On Finding an Agent

I’m looking for an agent.

I haven’t found one yet.

Rather, I’ve found dozens that I think would be a great match, but haven’t had any success in landing that connection yet.

This is nothing new for an aspiring author. Judging by the 134 million hits garnered on Google when you type the keywords, ‘FIND AGENT WRITER,’ there is an overabundance of advice and direction available. If one is inclined to invest time in learning the ropes, that is.

For the lucky few writers it’s all about the industry connections, the veritable ‘It’s not who you are, it’s who you know’ approach, AKA the celebrity stamp. If that works, that’s great – just look at Sean Penn’s Bob Honey, where you get a front row seat to the chop shop prose of West coast counter-culturalism. Oh my.

Some others dump money into marketing and PR, looking to purchase their way into the industry. If you can afford it, that’s excellent. It works. But these folks are in the minority. Most of us can’t afford the luxury.

On the other end of the spectrum – where I reside – it’s not that simple. I don’t know anyone. I don’t have any contacts. And I sure as heck don’t have money just lying around to spend on promoting a book I’m not even sure people will read. So it’s off to the Interwebs, looking for information, finding contacts, and sending queries and synopsis emails that are the industry equivalent of a cold call.

Nobody likes cold calls.

It’s been working about as well as expected.

My search for an agent had yielded some good feedback from the people kind enough to send a reply. Most say something like, ‘Thank you for your submission but we don’t think this would be a good fit for us at the moment blah blah.’ It’s a nice way of saying NO. I’ve developed quite the emotional callus over the years, and it takes a lot more than a rejection email from this to hurt my feelings. I’m just glad they replied in the first place.

Still, I persevere. The first time I tried securing an agent was in 2006, when I sent around a hundred query letters and synopsis pages of varying lengths. It took a lot of time. Of those sent I received three responses. The three said NO. So I shelved my work, somewhat wounded and frustrated at how I invested hundreds of hours into a book that no one would read and an agent that wouldn’t represent my interests.

I was the only one invited to my pity party.

This time around I’m better prepared. I have three novels written, with three more in the wings. I also wrote two children’s books. And I’m framing out a nonfiction book about my time in the fire service as an old guy, entitled ‘Cub Year.’ For those that know me these stories practically write themselves, as some of the funniest, weirdest, and most unbelievable characters and events seem to come in and out of my life at the strangest times.

I also paid for some reviews. I know that there are some that raise an eyebrow at shelling out cash for compliments, but I’ve found that’s not the case. There is just as good a chance that the review will be unfavorable as it will sing your praises. Roll the dice and take your chances. It all depends on the quality of your work.

I’ve always felt that honesty is the best policy. I’ve been honest with my writing up to this point – I don’t sugarcoat anything, I give my stories to the reader as I see them, I don’t spare anyone’s feelings. And so should be my reviews. I would encourage anyone looking into the writing industry to have a professional review their work. What better way to get a 3rd party opinion than to solicit a professional editor?

Come see more at davidfmaier.com.

Thanks,

D