Finding an agent

Lots of people want to know how to find an agent--it's scary when you have NO idea what you're getting yourself into, especially when there are scammer or bad agents out there!

When the topic of snagging an agent was posted on the Feast of Awesome group blog I belong to, I wrote out a crazy long answer (me, long-winded? NEVER, haha). One of the other 2009 YA debut members, Saundra Mitchell, suggested I repost my answer on my blog so others can find it. Good idea, tootsie. So, here ya go!

I got my agent the old-fashioned way--through querying. I didn't meet her at a conference, and I didn't have an "in" or anything. I just whipped up the best query letter I could and made sure my manuscript was polished to a spit-shine. I'd actually queried someone else in the agency, but she'd passed my manuscript to Caryn, thinking it would be a good fit for her. Luckily for me, it was!

So, here's my best advice for finding an agent:

1--Don't get caught up in thinking, "this one agent is the only agent for me." You'd be surprised how many agents are perfect for one person and not right at all for another. The point is, give yourself an opportunity to seek out other agents and don't lock yourself in. I believe this puts you at a disadvantage. Besides, if that agent R's you, you're screwed. LOL

2--Don't offer exclusives, and avoid them as much as possible. This is a business, and there's no need to pre-emptively offer an exclusive at all. AT ALL. If you have an agent who requests one, and that manuscript is not out with anyone else, and you WANT to grant one, I would put a 2-week cap on it, MAX. Because all you've done is give that agent permission to put your manuscript on the BOTTOM of his/her pile until the exclusive runs up...now, I'm not saying he/she may do that, but the sense of urgency is gone because you're "locked in" for that time period.

3--Query, query, query! Don't send it out to 5 agents, get rejections, then bury the manuscript. If you have a great manuscript, it almost becomes a numbers game (not guaranteed, of course, but querying more means more chances of success). Be smart--come up with a plan and stick to it. Plan to query 5 agents a week, and every time you get an R, send it out to one more agent. Doing it in small, steady chunks allows you to tweak your query if needed (and your manuscript, if several agents point out the same problems).

4--DO NOT GIVE UP. Repeat after me--DO NOT GIVE UP. This is vital. My first manuscript did not garner me an agent. Did I give up? Nope. I wrote another that got me my agent. That one still has not sold. Did I give up? Nope. I wrote another that got me my editor. My point? DO NOT GIVE UP. LOL

5--Don't query someone unless you'd be willing to accept representation from that person. My point is, don't waste an agent's time by querying them just to test your query letter out, or whatever. Take the business seriously--you wouldn't want to be treated like that.

6--Do CAREFUL research before querying. Don't wait until you have an offer and then say, "Oh, has this person sold anything in my genre? Is this person a good agent?" In my humble opinion, you should know that before you query.

If you need some links on where to find reputable agents, pop by my website at http://www.rhondastapleton.com and click on the "goodies" link--I have links for writers at the bottom.