Literary agents are one of the most important publishing industry links, and their job is representing authors and manuscripts. While you don’t strictly need an agent to publish your work as an author, many mainstream publishing houses like Penguin Books and Harper Collins accept only agented submissions.  Finding an agent could be your advantage if your manuscript matches what they’re looking to represent. Here’s how to pitch literary agents.

Why Pitch Agents Over Publishers?

A literary agent has existing background connections within the publishing industry; this means literary agents can arrange publication, interviews, and publicity much faster than any author can on their own.

Representation can be the proverbial “foot in the door” within the publishing industry. While some publishers might consider your manuscript, also pitch to literary agents, who in turn already know which of their connections may bid to publish it.

The American Society of Journalists and Authors notes, “An agent can also help if you have sent queries to publishers and have gotten interest. In this case, an agent can help you negotiate a better deal or contact additional publishers. Finally, an agent may really like a proposed book.”

An Agent’s Requirements

Literary agents (and agencies) have requirements just like a publisher. Generally, never query an agent without doing your research and nailing down what they’re looking for.

Agents sometimes ask for submissions via a portal like QueryTracker. Other times agents will ask for a certain amount of sample chapters pasted into the email body (and almost never attached due to the digital risk associated with attachments these days).

Research each agent/agency you’d like to query, or you risk instant delegation into their slush pile.

If you were to, for example, skip putting “author pitch” in the subject line when they’d asked for it in their guidelines … You’re showing that you don’t pay attention.

Pitch Periods and Wish Lists

Another agency requirement can be wish lists (what they like to see at the moment), definite don’ts (what you should never pitch them), and pitch time periods. These preferences are different for every agent, and individual research is your best answer for knowing who to submit to at which point.

You’re most likely to find this information on their agency’s page, their individual website, their social media, or their QueryTracker profile.

When checking for this info, you’ll also want to check on the date of the information you’re reading. For instance, there’s no point pitching someone whose information was updated in 2011.

Stunning Pitch Emails

Agents are extremely busy, devoting most of their time with existing clients. Time is money. A good pitch email must be clear, be formal, and include your basic information plus first sample chapters. As a rule, agents tend to prefer one to three chapters, but again this can be different for each. Some wish to see a one- or two-page synopsis.

No fancy fonts, no attachments, and minimal links. Write each email personally, because a copy-pasted form response makes you emulate a spammer instead of someone seeking genuine self-promotion. If enough people report your details as spam, you could be blacklisted by Google and have to appeal this.

One more thing: don’t use AI.

QueryTracker and Reedsy

QueryTracker and Reedsy are two main platforms where you’ll find handy lists of agents. They are searchable by criteria like their genre, their pitching period, or their name – it pays to check regularly and keep adding to your “agent search.”

Agents also advertise via Writer’s Digest, WritersNet, and AgentQuery.

Publishers Marketplace lists agent deals in real time so you can see what agents represent and the publishers actively seeking manuscripts. However, it requires a subscription. Good news is, however, that you can subscribe for a month at a time ($30/month) which might be all you need at the time.

One more technique is searching for “author name” and the word “literary agent” on Google, and you can find out who represents specific authors.

Track Your Progress

In pitching agents, you can lose track of your progress. Keep a spreadsheet, ideally cloud-based, where you can make notes about who you’ve emailed – split these into people who have said yes, who have said no, and who haven’t responded yet. You might even include a section on responses so that you can spot trends that might warrant an edit or rewrite.

Even if someone says no, note the why, but most of all, appreciate someone who took the time to reject or to answer personally. They’re worth pitching other manuscripts in the future.

About the Author: Alex J. Coyne is a journalist, author, and proofreader. He has written for a variety of publications and websites, with a radar calibrated for gothic, gonzo, and the weird.

ID 1944898 © Florian Ispas | Dreamstime.com