My Own Personal Cheat Sheet for Landing an Agent

Including the query letter that got me offers from four agents

This post is for all you writers out there. If you’ve got a book on your hard drive. If you dream of seeing your work in print. If you’ve ever wondered how to get a literary agent or book deal…This one’s for you!

On the other hand: If you subscribed to this newsletter because you enjoy humorous anecdotes about weird German fertility festivals and problematic cars, then you can probably skip it. Enjoy all the time I just saved you!

In this post, I’ll be sharing the secret formula that helped me find the perfect agent for my debut novel. A home-grown strategy that can be used by anyone. No special contacts or connections necessary. I can’t guarantee it’ll work for everyone. The publishing industry is way too vibey and subjective to guarantee anything. And also—in the end, the most important factor will always be the manuscript.

But—

If you follow the steps below, I’m confident that you’ll be extremely well equipped to:

1. analyze the ginormous field of potential agents based on metrics that are specific to your book and your specific needs,

2. create a customized list of only the best agents for your book, and

3. craft a query letter that’ll maximize your odds of getting a positive response (meaning: they request your manuscript).

Okay, let’s dive right in!

My Cheat Sheet For Landing An Agent

Here’s a little background info: I spent a year working as an assistant at a small literary agency. During that time, I read approximately one gazillion query letters. This experience gave me a sixth sense for what catches the eye of an agent. Or their assistant (who’s usually the one reading your query).

I also became an expert at navigating Publisher’s Marketplace. Which is an essential tool for any author looking to find an agent. (More on that soon.)

Once I finished my debut novel, I found myself on the other side of the inbox. I was no longer assessing hopeful authors’ query letters. I was the hopeful author. And I needed an agent. I didn’t have any special contacts or recommendations. My emails were going straight into the slush pile.

But I was able to draw on my experience in order to develop an agent-search strategy that worked for me. I started by querying only ten agents. My own personal Top Ten. The best of the best. Out of this list, six requested a full manuscript and four offered representation. A forty percent success rate. Not a bad result.