Here are Juliet Pickering’s top 10 tips on submitting to an agent…
Once your (whole) novel, or non-fiction proposal, is finished and polished, you’re ready to go! Consider your genre, e.g. is your story crime, romance, literary, speculative – or memoir, history, business, nature writing etc. – or a crossover of two?!
Do your research! You could start somewhere like Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook or the Acknowledgements in a book’s endpages to check which agencies represent which genres, or simply search online. Then…
Look at agency websites and individual agent pages. Most agents list what they’re looking for & who they represent, to guide you on their tastes. Many also tell you what they DON’T represent! Check you/your book are a fit.
Follow submission guidelines. Each agency will have submission requirements/a page of info, e.g. www.blakefriedmann.co.uk/submissions. Most will ask for cover letter, first three chapters + 250-word synopsis (fiction), or synopsis + proposal if non-fiction.
A non-fiction proposal would usually include a longer synopsis of 500 words max, two sample chapters including introduction/1st chapter, and a detailed chapter plan.
For fiction, if you have shorter/longer chapters and/or a prologue, take the recommended three chapters to mean up to 10,000 words (i.e. stop at a point that feels natural but don’t send a lot more!).
Synopsis should include entire plot/narrative arc of your book, so tell us what happens at the end, or how you conclude. We need to know: main characters, main events/turning points, main emotional journey (fiction) OR narrative style, argument, research (non-fiction)
Cover letter should be personable & professional, introducing book with comparisons to similar books/TV/film, genre, TITLE & word count. Then one-paragraph blurb – intriguing, setting up hook & main characters! – and a short bio about you/your writing.
Let us know you’ve done your research, and why you’re sending to that agent in particular, e.g. ‘You’re looking for a big love story involving older characters and my novel offers that too’; ‘I see you represent *** and my work has similar themes…’
Submit to several agents at once, check in politely after the period indicated on their website and, when one asks for a full manuscript or first meeting, let all the others know! GOOD LUCK!