Once your manuscript is as perfect as you can make it and has gone through a developmental and copy edit, it’s time to seek an agent. You need an agent if you want your book published by one of the major publishers and for the myriad other services an agent can offer to help make your book a success.
The goal with my book, Come the Harpies, is commercial publication. I don’t intend to self-publish this one and I do not want to work with a book packaging firm that you pay to publish and market your book, or any combination of those latter two approaches. There is nothing wrong with those alternatives, but I want to see if I have the stuff to make an agent and editor fall in love with my work enough to offer a publishing contract. So this blog will only focus on the steps I’m taking to achieve that goal.
I’ve tried to take a structured and disciplined approach to my “journey.” I’ve attended a writer’s workshop that covered publishing fundamentals and have read the "bible" on how to get a book published.
Most recently, I participated in an on-line “Boot Camp” run by a major New York City literary agency that focused on preparing my submission package. Following a two-hour webinar, I was given three days to perfect my submission package and submit it to the agency for a professional critique. With any luck, they’ll like my package enough to request more pages…and maybe take me on as a client.
Submission packages vary from agency to agency, but my research indicates some commonalities that exist among agencies. A submission package usually includes a:
· Query letter. A one-page introduction indicating why you’re contacting the agent, a brief pitch describing your book, and some biographical notes.
· Synopsis. A brief (no more than two pages double-spaced) plot summary, including spoilers and how your story ends. I found this the most difficult document to write!
· Sample. Actual pages from the book. It seems an agency will request anywhere from the first 5 to first 50 manuscript pages. Always submit the beginning pages, because most people decide whether to buy a book based on the first couple of pages, so that’s what most agents look at.
My next three posts will cover each of those elements in more detail, including samples of a successful query letter and synopsis. Please note, the submission package I’ve described is only for fiction. Submissions for nonfiction are different and involve writing a proposal and chapter outlines. Those elements are outside the scope of this blog because I really haven’t studied them.
Coming up later this week: What goes into a Query Letter?
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