Literary Agents & Publishing

Tip - find a literary agent stationed (or who was stationed) in New York

Why is getting an agent important? EPublishing & Independent Publishers make it seem like agents aren't important, but...they are important.

Self Publishing / Independent Publishers
- don't need an agent

5 Big Publishers: Harper Collins, Penguin, etc.
- will only take manuscripts from literary agencies - no slushpile even there.
- to get published with them you HAVE to have an agent..

Agents
- if you get an agent, you don't have to know all the stuff in writer's market
- at the end of the Writer's Market it lists conferences - this is the BEST way to meet agents. then you can email them and say that you met that at this ___ conference.
- you can find someone looking for the specific kind of book you write - but they might have seen too many books like yours
- query far and wide!

Writer's Market tells you:
- how to write a query letter
- how to pitch your work
- lists all agencies in the United States, the genres they represent, how to contact them, what they want (hard copy, email, with or without a synopsis), instructions
- lists conferences - this is the BEST way to meet agents