Any Suggestions

[Tiaga]

It seems that few if any agents want to look at detective thrillers at present at least that has been my experience. I have a professionally edited manuscript that has received good comments from my selected readers but the market for this type of novel seems to be almost impossible to break into. When you compare this genre to sf for example there is no where near the resources or info available. Is anyone else in the same boat?

[Jamesaritchie]

It seems that few if any agents want to look at detective thrillers at present at least that has been my experience. I have a professionally edited manuscript that has received good comments from my selected readers but the market for this type of novel seems to be almost impossible to break into. When you compare this genre to sf for example there is no where near the resources or info available. Is anyone else in the same boat?

Keep trying. Detective thrillers and mysteries are the second largest genre out there, lagging behind only the romance novel. And outside of the romance novel, these are the easiest genres to break into by a very wide margin. No matter what the state of the publishing industry, detective thrillers and mysteries are always, always, always in demand.

The detective thriller market is many times larger than the SF market, and far more agents handle it.

If you can't find an agent, you might check whether or not you believe your novel falls into one of the thriller categories on this page: http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/SubmissionGuidlines.cfm

Leisure will look at novels without an agent, and the top editor reads everything that comes in.

[Tiaga]

Thanks Jamesaritchie, I appreciate your advice. I'm starting to think this whole "you must be published before an agent will look at you but you need an agent to get published" was thought out by the government.

[Liam Jackson]

Thanks Jamesaritchie, I appreciate your advice. I'm starting to think this whole "you must be published before an agent will look at you but you need an agent to get published" was thought out by the government.

I think a vanity press started that "you must be published..." crap. No truth to it. Not saying that having an offer won't help you land the agent of your choice, but it's certainly no prerequisite.

[Jamesaritchie]

Thanks Jamesaritchie, I appreciate your advice. I'm starting to think this whole "you must be published before an agent will look at you but you need an agent to get published" was thought out by the government.

Nah, as Liam says, it was started by vanity publishers. Agents and publishers are both on the lookout for new writers. Without new writers, agents and publisher would both go out of business.

What you need to get a good agent is simply a novel she believes will sell. No agent has ever said, "I think this is a great novel that will sell like mad, so I'm going to refuse to handle it because it was written by a new writer."

Likewise, no editor has ever said, "This is a novel the public will love, so I'm going to reject it because this guy has never been published."

But I will add this, no matter how well your novel is written, unless you can write a query letter that will make an agent or editor ask to see it, you're in trouble. When this is the case, I think writers should look for agents and editors who will look at sample chapters, rather than just queries.

A good rule for new writers is "Send a query letter if you absolutely have to, but send sample chapters whenever possible."

It's always better to have an agent or eeditor read your writing, rather than have them read a query letter that just tells them about your writing.