getting published

How to Find a Literary Agent and More Publishing Advice

February 16, 2022 by Lisa Tener

Kiko emailed me the other day asking my advice on how to find a literary agent saying she’d been reading my blog posts since 2015 and remembered my post on the value of having a literary agent.

Kiko had recently sent her manuscript for her book out to a publisher. She hadn’t heard back but wanted me to suggest some possible agents and an intellectual property attorney in case she received an offer.

Now, I don’t know exactly why Kiko submitted to one publisher rather than submitting to an agent who would submit to multiple publishers, and she may have had a very good reason for doing so. However, it’s also possible she didn’t know the correct steps for finding an agent, querying publishers and securing a book deal.

When you sign with an agent, the agent can time the submissions to increase the chances that offers come in at the same time, so they can negotiate the best terms and also give you more options at the time of making a decision (so you won’t lose an offer by waiting until you hear from another publisher to respond). In addition, and perhaps even more importantly, agents have relationships with acquisitions editors and are much more likely to get their attention and interest. In fact, many publishers do not accept submissions from authors because they would not have time to read them all. They want to read proposals vetted by professional literary agents. For more reasons to sign with a literary agent, see this post.

In this post, I will provide the steps to take, and then I’ll break it down with specific tips for finding the right agent and publisher, resources to consult and additional resources to make sure your submission is as polished and compelling as it can be.

The Steps to Secure a Literary Agent and a Book Deal

typing a book proposal — Photo by Amelia Bartlett on Unsplash

Write a kick-ass book proposal. Your primary audience is made up of literary agents, acquisitions editors and other members of a publishing house editorial board.
Write a kick-ass query letter. Jane Friedman’s post on how to write a nonfiction query letter is my favorite.
Identify literary agents who are a strong match for your book. Try PublishersMarketplace.com and/or QueryTracker or Jeff Herman’s book on literary agents (if it’s up to date). In addition, if you comb the acknowledgements section in books similar to yours you should likely find the agent’s name.
Customize the query letter for each agent. Why are you querying them specifically? Mention books they’ve represented or other specific reasons.
In addition to querying by email, consider whether you want to meet and pitch agents in person (or online) at a writers conference. Two great options are The San Francisco Writers Conference (scheduled for July of 2022) and the online Nonfiction Writers Conference (this is an affiliate link and I receive a commission if you sign up for the conference with this link) in May, where I’ll be presenting on how to choose your publishing path.
Submit your query letter to a handful of agents OR submit to your absolute top choice and offer them a two week exclusive.
If you get a rejection, ask if they can give you feedback on what’s missing in the proposal or why they passed. If they passed but liked the proposal, ask if they can recommend an agent who is a better fit.
Send out more queries after rejections come in.
If you get interest, ask these 9 questions for a literary agent to determine whether this agent is a strong match for you–your communication style, your goals, your needs, your vision, etc.
Choose a literary agent and have an intellectual property attorney familiar with publishing review their contract and suggest changes.
Go over the contract with the agent or just send them the attorney’s suggested changes. Some attorneys will negotiate the changes for you. The agent may not change everything the attorney recommends. Note: it used to be that high integrity agents did not charge in advance for their work (they get their payment at the other end, as a percentage of your royalties. That is changing and some top agents will take on projects for a fee, knowing that there is a risk that they will not make enough on your advance or royalties to pay for their time. So if the contract includes an up front payment, do some internet research to see whether the agent has a stellar reputation. If so, it’s not necessarily a problem to pay something up front in order to support the agent’s up front work in pitching the book to publishers.
When you are happy with the contract, sign!

What Happens After You Sign with a Literary Agent?

sign a contract — Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

Now your agent may ask you to make changes to the book proposal. If you asked the 9 questions mentioned in #7, you should be prepared for those changes and their vision should be aligned with yours.

