Searching for an Agent

When I got my first publishing contract, the editor discovered my manuscript buried in the slush pile. At the time, this publisher didn’t require their writers to have an agent, so I worked without an agent over the course of three books.

Now that I’m further into my writing career, I’m ready to have an agent in my corner, but to me the most important thing is finding the right agent. Here are some good questions to ask yourself when searching for an agent.

1. What is his or her style? Reading blogs written by the agents on your list is a great way to get a feel for how the agent works. Some agents love to work with new writers, while others prefer seasoned authors. Some agents are more nurturing, while others are more aggressive. It’s all about what style you think would work best for you. If you have an opportunity to meet agents at a writing conference, this is probably the best way to see if your personalities work well together.

2. What genres do they represent? I’m not only looking at if they represent what I’m working on now, but also, things I may be interested in later. If they say they would never represent science fiction and that’s the next book you want to write, maybe it wouldn’t be a good fit.

3. Who represents my favorite authors? I’ve spent some time on the agency websites and using google to figure out which agents represent authors I love. If we like the same writing style and genres, there might be a better chance that the agent would be interested in my writing.

What research have you done or questions have you asked in your search for an agent?