Really good article on Writers & Artists by literary agent Oscar Janson-Smith.
His advice in securing an agent?
- Submit your work at its best.
- Research the right agent for you – who will like your work’s genre and voice?
- Summarise your masterpiece in one or two paragraphs. Make it as good as your work.
- Check for silly errors in your submission email – and personalise it.
- Build an excited and loyal readership to show people will buy your books, especially advance sales.
- Don’t submit something racist, sexist, or anything like that in theme or tone.
I would add a caveat to his first paragraph – get your work at its best, but also have the confidence and self-belief to know when it’s at its best.
Another point for my money: process the initial and inevitable multiple rejections and use the experience to grow a thick skin, pick yourself up and keep going until you find someone right for you.
And a decent writer’s group can help with getting your manuscript the best it can be.
Marlborough Writers 