Make the changes your agent asks for.
If you don’t agree with a major change, ask your agent why they suggested it and, if you still don’t agree, gently ask how flexible they are. See if they are open to your reasons for not making those changes. I’ve worked with memoir authors, for example, who don’t want to include key scenes with their spouse in order to protect their kids. It’s important to protect your kids, but you do need to figure out how to make the book work. If you leave out key information, such as crucial character motivation, the storyline may not make sense (for instance, you left your husband but it’s not clear why this is a transformational moment, since you never show any tension between you and said husband). Then, we have a problem.
Your agent may also request you take particular actions to build your platform/reach/following. Again, hopefully you consulted my list of 9 questions to ask a literary agent and determined ahead of time what steps they want you to take. Take them!
Your agent will likely make a list of acquisitions editors they plan to ask.
Your agent will submit to publishers.
If you asked your agent my 9 questions I shared earlier, you should have a sense of how communicative your agent will be during the submission process. Some agents will email you after every response they receive. Others will wait until all the offers and/or passes are in.
Most agents will not introduce the author to potential publishers before receiving offers but some agents will do so, whether in person or by video conference call.
At this point, hopefully you will be fortunate to have offers come in. If you receive more than one offer, it’s an auction! Hooray.
If you have questions about the acquisitions editor’s vision or plans for the book, talk to your agent and get your questions answered before signing. You will also likely have a chance to speak with the acquisitions editor before signing.
Ask your agent for their input and listen to your gut as well.
Your agent will negotiate your advance as well as other aspects of the contract.
Time to sign!

If you don’t land a literary agent, check out The Big Book of Small Presses and Independent Publishers by Marylee MacDonald. And then if you get an offer, let me know if you want me to introduce you to an IP attorney experienced with book publishing contracts to negotiate your contract with the publisher.

Bon chance!

Publishing Beyond Your Wildest Dreams: An Interview with Carrie Barron

February 25, 2013 by Lisa Tener

carrie barron writing coach lisa tener — Carrie Barron and me at the fabulous book launch party for The Creativity Cure.

As we near the date of Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing Course (March 14 – 16), I’m excited about seeing colleagues again and even meeting some of my current clients whom I have not yet met in person. I recommend the course to almost anyone writing a book about health or well being—it’s a fabulous place to meet agents and publishers—and to learn so much about the publishing industry in a short period of time.

Authors get feedback about their book ideas—and often end up with a much better sense of both what their book is (what I call the book concept) and what they need to do to become successfully published.

creativity cure cover — Author Carrie Barron and I met at the Harvard Medical School Publishing Course when this book was the germ of an idea.

Today, I’ve interviewed Dr. Carrie Barron—co-author with her husband Alton of The Creativity Cure, which was published by Scribner and came out in hardcover last Spring. I met Carrie at the Harvard course a couple years ago and began working with her on her book concept and book proposal. Her story may sound like a bit of a fairy tale—so put on your glass slippers…

Lisa: Why did you want to write a book?

Carrie: I spent many years scribbling thoughts and ideas on pads and blank documents and wanted to organize them into something. I was fascinated by creativity all my life–read about it, researched it, lived it as a former singer. In my private practice as a psychiatrist I was struck by how people’s moods and feeling about living could dramatically improve if they were involved in a creative process.

Lisa: Were there specific goals that motivated you? Opportunities you hoped the book would open up?

Carrie: I wanted the opportunity to write because I enjoy it so much. Writing is a way to explore, to understand, to gain perspective and even to heal. Also, I felt that this information could be helpful to people who were trying to find ways to feel better–less depressed, less anxious–and not having any luck. Creativity has been called “the original anti-depressant.”

Lisa: When we met at Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing Course you’d mentioned that you’d been playing with the ideas for a book you were calling, “I’m Creative But I Can’t Create.” Can you say more about where you were with the book when we met?

Carrie: Before Harvard Medical School’s publishing course I had many, many pages but no organization. I had titles, essays, ideas, inspiration but not a coherent package. I didn’t know how to write a proposal. I didn’t have an outline.

Lisa: What did you want to accomplish by attending the Harvard course?

Carrie: I wanted to turn an idea into a product, to have an effective method of writing- meaning a free, letting go part and a structured, crafting part and to learn how to balance them. I wanted to have a writing life and to be able to maintain it. I also wanted to learn about the whole world of writing and publishing because while writing it self is joyful, getting it out there is a completely different thing.

Lisa: What did you get out of the course at Harvard?

al carrie jeanne, harvard — Authors Alton and Carrie Barron with their agent Jeanne Fredericks. You can meet Jeanne at the course this March.

Carrie: I learned an enormous amount about writing from the editors and writers themselves. I realized the importance of promotion and social media and how to integrate this into the process in a way that feels organic. I met editors and agents with a wealth of useful information. I met many people with interesting ideas. The most surprising things I learned were that I could handle “pitching,” that the idea does not have to be perfect and that collaboration with the right person can make all the difference. I met you, Lisa, and Jeanne Fredericks, who became my literary agent. You helped me clarify my book concept and craft my book proposal and Jeanne became our agent—and negotiated a six figure book contract with Scribner. It has been thrilling to work with the Scribner team.

