How to get published
Get an agent
That at least is my advice for novelists looking for a publisher. My first book was non-fiction and I sold it directly to a major publisher’s acquisitions editor. That was eleven years ago, and I’m not sure it could be done today, because I don’t know what the submissions policies are for major non-fiction publishers. I do know the policies for major publishers regarding fiction. They don’t want to look at unsolicited manuscripts. A novelist needs an agent. How do you get one?
Based on my experience, my advice is to use a highly targeted approach. Look for an agent who represents writers you read.
There are several ways to do this. Occasionally writers mention their agent on their book’s acknowledgments page. You can do searches on Publishers Weekly. Or you can just Google the author’s name, and the tag ‘literary agent’.
How to submit
Send a short query by e-mail. It should be both punchy and content-rich. Imagine, in fact, you are writing the first couple of paragraphs of your novel: it should be that much of a selling tactic. For exact contents, look up the agent’s website and see what they want. If their advice is too general, or entirely lacking, then I suggest you include four elements:
A single, short, active sentence telling the agent what you’ve written. This is to avoid wasting the agent’s time.
A single, short, active sentence telling the agent your qualifications.
The first paragraph of the novel, preferably short.
A brief thanks, expressing your readiness to send further material upon request, and your contact e-mail address.
For further advice on query letters, which are after all your first (and only) line of assault, I suggest you trawl the archives of the Miss Snark, the Literary Agent blog. During its heyday a few years ago this was incredibly popular, and is still hilarious. The real Miss Snark (I believe) is a successful New York literary agent named Janet Reid. Her current blog is also hilarious and hilariously informative for authors.
How to get e-mail addresses
This is 2010. E-mail your query letter. If you’re having trouble finding your agent’s e-mail address here is an eccentric but invaluable website.
