Finding a Literary Agent

      So you want to get published? I’m not about to say getting published is easy because it’s not. It takes talent, dedication and getting your work in the hands of the right people. So how is it done?

      First, be sure that the story you’re submitting is free of grammatical or spelling errors. Try letting a few friends read and comment on your work as they will be able to pinpoint any typos or plot problems. The business of books is a tough world to enter and hence you must review and revise your work at least a hundred times before being confident enough to send it to a literary agent.

      Choosing one is another matter. You have to look for one who publishes your genre. Literature covers as many topics from romance to sci-fi to non-fiction and submitting sci-fi creation to romance literary agent would bring down the “possibility to get published” percentage to an all time low. Check out what kind of books they have previously published, you could try logging on to the internet for this kind of information since the World Wide Web practically allows access to anything.

      When you have finally chosen an agent, formulate an inquiry letter. The letter should contain your genre, publishing history, educational background and other credentials that could relate to the type of your book. Also, it is polite to include where you have picked the literary agent’s name. Don’t make the inquiry letter too long, one page should do it. Be very wary of grammatical and typographical errors as you are writing to a literary agent, words are their business.

      The longest step: waiting. It would take more or less a month before an agent could get back at you or before you can call and follow up on your query. Prepare the few chapter plus an outline in the event that the agent is interested.

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