THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO GETTING AN AGENT

Dear Frustrated Author (With An Awesome Manuscript),

You’ve done it—you’ve completed your book! Let’s take a moment first and bask in that. It’s a major accomplishment and you’ve put so much work into that your brain is likely in “go” mode and you’re excited to jump ahead to next steps. And we’ll get there in just a second—but really, before anything else: Congratulations!

Okay, okay, now the “What next?”

First, let’s get down some clear goals for your work. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

• I’ll finally get it published and share my story with readers

• With a publishing deal, I’ll be able to call myself an author because I’ll feel like I deserve the title

• I’ll walk into a bookstore and on the shelf, I’ll see my book, right there, the culmination of everything I’ve worked for

• I want to turn my love of writing into a full-time occupation—it’s been a lifelong dream to spend my days writing.

• I’ll get to collaborate with a team who loves and supports my writing (on this book and future books): my agent, my editor, and my publisher

That last one is the clincher. With an agent (how good will it feel to say “MY agent”?), you’ll be partnered with someone who is in it for the long haul—who believes in you as a writer and wants to help you publish your work. Agents have the network, resources, experience and industry knowledge and you’re the talent—landing a good agent means that your responsibility lies in one thing and one thing only: your book(s).

But getting one can be tricky. Maybe you don’t know how to even get started or you’ve begun to query and aren’t sure you’re doing it right because you’re not getting any positive responses.

Either way, you’re realizing that this whole getting-an-agent thing is harder than it sounded at first.

All is not lost! You just need some guidance.

Have you ever felt this way?

• You’re seeking an agent but are only receiving form rejection letters. “No one’s taking the time to read my writing, if only they’d give me a chance.”

• You’re afraid your work isn’t commercial enough. “Agents only go for blockbusters, right?”

• You don’t have a following or a fan base or a social media platform. “It’s no longer about the writing, it’s all about how much you can sell to your audience.”

• You’re a first-time writer and you don’t think you’re good enough because you’ve had rejections from agents. “If no one is requesting my work, it’s probably not good.”

• You’re consuming so much random information (blogs, conferences, writer’s groups) — that you’re overwhelmed with all the advice. “Which source is correct? Why do I have to read fifteen different things for small pieces of contradicting advice?”

• You believe agents don’t read from the slush pile, so sending queries is a waste of time. “No one’s going to read it anyway.”

• You feel like the odds of getting an agent are impossible, only people who have a great network get agents. “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

Well then, you’re in the right place!

All those fears or assumptions are just that — fears and assumptions. You shouldn’t, can’t, and with this course, won’t let them stop you.

That’s the agent you’re looking for.

You feel like they’re excited, really excited about your book and they’re going to fight for you and go the extra mile to see it in print.

Do you want to get a publishing deal for your work?

Getting an advance payment from a publisher is nice, very nice, but it’s almost as gratifying to call yourself a published author.

Are you looking forward to working with a team of professionals?

You’d have an editor, a publicist, a designer, a copyeditor, the list goes on. Finally, you can focus on what you love most and know that a dedicated team of professionals is there to help.

Are you ready to reach a wide readership?

Publishers don’t always get it right, but when they invest in you, they’re making a business decision and trying to advise you and support you in reaching all your potential readers.

Do you want to become a full-time writer?

Getting published is a common first step to building the network and credentials that can help you become an author who spends their days writing.

I hear you and I get it.

As a former agent myself, I represented many authors who worked hard to achieve their goals.

I know how you feel because, as an agent, I also got rejected. I got rejected all the time. Just like authors pitch to agents, agents have to pitch to editors at the publishing house.

I made the same mistakes querying that authors do. I started off pitching in a way that felt intuitive to me. My pitches encapsulated what I loved about the book, which was nice and necessary, but lacked strategy and was ultimately ineffective. 

The first pitches I wrote were far too long. I was trying to cram so much information into one letter that’s sole purpose is to get an editor interested—not exhausted by the time he or she reached the end. And the result?

Those pitches got me nowhere.

The stakes for me were high. Agents get paid on commission. If my pitches didn’t work, and I didn’t sell the books I was representing, I wouldn’t be eating for long!

I STILL stand by my belief that the first book I sent out to editors was a great read, well written with engaging characters, but you know what? It never sold.

That was so many years ago and I’m still sad about it. I should have asked for more advice way back then because you can guarantee my colleagues would have helped.

However, from there on out, I asked a lot of questions. I showed my pitches to other agents and strategized with them behind the scenes. I also saw their pitches, dissected them, asked more questions, and compared them.

It was my full-time job to figure out how to attract the attention of editors, and I saw in real-time which pitches captivated editors and which ones languished. This is what I spent most of my day doing — for five years!

At the same time, I was getting hundreds upon hundreds of query letters… and gauging my own reactions to those.

WHY did I like that one?

WHY did I throw the other one out right away?

Remember, this wasn’t a hobby. To put it in bare, honest terms, I had to crack the code in order to start making money.

I can tell you this from personal experience: there’s a strategy to crafting successful query letters.

So here’s the thing —

YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO REACH OUT TO AGENTS IN THE RIGHT WAY.

My industry is full of stories of authors who figured out how to pitch effectively and suddenly realized their previous rejections were never about them or their manuscript.

The first thing they see is your query letter.

You might write like Hemingway or Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, but if your query letter isn’t getting sent to the right person or hitting the right notes, the agent likely won’t read anything further.

Nothing else is nearly as important as querying effectively. Your query letter is truly the first link to your potential agent and therefore your publishing deal.

