Agents That Deal With First Timers

There's no such thing as a dumb question, you know.
Unless they specifically state otherwise for some odd reason, agents are usually willing to take on new writers if they see potential in the writer and if they think they can market the book. Oftentimes, they'll like the manuscript, but they won't think they'll be able to sell it.

Basically, most agents don't care if you've had a long publishing history. What they want is a good story, written well, that they'll be able to sell. Remember, you're not selling yourself; you're selling your novel.

By the way, welcome to the Cooler.

I'm going to move this from Newbie forum over to the Ask the Agent forum. You'll get more replies there, me thinks. Hold on tight, here we goooooooooo....

Most agents will consider new writers. The ones who won't, usually say so.

I am still looking for a new agent as my previous one was a total let down and waste of my time. But I think if you pitch it right and they like what they read, you could be onto a winner.

ianh said:

I am still looking for a new agent as my previous one was a total let down and waste of my time. But I think if you pitch it right and they like what they read, you could be onto a winner.

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What do you mean by waste of time? Did the book go out on submission?

Some agents, in their bios, or in interviews, will express a specific interest in newer writers. But don't limit yourself to them. Query any agent who you are interested in, who you think would be a good fit and who is accepting queries.

~suki

If an agent explicitly states they are open to queries, then they are open to "first timers". Just because an agent won't respond if they aren't interested doesn't mean that they don't take on first timers. If they read a query by a first timer that they like, then they'll request materials. "No response = No" simply means that that's how they reject you. Not that they WILL reject you.

What suki said x100

If you flip through the listings in Writer's Market, some agencies will actually list what percentage of clients they take on are debut authors.

Many agents just say so on their websites. "I take new clients only on referral," or "I welcome all queries."

You need to research agents anyway to see if they're interested in your genre and what their submission guidelines are -- so while you're at it, you'll find out whether they accept unsolicited queries.

Im curious about something. How much writing experience does a typical agent have? Like hands-on, writing his own stuff? Or is that not a qualification?

MickCarranza said:

Im curious about something. How much writing experience does a typical agent have? Like hands-on, writing his own stuff? Or is that not a qualification?

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It depends, but almost all have either writing or editing experience. My background is about 50/50. I've been published numerous times (in short fiction or non-fiction), and have done freelance editing in the past. I think having immersed yourself in writing in one form or another is the only way to have developed the eye needed for this business.

MickCarranza said:

Im curious about something. How much writing experience does a typical agent have? Like hands-on, writing his own stuff? Or is that not a qualification?

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I wouldn't expect an agent to be a published author (though clearly some are!), but I wouldn't be surprised if most had dabbled

I think Kelly Mortimer takes only new writers. It should be mentioned on her website.

Just about the only agents who don't thrive on new writers are those closed to all queries, and those really top few who don't even advertise their presence.

toad,

If you aren't already using it, Querytracker's agent search function let's you search for agents that rep specific genres. Confirm with the agency website before querying. There's also a tracking function to keep up with who and when you've queried.

Stan

Here you go. AgentQuery just put out a list of agents looking for new authors.

Stan