Agents! The Ins and Outs

Before understanding the process of getting an agent, you must first understand what an agent actually is. To begin, an agent is not a publisher (a common misconception) but more of a middleman. They are the ones who will put your invaluable manuscript into the hands of a publisher, saving you the hassle. It's not easy to get a foot into the door of the literary world - and more often than not, will leave you with nothing more than a sore toe. The agent is a professional individual who has been trained to not only save you a foot, but to select the publisher who best fits the genre of your work.

The process of convincing an agent to handle your manuscript is actually very similar to that of going straight to the publisher. First, you must send a query letter. The query letter can be best described as your literary resume for the manuscript in question, and like a resume, it should be brief and to the point. They want to know who you are, and just why the hell they should give a damn about what you've written. Behind the query letter, they will usually ask for a few sample chapters or a plot-outline. If this tiny bundle is enough to convince the agent of your impending success, they will take you under their wing and begin the hunt of finding an appropriate publisher. The appropriate publisher depends on a number of deep circumstances, but luckily for you, you don't need to know them! This is the work for the agent.

So, here comes the million dollar question:

Why would you want an agent?

As previously described, an agent is a trained individual who will dig-up the perfect publisher for your work. They are the matchmakers of words. They will work night and day to get you the absolute best recognition for your work. But all of this doesn't come without a price, and a certain percentage of your revenue will always be isolated to them. 

There are lots of successful writers who have skipped agencies and gone straight to the publisher, and I don't mean to discourage anyone from this route, but the sad truth is: becoming published isn't what it used to be. Publishers are overwhelmed with hundreds of manuscripts a day, and it can be difficult for them to give the individual attention each one deserves. With an agent holding your work up to the light, however, a publisher already knows that a fellow businessman believes your manuscript is money.

But at the end of the day, it's your hard work. If you honestly believe in it, then why shouldn't someone else?