How NOT to Get an Agent Linda S. Glaz
What on earth do agents want? Writers stumble through the motions as they do their best to guess what an agent is looking for. The answers are pretty simple if you know where and how to look. Learn from the mistakes of others: how NOT to get an agent.
First and foremost, don’t allow your work ethic to identify you as an amateur .
Agencies provide needed information
- they generally outline exactly what they want
- what they don’t want
- exactly HOW to approach them
Agents outline their preferences
- their sites should let you know what genres they handle
- how they prefer to be queried
- what they DO NOT want to see
Making professional contact need not be painful
- DO NOT
-approach inappropriately
-bathrooms YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT? No, and trust me, not a good idea
-by mail if they tell you email only
-stalking, DITTO NOT A GOOD IDEA. WHY WOULD ANYONE THINK IT’S APPROPRIATE?
-GOD TOLD ME, this that and the other ….YEAH……No!
Then what do I do?
- ELEVATOR pitch, have it ready
- DO NOT assume your writing is so wonderful that they will want to start looking at fantasy (any genre they specifically say they don’t handle) just because YOU wrote it, and think it’s better than Gone With the Wind
- If they handle only e-submissions, don’t send a giant print copy to their homes
- Don’t be cutesy!!!!
- Give agents time to evaluate the work before following up
Be pleasant, accept no if that’s the answer, and be sure to send a thank you.
Believe it or not, agents WANT you to succeed. They want to be able to say yes.
They are looking for new authors, but being professional and sending EXACTLY what they ask for shows them you will be awesome to work with, and all agents long for a dream client. If they ask for New Time Roman, 12 pt, which is standard, then don’t send something else. Show them your professional side and keep it neat and to the point.
Be respectful of their time. They look at dozens or more proposals every day. Stand out in the crowd by knowing what to do and how to do it.
If you ever have any questions that I can help with, feel free to contact me:
gilyardbehavioralhealth@gmail.com
Copyright: Linda S. Glaz, 2014
