I want to begin this post by saying that an agent isn't for everyone.

These are my reasons for seeking an agent—

1) Agents can submit my book to larger publishing houses and more publishers in general.

2) I have someone else on my team to give my book its best shot.

3) The editor will negotiate my contracts on my behalf. They want the best deal because their paycheck is riding on it, too.

4) Should my book become wildly successful, my agent can start the process of having my book translated into other languages.

5) I want to find an agent who does not simply represent my one book, but hopefully, me as an author and everything I write.

That being said, all of those things are possible to do without an agent, for the most part. Number one is my primary reason for wanting an agent. I have researched publishers who are open to submissions from new authors without representation. Most that I have found only publish less than 30 titles per year, many less than ten. Since there are so few open to hearing from nobodies like me, I am willing to bet they receive a TON of manuscripts. I worry that with a smaller publishing house, most of the publicity will fall to me and my chances of getting good shelf space at a store are slim.

Even with an agent, there are no guarantees. I have my eyes on Hyperion, Bloomsbury, and Clarion. They have published many big names, and they appear to rule the shelves at the big bookstores. I also know that they still receive many manuscripts. This is my first try at being published. I have chosen a very competitive market filled with books like mine (Middle Grade/Fantasy). I believe the right agent will help me stand out.

How to find an agent— 

I have not queried any agents yet, but I am readying my list. The agents are the frontline for determining which books might be diamonds on the market. First, you must submit your query letter and usually about the first ten pages. Each agent has different requirements, but this is a good rule of thumb. Once I receive my manuscript revisions from my editor, I will polish, polish, POLISH the first chapter. Then I intend to hire a query letter specialist to make sure I have a strong pitch. Until I have that, I am perfecting my list of to whom I intend to submit my work.

www.manuscriptwishlist.com (MSWL) has been a valuable resource. Using the search function, I can find agents requesting works like mine. I have my parameters set to agents who represent Middle Grade or Fantasy. I scroll through the list and click on the ones who I see represent both. Some agents have a nice bio filled with who they are as a person and why they seek to represent different stories. Others have a list and instructions for how to submit to them. Submitting to an agent is almost like a blind date. They don't know you or your work, but you want them to. I am looking for people who seem to have a passion for magical adventures and mischievous kids. Bonus points if they want something that feels adaptable to movies or television and would like to represent a series.

I am saving every agent I feel I would get along with, accepting submissions, and representing works like mine. I read another post that suggested having an A list of agents and a B list. The A list is the people who meet all your criteria of a perfect agent. I will submit it to all those agents first. Most seem to have about a three-week waiting period for if they will request more information from you. Once I have heard back from all of my A-List, I will move onto the B-List. The B-List will contain everyone else who represents works like mine, but maybe I didn't get a good feel for them based on their bio. I will also keep track of agents who might be willing to represent me. Perhaps they represent YA and not middle-grade, but I could make some tweaks to fit that market if that agent was willing to bet on me.

Once I have an agent, I will share my winning query letter and what feedback I received along the way.

For those of you who may be wondering why I am not looking to self-publish, I feel that the market is flooded with unvetted books. I think my book will be almost invisible. Yes, many fantastic books have been self-published, but there are even more that have barely been edited. I feel it's hard to prove my book is better than others in such a crowded market. Then everything falls on me. I have to design the covers, and I have to do all the marketing. If I want to be in bookstores, I have to negotiate for all that and eat any upfront costs. This is not something I am looking for at this time. I feel that it says something about me as an author to be traditionally published.

Best of luck to all on your writing journey, and thank you for joining me on mine.