The process of book writing follows a tough and exhausting process of publishing a book. New authors who have newly stepped into the writing field have no experience in handling the complex process of book publishing. The key problem they encounter is finding a reliable literary agent.
Specific literary agents look after specific genres. For instance, if you are a non-fiction writer and have composed a memoir, self-help, romantic novel, mystery, science fiction, or fantasy book, you have to search for a literary agent of a similar category. The agents play a pivotal role in the publishing process. From finding an appropriate publisher to crafting an impressive book proposal, a literary agent successfully manages the whole process proficiently.
It is unquestionably hard to select an experienced agent for publishing a new book. Self-published writers think that going through the publishing process without a literary agent makes publishing easy and smooth. They approach the direct publishing method that involves distributing the book to the marketplace or local bookstores or promoting the book on websites without the agent’s help. However, it is observed that many self-publish writers also find it nerve-wracking to deal with different market publishers.
Some writers desire to publish their books on a big platform, so they opt for traditional publishing. Publishing the book with the assistance of a book writing company requires the services of a literary agent. The agents act as advisers and managers who interrogate publishers and negotiate with the publishing house on behalf of the writer. Consequently, the attractive book proposal created by the agent drives the interest of publishing houses to take up the book for publishing. Therefore, opting for a literary agent’s assistance increases the chance of approving the book for publishing. They help market and promote the book on local bookstores and online platforms.
Why do You Need to Hire a Literary Agent?
As literary agents act as representatives of the authors, they make the publishing process smooth and flexible. They approach publishers, editors, and marketers to promote writers’ work on online platforms. If a writer has come up with a nonfiction book, the saleability of the book requires them to create a book proposal that primarily appears to be a business plan. The plan expounds the features of the book and stimulates the publishers to successfully launch the book in the competitive market. Consequently, a literary agent provides editorial and printing facilitation. For instance, they work like an editor. They assess the client’s manuscripts and edit and refine the tone and style of the book. Moreover, they also analyze the design of the cover page, and images in the book. Understanding the author’s vision of writing the book, an experience literary agent represents an author’s work to the best publishers in town.
Along with publishing tasks, the agents are involved with other multifaceted tasks including marketing the book among existing and new customers. They handle the publishing contracts and ensure the timely processing of the royalties and other payments to the writers. With the agent’s assistance, new authors get the contact information of publishing executives and client lists. It provides more lucrative book deals to the authors to market on various writing platforms.
Considering hiring a literary agent is beneficial for both self-published and traditional writers as they work in collaboration with the authors and publishers. Having an emphasis on diversity, the agents play a significant part in guiding the authors through the book editing, production, and publication process. They sell books among local retailers and digital platforms, establishing the author’s creditability in the market.
How Can You Hire a Competent Literary Agent?
Look out for skilled literary agents
Let’s suppose you have a nonfiction book to publish, you should prefer searching for experienced and proficient agents who have vast experience in handling books of different genres. Therefore, when you explore literary agents, analyze their past track records. For instance, since how long they are rendering services as a literary agent. What is their significant genre of publication? If they have represented any well-known authors and their capacity to judge an authentic manuscript and a forged one.
Creating a comprehensive book proposal to attract agents
To influence a publisher to sell the book, the authors are required to write a detailed book proposal that highlights the scope and book writing objectives. If authors have written a non-fiction book, the proposal should be similar to a business plan. The book proposal should consist of 30–50 pages and incorporate essential information.
- A synopsis of the book covering the storyline of the book
- Information about the author and their aspiration to write it
- The outline of the full book, containing brief chapter descriptions
- A marketing plan that emphasized the publishing formats and the platforms where the book can be marketed and sold out
- A sample chapter preferably the introductory chapter with an eye-catching title and language to attract the literary agent.
- The plan also includes media links, and website links to find book reviews, quotes, and excerpts from the book
A well-written and striking book proposal will help convince a literacy agency to opt for your book and come up with a fast and smooth publishing of the book.
Write a query letter
Once the book proposal is completed, the author should create a one-page query letter. It provides a sales pitch for the agents as it presents the most important elements of the proposal. Since literary agents are too busy and lack time to read every proposal, the query letter scan and explain those essential points briefly. Writing a letter for a nonfiction book is no different. The author should aim to make the content appealing to the agents. The letter should exhibit an author’s preferred genre, desires, and choices of the audience. Furthermore, a brief author’s profile, comprising sample work will make the letter more attention-grabbing. The last thing that requires to be included is a comprehensive marketing plan that indicates the marketing platforms of the book.
Send query letters to agents in batches. Along with your letter, send your sample writing work that stimulates the agents to choose your book for publication. If you fail to get a response within six weeks, there might be something wrong with your query. However, if you get many requests, you may get ready to make a contract with the agent of your choice.
Build an author platform
The writers can form an author platform that will help you search for expert literary agents. Through this platform, you can enhance your social connection with writers, editors, and publishers who would connect you with reliable literary agencies in town. Moreover, the author platform will boost your brand visibility on different online marketing platforms that will attract agents to your book. Your stronger relationship with the agents and marketers will promote your book on digital platforms, and boost your credibility as a best-selling author.
Find literary agents through various resources
In the competitive market, it might not be easy for self-published authors to make connections to find an appropriate agent. By contacting non-fiction professional ghostwriting services, they can employ different resources to search for literary agents. For instance, they can search agents on Publishers Marketplace. It is the speediest and easiest way to find agents who are currently working on your genre. You can get information about their past and existing work experience. Another effective source is Agent Query. It provides the biggest free database of literary agents. The authors can also use The Manuscript Wish List. Through this website, the authors can search for a relevant agent using the extensive database of agents. Using their connections, the authors can search for reliable agents that can effectively work on the preferred genre. Browsing the agent’s name, or to surfing the nonfiction types will help the authors to discover the best literary agent for their book.
The authors can also search for the agents through Twitter. The topmost literary agents and publishing houses establish their strong presence on Twitter by displaying hashtags. Many agents list their manuscript wish lists on their Twitter feeds to let customers know about the genre in their work. Through their regular tweets, you can learn about their current work. Moreover, categorizing your manuscript, narrowing your search agents, and using a genre tag enable you to find the agent associated with the genre of your book. Twitter pitch events like PitMad also help to search agents. During the pitch event, the writers get the opportunity to display their work. The agents and editors get insight into their manuscripts and thus, show their interest to take up their work.
To recapitulate
As you have completed your book, you plan to publish your manuscript. The publishing of the book requires an author to search for a qualified and experienced literary agent who supervises the publishing process smoothly. As the publishing industry becomes more diverse, literary agents focus on multiple things such as managing the editing, publishing, and marketing of the book. The authors can approach a literary agent by using different resources. Along with this write a query letter. It is a one-page pitch letter that gives a brief description of your work. Then comes a synopsis comprising a summary of the story and a nonfiction book proposal that resembles a marketing plan. Hence, hiring a literary agent is beneficial for both self-published and traditional writers as they help to publish and market the book among local retailers and online platforms.