Do you have a story to tell?  An experience to share?  Expertise that can benefit millions of others?  Characters who must be brought to life through the written word? A passion for writing that is more than just a passion – you feel as though it is a part of your DNA? 

            So did I.

            Not all that long ago, I was exactly where you may be today. I’d left the legal profession (which is where I am from by education and degree), I was enjoying a lucrative career in the health and beauty industry and I was well along on my healing journey as a widow.  While having recovered from the pain of the loss of my husband to ALS, I also knew that there were millions just like me – widowed who were searching for help that was not readily available; people in pain trying to find answers to questions that most are afraid to ask; thousands of bereaved feeling inconsolable and millions more feeling completely isolated after the loss of a spouse.

            Armed with an idea, a legal pad full of notes and with absolutely no previous experience in book publishing or having any contacts within the book publishing industry whatsoever, I set out on my journey as a writer. I wrote my first book, “Widows Wear Stilettos…” in four months and exactly forty-five days after beginning the search for a literary agent, I was signed by an agency. Shortly thereafter, I made my first appearances in national media and quickly went from being unknown and unpublished to becoming an award-winning author, grief recovery expert, media contributor and international speaker. It is a journey that to this day, continues to unfold in countless wonderful ways. 

            Unless you are self-publishing, a journey to the bookshelves generally begins with obtaining a literary agent. Can I guarantee that you too will land representation within forty-five days?  Unfortunately, no.  However, what I can do is share important, actionable steps that helped me land a contract with a literary agency – and these steps just might help you as well.     

What Does a Literary Agent Actually Do?     

            A good literary agent has several functions:

1. Your agent will present your work to prospective publishers and will follow up with those publishers. They act in your best interest and work on your behalf to secure the best possible outcome for you.
2. An agent will presents all contract offers to you, outline pros and cons and make suggestions to obtain the best terms. 
3. The agent negotiates the terms of your contract on your behalf and will go through the contract with you point by point. 
   
   

Pitching Begins with the Right Tools

            While there are many books that address literary representation, the two books that I chose to use are, “Guide to Literary Agents” (Writer’s Digest Books) and “Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents” (Three Dog Press). In addition to helping you compose your query letter, both books also contain reliable lists of literary agents to whom you will be sending your letters. 

            A bonus contained in these books is that both contain excellent examples of query letters; as well as proposals and synopses. Combined with narratives from various agents and publishers, these books are your must-have tools.

The Time to Begin Pitching…is NOW!

            Why query agents now; especially if you do not yet have a finished product?

1. It can take an agent anywhere from several weeks to a few months to respond to a query, so you can be simultaneously working on your book while sending query letters.
   
   
2. When you submit a solid query letter, it may be enough for an agent to make an immediate signing decision.
   
   
3. An agent can sign you, market your work (or concept) to publishers and secure a deal before you have a finished manuscript (three of my four books were contracted by publishers before the manuscript was completed).
     

What Almost Every Agent Wants…and What NO Agent Wants

            With a few exceptions, agents want only a query letter as your initial contact with them. Some ask for additional information (a chapter outline, the Table of Contents, concept bullet points, etc.), but if they want additional material, it will be listed in your resource books. 

            What is it that agents absolutely do not want to receive? NO agent wants you to send a manuscript as your initial contact with them. Unless it is specified otherwise, sending the manuscript is essentially asking to be thrown into a slush pile. Once you have hit the slush pile in an agency, it can very well be the end of the road for you at that agency. 

Compiling a Query List

            This is something that you can be doing even if your manuscript is a still work in progress. Sit down with both of your resource books and a highlighter. Starting at the beginning of the agency listings, read through and highlight every agency that represents the genre in which you write (especially those interested in new, unpublished authors). Review agency genre preferences carefully and if appropriate, do not limit yourself in terms of genre. For example, my genre is loss, bereavement and grief recovery; however, my work is also relevant in the areas of women’s issues, mental health, personal improvement and psychology – so I queried agents who represented those genres as well. 

The Query Letter

            First, be sure to address people as “Mr. Jones” or “Ms. Smith”, or “Dr. Brown”; as it is unprofessional to use first names until a relationship is established.  Your resource books will provide you with the names of agents, which eliminates guesswork.  Do not ever address your query using, “Dear Sir / Madam”; “To Whom It May Concern” or any other impersonal, generic salutation. This is viewed as one step above junk mail and is another way of asking to be thrown into a trash can. 

            Your query letter should be no longer than one and-a-half. block-paragraphed,  single-spaced pages.  I realize that as an author, it can be difficult to keep words to a minimum; however, anything longer than one and-a-half pages will likely go unread. Remember, this letter is supposed to be an introduction to your work.

The “Hook”

            You have approximately five seconds to catch and keep an agent’s attention, so the first few lines of your query letter must “hook” the reader. Think of your hook in terms of making a grand entrance. To give you an example, following are the first few lines from the query letter for my first book:

            “Widowhood is a frightening prospect for anyone. The mere thought of the loss of a spouse strikes a deep chord and in many cases, is too terrifying a concept to even merit discussion. Now, imagine the sad reality of becoming widowed in your 40’s, your 30’s, or younger still.  It is an unfortunate reality that in an era that has experienced two United States-involved wars since 1991, as well as events such as the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the tragedy that was September 11, 2001, the demographic of the young widow has grown suddenly and dramatically in number. Redbook Magazine recently reported that out of the over-ten million single mothers in the United States today, over four million are widowed”.

            Do you see what I did? I grabbed the reader’s attention by asking them to imagine being in a terrible situation. They will then naturally want to know what I am going to do to make this situation better. I also followed up by quoting a reliably cited statistic, which is subliminal code for, “Look at the size of the potential audience for this book”.

            How are you going to hook an agent in the first five seconds? Jot down a few one or two line hooks that you believe will capture an agent’s attention.