SUBMISSIONS
How to submit your novel to agents
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Finding a literary agent is one of the most difficult experiences for writers who want to be traditionally published. If you’re new to the process, knowing where to start and what mistakes to avoid can help you minimise the stress and maximise your chances of success. Sheila M. Averbuch, author of Pitch Your Book, the new guide for authors on how to submit, takes you through the process a step at a time.
Let’s not pretend that signing with a literary agent is a painless process. I speak from experience: it took me over 50 unsuccessful approaches to agents, and more than 30 drafts of my final query letter, before I received offers of representation. Here’s everything I wish I knew years ago, when I took my first wobbly steps toward finding an agent.
1. Understand what a query letter is
A query is the initial letter you’ll send to an agent, introducing your novel and yourself, and demonstrating that you know where the book may fit into the market. It’s important not to think of the query as a ‘cover letter’, because some agents – especially in the US – request your query letter only, not pages from your manuscript. That means your query itself must compel them to want to know more about your story. If your letter fails to hook them, you may receive nothing but silence or a form rejection letter that kindly thanks you for your interest.