literary agent

As a writing coach, I am often asked to help clients find a literary agent.

Finding a literary agent can be as tough as finding a publisher.

After all, you need to find an agent who wants to represent the type of things you write, which means not every literary agent is right for you.

One way to find an agent, though, is to look for new agents.

Newer agents are actively building their clients lists and are hungry to sign new clients so they can start sending submissions to editors and get books sold.

So how do you find new agents?

Here are a couple of ways.

1. Look for agents who are relatively new to their agency.

You want someone who has been in the writing business in some way for a while but has only recently become an agent.

Maybe this person was an editor for years and recently decided to start her own agency.

She’s a good agent to contact IF she represents the type of things you write.

If you write for children, you should belong to the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators).

They publish a Bulletin every couple of months and often list new agents and other agents who are looking for new clients.

Also, Writer’s Digest has a blog that features New Agency Alerts.

This is a great place to go to find an agent whose needs match the type(s) of writing you wish to sell.

But read the posts carefully and follow (to the letter) any submissions guidelines for agents that you find there.

2. Another way to find an agent is to attend writer’s conferences that include pitch sessions to agents.

Again, it’s important to research these agents ahead of time, so you know which agent you should pitch to and you should also learn how to create a short, yet powerful pitch.

Don’t simply sign up to pitch to any agent.

It won’t do you any good to pitch to an agent who doesn’t represent the type of writing you do.

You need to pitch to an agent who sells picture books, for example, if you write picture books.

It’s also a good idea to learn about these agents before you pitch to them.

Find out what authors they represent and what books they have sold to publishers.

You can find an agent who is just right for you and the things you write if you will take the time and effort to do so.

Try it!