An acceptable way to find an agent?

I think you've just describe social networking.

Don't ask. Don't get. As long as your respectful & carry no false expectations, then the worst he can say is no - he doesn't feel comfortable, and - what the heck? He may say yes!

You don't need his permission to query his agent. You need the agent's permission, in the form of the agent being open to queries. Then you follow the agent's query guidelines.

It sounds like what you really want is for this author to act as a referral for you - and he could not do so unless he read your manuscript (or some part of it) and felt it would be a good fit for his agent.

And unless you have a relationship with this author (and frankly, even if you do), it would not be appropriate to ask for a referral.

Get up to 50 posts. Get to know the community here. Then post your query in Query letter hell for critique (in the meantime, spend some time reading the threads there, and you might find your query is the issue).

Short answer: It is inappropriate to cold-email an author and ask for a referral to that author's agent. But, more importantly, it's unlikely to help you as the author is likely to ignore you.

~suki

No! No no no no no no no no no. Don't even think about it.

Asking authors you don't know about their agents - not creepy. Asking authors you don't know and who don't know your writing to give a personal endorsement (because that's what this would be) to their business partner / agent - very creepy. Also not likely to get you and happy responses.

When an author asks their agent to read something, it goes to the top of the pile. This is because the agent assumes that it's something the recommending writer believes worth reading. It's a matter of professional courtesy that authors don't go around saying "This guy wrote to ask if you'd read this - here."

Don't do it. Just don't. You'll only make yourself look bad and potentially endanger future business relationships.

Improper, inappropriate, unprofessional, and ditto the creepy. Don't do it.

If you're looking for agents check querytracker. You can search by genre, or see which agents represent books that are similar to your own.

Ditto what's been said about this being unprofessional. Now, doing some research to figure out who represents authors who write like you do is acceptable and highly encouraged. Looking at available client lists (like on QueryTracker) is a good way to figure out whether or not an agent will like your book. But if you don't have a pre-existing personal connection with this author, don't email him.

Ditto. Don't do it.

Reference QueryTracker for agents. Also, get 50 posts here and post your own. (QT has no minimum, so you can post there right now.)

Sounds to me like you need resources and feedback.

Good luck!

If this author was a good friend, and had already read your manuscript and liked it, and ideally initiated the offer to refer you to their agent, then it would be a different story.

But what you're describing is a huge faux pas. Don't do it. You don't have a legit relationship with this author, and you're going to cause them undue stress and discomfort.

Query the agent on your own. Don't mention the author. (Unless it's in a detached, impersonal way, e.g. comparing your novel to that author's novel, WITHOUT implying endorsement in any way.)

tricon7 said:

I've been going through Query Tracker. I'm almost out of agencies to query in my genre, so I'm going to have to start looking elsewhere pretty soon. Perhaps I'll hear back from someone in the weeks to come; it's early yet.

Click to expand...

Out of agents? Unless you write in an extremely niche market, if you haven't even gotten a partial request I suspect something is wrong with your query letter or your opening pages. And if there is something wrong you should stop sending submissions out until you fix the problem because you don't want to burn through all the agents with a faulty query or pages.

It can also depend on time. Some agents can take months to respond. Some never do.

tricon7 said:

I've been going through Query Tracker. I'm almost out of agencies to query in my genre, so I'm going to have to start looking elsewhere pretty soon. Perhaps I'll hear back from someone in the weeks to come; it's early yet.

Click to expand...

You could try querying agents a little outside out of your genre, assuming they don't specifically have a dislike for genre fiction.

Or...and you don't want to hear this...it may be time to set this book aside and work on something else.

Cyia said:

No! No no no no no no no no no. Don't even think about it.

Click to expand...

Oh, my bad! I thought that the OP _knew_ the author, but - upon further review - I can see that s/he just has the author's email. Completely agree w/those who protest this action. If you know them - sure. If you don't, a thousand times no. Just go to the agent & in your query letter mention that s/he drew your interest because of their representation of XYZ author & u feel ur work is similar.

Sorry for the confusion.

tricon7 said:

I've submitted to quite a few agents now without any success (other than two responses from agents on the "Beware!" list). I have a contact email for a writer who wrote a book somewhat similar to mine a number of years ago (his setting was modern, whereas mine is set in the ancient past) and in the same genre (historical fiction).

