How did you find your agent

popmuze · Feb 26, 2007

As far as finding an agent, I've been recommended to two agents who then took me on. My last agent had been familiar with my work from when he was an editor. I got two other agents when I already had a deals on the table. Obviously, none of these agents lasted very long--approximately two weeks after the latest book stopped selling. Now that I'm looking for an agent again (with no book deal on the table), I'm wondering how some of the people here found their agents.

I've always been under the impression that most agents' lists are filled with people who've been recommended to them by other writers, editors, or publishers. Maybe they approach some people whose stories they see in prominent magazines. Maybe one or two people a year are found in the slush.

How does this correlate with your experience?

giftedrhonda · Feb 26, 2007

I queried my agent...I didn't have any connections at all. LOL

rugcat · Feb 26, 2007

The old fashioned way. Research, query, no response. Query, form rejection. Query, request for partial, rejection. Query, request for partial, request for full, rejection. (Or, in one case, no further response) Query, partial, full, acceptance, sale.

It can take a while.

Jennifer L · Feb 26, 2007

My previous agent came to me after I had self-repped a number of niche books in nonfiction. She knew an editor was looking for a book in that niche and she tracked me down and we did that deal and many others together.

Later, when it was time for a new agent, I talked to some writer friends and got a referral to my current nonfiction agent, who took me on and has sold a book or two for me.

When I started writing fiction, which my nonfiction agent doesn't rep, I queried a few agents I had met at writers' conferences and one of them took me on.

Networking and referrals certainly make it easier to find an agent, but I do know of a number of writers who've gone the query-ten-then-query-ten-more route and have found representation that way.

Jennifer Lawler

Maprilynne · Feb 26, 2007

I did get my agent from a recomendation, but that didn't make it go any faster. She had my full for over ten months before I heard a peep out of her!

However, when she did offer to sign me, I pulled four fulls from agents I had contacted in the traditional way. So the traditional way does work.

Four agents, man popmuze, you are my hero!

Maprilynne

Toothpaste · Feb 26, 2007

I did the old fashioned query process thing!

ORION · Feb 26, 2007

I, too did it the old fashioned way like toothpaste I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!!

stormie · Feb 26, 2007

www.agentquery.com, http://www.aar-online.org, then if they had a web site, I read it. I also did searches on writer's boards, and read PW.

andracill · Feb 26, 2007

Although I don't have an agent yet (man, I hope it's soon!), I queried, like everyone else. IF I end up with the one I think I might (it seems so close), I didn't actually query her -- or I tried to, but she ended up calling me six months after I first attempted a query...the rest, we hope, is good history!

But yeah, plain old querying (and researching)

Memnon624 · Feb 26, 2007

I got my first agent the old fashioned way (see Rugcat's post). It took about a year and nearly fifty queries. My current agent came as a referral from my editor at Thomas Dunne. I asked him if he knew any good agents I could talk to before making any decisions concerning the deal that was on the table at the time. He gave me one name. At first, I was a bit leery ("one name? what if they're in cahoots?"), but he turned out to be an excellent choice; what's more, he came from an editorial background and worked on one of my old mentor's books at Simon and Schuster. We clicked . . . and he threw away the original deal and got me a new and better one

Scott

e.dashwood · Feb 27, 2007

My agent took me right off the slushpile.

aruna · Feb 27, 2007

I'm on my third agent! And hopefully last!

The first one I queried after reading an article about her in a UK writer's magazine. I was terribly naive and did everything wrong, but she took me on and tried selling my book for years - without success. She was the first agent I queried for that book, so I assumed it was terribly easy to get an agent.

My second agent, again in the UK, was a referral. Again, I assumed it was easy to get an agent.

The present agent was found in the old-fashioned way - but this time I was far more professional about it. And by now I knew how hard it is!

Will Lavender · Feb 27, 2007

stormie said:
www.agentquery.com, http://www.aar-online.org, then if they had a web site, I read it. I also did searches on writer's boards, and read PW.

This is the way I did it.

Preditors and Editors.

Found the websites, researched them, queried, got lucky.

