7 Tips for Hiring the Right Literary Agent for
You
If you want to start your writing career the right way, it is imperative that you hire a good literary agent. A literary agent is an agent that will represent all literary interests. They will be the ones who will try to get you the best publishing deals. If a movie studio wants to make a movie adaptation of your book, it is the literary agent that will protect your interests. Overall, having a competent and experienced literary agent will enhance your chances of success.
Here are 7 Tips for hiring the right literary agent for you.
1. Do your research
Before you even start contacting literary agents, you should first do your research. This is important because you don’t want to waste your time entertaining sub-par literary agents. Remember that your choice of literary agent will affect your overall writing career. There are many cases where an author was only able to flourish because his or her literary agent was competent and skilled in negotiations. So be diligent in your research. Check the company they are working for. Check the clients that they have handled. By doing your research as thorough as possible, you’ll enhance your chances of getting a great literary agent.
2. Check their track record
Aside from checking their background, the main thing you should thoroughly scout out in a literary agent is his or her track record. Of the authors that they have handled in the past, how many were bestsellers? How many truly succeeded? If they did, was it because the author was extraordinarily skilled? Or did the literary agent have a hand in the success as well?
3. Honesty is key
When it comes to hiring a literary agent, honesty should always be a key factor. During your background check of the literary agent, you should check if he or she was involved in any scandal or case involving a client. If any literary agent in your list did have any issues, you should cross them off your list. You need a literary agent you can trust if you want to succeed in the literary world.
4. Make sure that they specialize in your chosen genre
Aside from being trustworthy, your potential literary agent should be able to help you thrive in your chosen genre. He or she should have the right connections and experience to help you gain a following. Take a look at the agent’s track record. What genre did his or her authors specialize in? Did he help them reach their full potential in their chosen genre? Overall, it is important that you and your literary agent are on the same page.
5. The literary agent should represent you, not themselves
Your literary agent should have all the qualities mentioned earlier. But aside from that, he or she should be wholly loyal to you. The literary agent should always strive to get you the best deals possible. They should never accept deals just because it is advantageous to them, or they are friends with a particular publisher. Their main goal should always be to help you reach your full potential as a writer.
6. Write a competent query letter
Once you decide on a literary agent, you should write a query letter. A query letter is meant to convince the literary agent to work with you. So first things first, you should make sure that your book is worthy of being represented by a top-class literary agent. Remember that the literary agent will also be putting his or her reputation on the line. So you should make sure that your book is in the best condition possible. As for your query letter, it should be clear and concise. It must address the literary agent by his or her full name. It should have a short overview of your book, the reason why you wrote it and why it should be published. You should also tell a little bit about yourself. The overall tone of your query letter should be respectful, and show the literary agent that you are worth working with.
7. The agent must be easy to work with
Aside from your agent being of good moral character, he or she should be easy to work with. Remember that you will be working hand in hand with the agent, and if he or she is abrasive, pushy or arrogant, then the process will become a nightmare very fast. Before you get a literary agent, you should take the time to know them first. You don’t want to sign a contract with them, only to find out that they are very difficult to work with.
Conclusion
If you want to publish your book effectively, it is important that you hire the right literary agent. Remember that the literary agent will be the one to represent your literary works, so you should be careful in your choice of literary agents. With these tips, you’ll be able to choose the best literary agent to represent your work.
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