What if I were to email him and ask him if he would mind me asking his agent to take a look at my manuscript? Would that be improper or acceptable? My reasoning is that if his agent found his book interesting enough to represent, mine is similar enough that he/she might find it interesting, also.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't. And I would feel a bit awkward if someone asked me. It's like when people ask me if my husband would look at their work. I mean, it's not my business and I don't like being dragged into it.

And really, when it comes down to it, what does it have to do with this author? I mean, it's not like they get a say in whether the agent takes you on or not.

I just don't think it's very professional.

Also, it can come across like you are looking for the author to recommend you or something - you'd be shocked at how many hopeful authors approach published authors asking for them to pass their MS on or to help them get published - it's very socially awkward and almost always going to end in someone getting offended.

If you want to query the agent then do so. Leave the author out of it.

What they said.

You could however query their agent and mention that you are querying them because they repped Book X, which is similar to yours. A lot of agents like this - shows you've done your research.

I echo what has been said about asking an author you don't know for a referral. It's a huge imposition, and it's unlikely the writer will be willing to do it--you very likely wouldn't even get a response.

By the way, "ask an established author for a referral to her agent" isn't uncommon advice (if you're writing a throwaway article on how to get published, stuff like this is an easy way to fill up space) but it is not good or practical advice.

QueryTracker is just one of many resources for agent-hunting. No single resource includes every agent. Try AgentQuery, Publishers Marketplace, and the deals section of a trade journal like PW, just to name a few--guaranteed you'll find names you hadn't seen yet.

- Victoria

retlaw said:

Oh, my bad! I thought that the OP _knew_ the author, but - upon further review - I can see that s/he just has the author's email. Completely agree w/those who protest this action. If you know them - sure. If you don't, a thousand times no. Just go to the agent & in your query letter mention that s/he drew your interest because of their representation of XYZ author & u feel ur work is similar.

Sorry for the confusion.

Click to expand...

Tbh, even if I knew the author, unless I had already read the book, and had already expressed my approval of the book, and had already formed to my own independent conclusion that this author would be a good fit with my agent, and I had already expressed a willingness to act as a referral, I would still feel uncomfortable. (And personally, this might change the way I feel about this author.)

If my agent is open to submission, then just submit through the normal channels. Even if I was willing to give a referral, all that *might* do is move the submission quicker through the slushpile. The MS will still sink or swim on its own merits; I have no influence over that.

Bottom line: I still think it's a bad idea.

The ideal way for this to work is that you DON'T ask - period.

I've had author referrals, and in each case, it went like this:

I sent an email to a couple of authors I had already interacted with to ask if their agents were open to queries and what sort of things their agent looked for, specifically. (Some like you to lead in on a query with personal info, others prefer no intro at all; they want to get straight to the plot.) I figured that I was familiar with these authors and got along well with them, so it was a safe bet I'd get along with someone they clicked with, too.

The authors I spoke to then said they'd let their agents' assistants know I was sending something, so it would get taken out of the regular queue and bumped to the top of the TBR list.

Notice that nowhere in there did I ask or assume anything about a recommendation from them to their agents. They offered, and I happily accepted.

No one wants to be put on the spot. It's awkward. It's uncomfortable. It makes people feel guilty. But if someone offers to do a favor on their own, then it can work out well for everyone.

You also have to know that a referral isn't a guarantee that you'll get an offer of representation.

tricon7 said:

I've submitted to quite a few agents now without any success (other than two responses from agents on the "Beware!" list). I have a contact email for a writer who wrote a book somewhat similar to mine a number of years ago (his setting was modern, whereas mine is set in the ancient past) and in the same genre (historical fiction).

What if I were to email him and ask him if he would mind me asking his agent to take a look at my manuscript? Would that be improper or acceptable? My reasoning is that if his agent found his book interesting enough to represent, mine is similar enough that he/she might find it interesting, also.

Click to expand...

You don't need this author's permission to contact his agent. In fact, I think contacting another writer who you don't even know for that purpose is downright inappropriate. Said writer does not know who you are, has not read your work, and has no idea what your true intentions are.

No matter you genre and which agent you contact, your book will be handled on its merits only. You could be best friends with Stephen King, but if you write a horrible book legit agents will not accept it for publication.

Just keep writing and keep querying.

Just work on a list of suitable agents, and submit to them according to their guidelines. It works, it really does.