Robyn · Mar 1, 2007

I'm still on the hunt. I stopped looking for awhile and went the route of getting pub'd first. (hence the first three books coming out). Now i'm on the hunt again but I know MUCH more about the business now than I did back then. But i'm doing it the old fashion way with research and querying. (and word of mouth as well)

triceretops · Mar 2, 2007

I'm on my second agent. And I found my agent on the AW site here. I went the agentquery route too, and believe it is still the best resource. I wrote four books and queried the heck out of them, landing about 125 rejections. All of those rejections came from the queries or first three chapters. All of my books have tedious, slow starts (I've since fixed that problem), but when my current agent read my second book all the way through, he took me on seven days later.

Tri

JustinThorne · Mar 2, 2007

I was lucky...

My MSc thesis was on genre publishing and online communities. One of my lecturers was at an academic publishing conference and met my [future] agent and publisher. He was discussing his new fiction imprint and my lecturer suggested that he get in touch with me as I had some novel projects.

It was an odd situation, I didn't have a query letter or synopsis written and none of my novel-length projects were anywhere near ready for submission. I sent three chapters of one of the novels and some of the short stories I have sold.

He came back to me and suggested an anthology (due for release in May this year) and first refusal on the novel when it is ready.

Happy days... I wasn't looking forward to the submission process at all!

Hillgate · Mar 2, 2007

In a haystack

Manat · Mar 3, 2007

I got mine by calling him after I was offered a contract. He was the second on my list. I know it's not the best way to go but I hadn't had any luck after about 30 queries prior to selling, and I thought longterm an agent was a good thing, and I'd never have a better opportunity to snag one. He'd turned me down about 6 months before, but he asked to see something else at the time so I felt OK calling him. I know I did most of the work, but he's well connected and he's been very attentive even though it's just a small advance and only a mid size press. I actually find it a little strange though. He keeps giving me s&^t, seems everything I do is wrong. "You have to learn to cc me with any communications to your editor...etc."

I'm taking that as a good sign though. We didn't sign a contract so the fact that he's bothering to correct me and teach me seems like a good sign. He's also begun sending me stuff from publisher's weekly he thinks I should know and I like his sense of humour. It feels a bit like an arranged marriage, where all of a sudden you're in bed with someone you've never met, but so far so good.

Begbie · Mar 3, 2007

Query, partial, full, contract.

Pisarz · Mar 3, 2007

I found mine by . . . oh wait a minute, that's right, I don't HAVE an agent. And dreams probably don't count. Oh well, back to reality. At least I can live vicariously through other novelists.

Susan B · Mar 4, 2007

The old fashioned way for me too. Came up with lists of possibilities by researching the usual sources. Ended up finding agentquery most useful, and that's where I first found my agent's name. From there, looked at the agency website, liked what I saw. Then had the standard query letter/request for proposal/request for longer sample/discussion/eventual offer.

I had started out relying more heavily on the Publisher's Marketplace site, but that's not as comprehensive. Also didn't find the big print guidebooks as helpful--again, not as comprehensive or up to date. (And after the fact, I found my agent's listing in one of the print books, with a little symbol indicating "not too open to new writers"--so it's a good thing I didn't check there first, or I wouldn't have even bothered to query!)

Robin Bayne · Mar 5, 2007

Met mine at a Christian writer's conference--but didn't query her until years later.

Dani Dunn · Mar 5, 2007

triceretops said:
I'm on my second agent. And I found my agent on the AW site here. I went the agentquery route too, and believe it is still the best resource. I wrote four books and queried the heck out of them, landing about 125 rejections. All of those rejections came from the queries or first three chapters. All of my books have tedious, slow starts (I've since fixed that problem), but when my current agent read my second book all the way through, he took me on seven days later.

Tri

If you don't mind me asking, who is your current agent?

How did you find your agent

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

giftedrhonda

Gifted Goofball

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

Jennifer L

Maprilynne

Author Waiting in the Wings

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

ORION

Sailed away years ago

stormie

storm central

andracill

Memnon624

A Boy and his Orc . . .

e.dashwood

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Will Lavender

Everything is what it seems.

Robyn

triceretops

JustinThorne

www.justinthorne.com

Hillgate

On location

Manat

Begbie

Quite a character

Pisarz

Susan B

Accordion Dreams

Robin Bayne

~writes for Him~

Dani Dunn

Huh? What?