When you learn how to research agents, how to organize your submissions, structure your query letter effectively, and follow-up, you’ll be giving your manuscript the opportunity it deserves.

MOST AUTHORS SPEND YEARS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AN AGENT’S ATTENTION.

You can benefit by learning from my experience and putting your time into effective strategies.

It sounds so easy. Who knows your book better than you do? No one. But you’ve got to understand it from a marketing perspective.

You need to know your genre, sub-genres, themes, audience and strengths like the back of your hand. You’ll know exactly which element to emphasize for which agent.

Most authors fail because they write one mass query that describes the book in a way that appeals to them (the author).

There are so many ways to pitch the same story and like a marketing virtuoso, you’ll come to understand your book in several different ways and learn to use that to your advantage.

You’ve probably tried to figure this out on your own—and been overwhelmed by the resources available.

To put together your dream list, you’ve got to take the right steps:

• Learn how to use the right tools to find the agents who are already looking for a book like yours.
• Zero in on the exact details that are relevant for your book, record those, and move on. Efficiency in research is key.
• You need to learn how to query systematically so your submission process becomes easier, more manageable, and most importantly, less stressful!

You’ll end up with a list of dream agents who are right for your book. This is the critical part. You’ve got to create your own personalized, highly targeted list of agents who are actively looking for your voice, your story.

A literary agent requests the manuscript for a small percentage of the query letters they receive. They’re limited by time.

And most queries fail in predictable ways. Authors don’t understand the structure, the hook, the voice, and the personalization that needs to go into the letter.

Most authors write one generic query and spam as many agents as possible. Then, they wonder why they’re getting form rejections or not hearing back at all.

You need to tailor your query the right way. You need to be intentional about your description and your personalization.

Does it take more time to do that? Yes.

Is it worth it to increase your chances of hearing back from the person who can support and guide your career as an author? Oh, yes.

Your query needs to have this effect on the agents:

• Their curiosity gets piqued, they can’t wait to start reading your actual pages
• They sense that you know how to market yourself and that would be a huge benefit for your future publisher
• Your voice resonates with them, they’re looking forward to getting on the phone with you
• They start getting excited by the possibility of having found a new author whose book they want to support.

The best query letters speak to their target agent. You’ll know you’ve crafted a masterful query when you start hearing back from agents who already feel a connection with your story.

Remember that 35% of the 21 agents we surveyed said that more than half of their current, active author list came from the slush pile.

Getting an agent isn’t like chasing a dream. It’s an achievable goal.  

INTRODUCING QUERY MASTERY.

Query Mastery is a 10-week Online Program that Teaches You How to Find and Attract Your Ideal Literary Agent

In Query Mastery, you’ll discover:

• How to use a proven system to find agents who will be excited about your work

• How to think about your book from a publisher’s perspective and use it to cast a wider net for agents (all of whom will be an ideal fit for your work)

• How to develop your list of targeted agents (exact spreadsheet included) to store strategic information that will get them to connect meaningfully with your work

• How to query systematically so your submission process focuses on the most effective strategies and becomes easier and more manageable

• How to elevate your pitch so you raise the agent’s perception of your book

• The method you should use to craft an irresistible hook (so you know exactly how to get agents to keep reading)

• How to craft the key three components of your query letter in a way that compels agents to request your manuscript

• How to construct your bio (even if you don’t have any writing experience) most effectively

• How to pitch unconventionally through social media and get requests through those channels

• How to compose a synopsis that will pique or maintain the agent’s interest

• How to self-edit your manuscript so you can fix common errors many authors miss

• How to follow-up with agents in a way that encourages them to pull your query out of the pile

• How to navigate requests for your work from agents (and follow-up in a way that will be appreciated)

• How to prepare for conversations with agents so you can both make sure you’ve found a great partnership

• How to nurture relationships with agents who provide enthusiastic feedback

• How to use an agent offer to generate more interest (after celebrating like crazy!)

QUERY MASTERY INCLUDES:

10 Weeks of Training Classes

• 10 LIVE Online Coaching Sessions – We’ll start the course with a LIVE Orientation webinar, in which I’ll share my personal strategies to help you be successful in the course. You’ll get TEN LIVE Q&A webinars over the course of the program, in which I’ll answer any questions you have from the course, the homework, or from your own experiences. During these calls, we’ll have Hot Seat sessions, which will allow you to get my feedback on your queries in a live, group format. This means you’ll benefit from seeing everyone else’s work improve as well as your own.

• 5 In-Depth Training Modules – Every other week, a training module will take you through the step-by-step Query Mastery system. This material is available online so you can fit it into your own schedule.

• Lifetime Access – We’ve designed this program so you can complete it in just 10 weeks with time to implement between modules. You’ll have lifetime access to the modules though, so you can go through the course at your own pace.

• Proven Cheat Sheets, Homework, and Special Resources – After receiving thousands of query letters as an agent, I’ve seen every mistake and every smart strategy. You’ll get over 10 resources (including word-for-word query examples, step-by-step processes, and more) so you can jump in with confidence.

COMMUNITY

• You’ll be part of a private Facebook group of highly motivated authors who are learning and implementing insider strategies, sharing results and ideas, and supporting and holding each other accountable.

• You can get and give feedback and advice from other authors who understand what you’re going through and are as informed (thanks to the course) about the best strategies

• I’m going to be active in the Facebook group to answer your questions and cheer you on!

CLIPS FROM THE COACHING CALLS AND BONUS SESSIONS…