Question: How Do I Find an Agent for My “Unusual” Book?
22 Jul
A reader writes:
I have a complete fantasy novel manuscript, but no one wants it yet. Slush piles have turned up nothing, so I’m trying agents. The only problem is, my Writer’s Market doesn’t have agent listings, and I have no idea where to start looking! Where should I start looking for spec. fiction agents? Do they have their own directory? Is there a reliable agent directory with a sub-listing for fantasy and sci-fi market agents? Is there a way to get a feel for an agent before querying them? My story is somewhat unusual compared to most fantasy novels, and I have no idea how to make sure the agent I’m sending to is the sort who is willing to take a chance on something new. Any advice on the matter of speculative fiction agents would be tremendously appreciated and would go a long way towards my further awesomeness. Thank you very much for your time.
I put “speculative fiction” agent into our friend Google and got this nifty link right here as the first return. I hope this gets you started in terms of the information you need.
But, as always, what I’m really interested in is the question behind the question, or the problem behind the question, which in your case (and correct me if I’m wrong) is that you’re out there doing this entirely on your own.
If you were part of a network (virtual or otherwise) of speculative fiction writers, then you wouldn’t be asking me about finding an agent. You’d be asking them.
I’m happy to help, but I’m no substitute for a group of like-minded peers. We recently discussed ways to find people to give you feedback on your work. Writers who are ready to publish or are starting to get published might not need the feedback, but they still need the community.
Some things to consider:
Take an excerpt from your novel and rework it as a short piece
Short pieces aren’t going to make you rich and famous, but they do build audience, mark territory and send secret messages to your peers.
Start a writing group
You don’t have to read each others work. Get together, talk about stuff (or things) and stay in touch. Then help each other out when your careers start to break.
Make something happen
If you’re not interested in going to a conference, perhaps you’d like to work at one. Contributing to your genre’s scene (even if it’s just taking tickets at the door) gets you in front of people and behind the scenes.
As I’ve said before (and if I haven’t, please pretend that I have) the road to publication is painfully long. The worst thing you can do is passively wait. What’s more, if you’re out there stirring things up, you just might find that the agents will start coming to you.
How long is painfully long?
Anyway, I know how to look for agents. I’ve got books, website lists, blahty-blah. And I get the long road thing and keep trying thing. Okay. But while there are a lot of agents in the world, the numbers aren’t infinite. I mean, first I probably need to focus on American agents–seeing as I live in America and all.
Then I’ve got to focus further on my genre. Done.
Focus in more on agents that seem legit. Done.
Then on agents that are accepting queries. Done.
And so if this list isn’t as long as the road–in fact the road appears to be running off the map–then what? End of list…rejections received…now…?
Burn book and map? Get off the damn road?
I started to answer this question in the comments and it started to turn into a post. So that’s what you’ll get . . . .
I’m querying fantasy agents right now. There are literally dozens. I can’t recommend Publisher’s Marketplace highly enough. For 20 bucks a month you get their deals page (with book descriptions so you know what’s selling when), free basic webpage hosting, and tons of contact info.
I also can’t recommend writing short fiction highly enough. It trains you to write, exposes you and your work, and gives you credits to list at the bottom of your dreaded query letter.
“send secret messages to your peers.”
I love that.