Agent Laura Bradford gave a talk entitled “Everything You Want to Know About Literary Agents” at the Valley Center Library in San Diego last Saturday. Here are some of her tips for getting an agent, and what she is looking for in a submission:
- Do your research. Decide what kind of agent you want. Do you want a teddy bear who will hold your hand through the long process of publication, or a shark who will get you the best deal? Most agents are closer to one end of the spectrum than the other. Once you have a short list, find out about your chosen agents through conferences, organizations like RWA, websites like AAR, blogs, and twitter. QueryTracker has some information, but agents can’t post information so the data can be out of date. Word-of-mouth is another good resource. Books like Writer’s Market are also good sources, but can be out of date by the time they are published.
- Personalize your submission. She gets from 800-1000 queries per month. If you want to stand out, always personalize your letter. Refer to the type of material the agent is looking for, make sure your genre is one the agent represents, mention attributes of your book similar to an author they represent, say if you’ve met them at a conference. Show that you’ve researched this agent, and say why this agent is the right agent for your book. Personalization and research show a level of care an agent appreciates.
- What Kills a Submission: Addressing the query letter to the dreaded “Sir/Ms.”, instead of the agent by name. Not checking the agent’s submission policies before sending your material in. Nothing annoys an agent more than getting submissions outside the genres they are selecting for. Many queries Ms. Bradford receives are thrown out because they are for the wrong genre, the word count is wrong, etc. She can’t sell a novel that’s only 20,000 words long.
- On putting together your submission packet: When writing your query, boil the story down to its essence. Throw out confusing or distracting details. Get rid of any point that might be a red flag. For Ms. Bradford, the point of the synopsis is to tell the agent where the story goes. She doesn’t care how long it is, but says to check other agents guidelines. Before sending in your sample chapters, have a second set of eyes look over your work — critique partners, beta readers, even a friend who knows grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If you have no one who can help you, she recommends a new site called Book Country. They have an online critiquing forum.
- Getting Past the Slush Pile: Whether or not she requests a partial is a gut reaction. “Can I sell this? Is it emotional appealing?” This isn’t something the author can know or prepare for. If she likes what she sees, she asks for a partial. If she likes that, she asked for full. Occasionally she requests a revised and resubmit. If she has a problem with the storyline, plot, voice etc. she will write a letter making suggestions to the author. She does not send out a lot of these. If you get a revise and resubmit, she advises that you do not make changes you do not agree with. Use your own judgement.
- How to submit to Laura Bradford: Check her website for the latest information, but in her talk she said she wants a one-page cover letter with a brief blurb on the story. Keep it concise. She also wants a blurb on the author’s publications and contest wins. It important to include the word count and the genre. In addition, she wants a synopsis, and the first 10 pages.
What do you think? Does personalizing a query help your success rate? How do you research agents?
In my next post I will cover the rest of her talk – her advice on what to do once you get that all-important “call”, what questions to ask a prospective agent, and how she goes about pitching her author’s books to editors. See you next time.
Hi Janet,
Great info, thanks for posting! I’m looking forward to the next post too, so I hope you tell us when it’ll be up.
All best,
~Marlo
Janet,
Thanks for this! I had so wanted to come down for her talk but wasn’t able to that weekend. She’s a fantastic agent and I know a few folks who she represents – they all love working with her.
Do let us know when the next posting will be up!
Hi Marlo and Christine! Thanks for the comments. I will definitely let you know when the next post goes up.
Janet,
1000 queries per month! Wow. That just hits home how quickly she has to pour through those. Simplicity and Clarity seem to be the theme to standing out.
Thank you.
Jean Murray
Really liked these tips. They go beyond the usual stuff you hear and the links look helpful too. Thanks for posting this. Nice job on your site – love the name. I’ll keep checking back.
Kathy
Thanks for sharing this. I found the first comment the most interesting. I’d never thought about whether it was more important for me to have my hand held during the whole process or whether I’d rather work with a shark. Nor did I know that most agents fall on one end of the spectrum or the other.
Hi Jean. I was amazed by the number of queries she gets too. Makes it clear how important it is to craft a concise pitch that can hook an agent immediately!
Hi Kathy! Nice to see you here. Thanks for the kind words about my site!
Glad you found the post useful, Suad. I don’t know how much of a shark I want vs. a teddy bear, but she certainly got me thinking about it! Maybe somewhere in between?
I like the clean look of your site. Love your tag line!
Thanks Isis!
I was at Laura’s meeting, and didn’t take notes. You’ve totally “saved the day” for me, with your excellent coverage of her talk. Many thanks. Joy
Thanks for posting this Janet
- sounds like her workshop was great. And I LOVE the new blog look!
Hi Joy – thanks for visiting. Glad the post was helpful!
Hey Marie! Nice to see you here. Thanks for the kind words!
Janet,
Thanks for sharing these useful points on queries. I just bought a copy of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents in preparation for creating my list of agents to query. One of Laura’s comments that I didn’t understand: how does one find out if an agent is a teddy bear or a shark? I haven’t seen that in printed sources or agent web sites except occassionally they will have a comment something like “interested in nurturing an author’s career.”
Love the new look of your web site. Are you giving lessons in web site design?
John
Hi John! According to Laura, the key is to do your research. Books only tell you a part of the story. Once you have a short list of agents who represent your genre, read interviews with them on the web, read their blogs, follow them on twitter, and, if possible, see them in person at conferences, either in pitch meetings or on panels. The goal is to develop an impression of the way they work with their authors.
Once you have an agent interested in your work, and have an opportunity to ask the agent questions, you can find out more about their style. I will cover that section of her talk in my next post.
And thanks for the compliment on my new design!
Thanks for posting this! I need to find a way to get to more events like these. How did you hear about her talk?
I heard about it from the San Diego chapter of RWA – http://www.rwasd,com. It was part of a series of writing workshops presented by the Friends of the Valley Center Library.
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