and you fancy writing, don't waste your shot at a literary agent's time by just throwing an idea. An idea means nothing until the writing is in place.
Can I approach an agent before my book is finished?
Most literary agents are very reluctant to consider material when it's not finished because it doesn't really show commitment. There are lots of writers spending years and years on books, and in fact I've just sold a first novel from the unsolicited manuscript pile this week, and this was someone who for eight years was rejected continually by other agents. That author would never dream of sending a partial manuscript.
Do I only get one shot at finding an agent?
You can normally read whether you've got another shot in the letter. If you get an encouraging rejection - which is not just standard, it perhaps at least addresses the material in your book - then I think you can say that you've attracted the literary agent's attention. You could use that with the next book to say, "You considered my work two years ago and I just thought you might like this." I don't think that's rude or silly in any way. What I think is wrong is if you get a total rejection and then you keep on sending new work every three months, after a while no one will to want to read that.