Lisa: Any exciting opportunities that have come out of being a published author?

Carrie: So many things! We signed with Scribner. We have had about thirty- five appearances including talk radio, panels, lectures and presentations. We’ve have contributed to articles published in The Atlantic Monthly, Parade Magazine and others, have a regular blog on Psychology Today, spoke at The Maker Faire, the Zoomer Conference in Toronto, on the Dr. Alvin Jones radio show and recently participated on a panel on Creativity and Mental Health at the Cactus Café at UT Austin. The talks are exciting—people ask fascinating questions that really make us think. Other writing opportunities have arisen.

Lisa: Like?

Carrie: We’ll be collaborating on some interesting projects that will focus on using Your Own Two Hands and the value of True Connections to other people. The paperback is coming out in the summer. Frankly, I realized all my goals and beyond.

Carrie and Alton — The authors of The Creativity Cure taking their own advice and spending time outdoors.

Lisa: Anything you’d like to say to someone who’s considering attending Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course March 14-16 in Cambridge, MA?

Carrie: This course changed the entire course of my career. It was fun, informative and stimulating from start to finish. If any doctor has dreamed of writing, the HMS course is the place to go. And don’t forget to sign up for the pitch fest because it is the best preparation for what’s to come!

Pitchapalooza: Nora Hall’s Book Pitch Experience

March 1, 2012 by Lisa Tener

Bring Your Book to Life Program graduate Nora Hall, recently returned from a Pitchapalooza at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, VT. She e-mailed me, excited to share what she’d learned about pitching your book in this competitive book publishing environment and to share the great feedback she received about her book.

Lisa: Describe Pitchapalooza.

Nora: Just what it sounds like––a fun, fascinating, inspiring opportunity to pitch your book. Upon purchasing The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Sterry and Eckstut, you’re entered into a random drawing for one minute to pitch in front of the group––and one minute only.

Lisa: Tell us about the day you attended.

nora hall book writing program participant — Nora Hall

Nora: Sixty equally eager and nervous wannabe authors gathered in the event room of the most interesting book store I’ve ever visited. David Henry Sterry, co-author in this husband/wife literary team, dispelled our nervousness with humor and a comfortable explanation of how the event would proceed.

If your name was called, you waited “on deck” to be ready to start immediately after critique of the pitch before you. The panel—four extraordinarily knowledgeable book people—consisted of a long-time buyer for Northshire, the head of Storey Publishing in Massachusetts, and the aforementioned David, and his wife, Arielle Eckstut––the originators of this fantastical experience for writers.

Lisa: Can you share one or two gems you picked up at the Pitchapalooza?

Nora: I learned:

1. Start the pitch with a bang––grab the listener’s attention. The explanation can come later.

2. Make the listener laugh––don’t say it’s funny––you know the show and tell we all strive for.

3. A “comp” title of a well known book is helpful. For mine I might use Men Are From Mars.

Lisa: And you got to pitch. I know that from the excited e-mail I received from you. What was the feedback?

Nora: The panelists were excited by what I presented. It gave the flavor of the book. It also identified the audience and how the book would help them. They liked my inclusion of a list of products that would spring from the book such as a Survive parlor game and calendars and greeting cars with survival tips. I said nothing about myself or my background so they strongly recommended I do that to establish my credibility. A lot in one minute, but it’s doable.

Lisa: Well worth the 3 hour drive…

Nora. Absolutely! Even without my good fortune to pitch and receive feedback, I would have left the event knowing this was the best next step I could take for the future of my book. I learned to write in your Bring Your Book to Life Program, and—thanks to your extraordinary guidance—I knew I had a book worth promoting. At the Pitchapalooza I learned firsthand from the insightful critiques offered by the four wise, but always kind, panelists. I resonated with their joyful approach to the publication process. I left convinced that this is the best time ever for writers to become successful authors.

Nora Hall blogs at Survive Your Husband’s Retirement and is developing her author platform for her upcoming book of that title.

The Process of Getting a Literary Agent

February 18, 2010 by Lisa Tener

head-on-hands-on-books1 — Your Writing Coach

People ask me about the process of getting a literary agent. You probably know you need to submit a query (or meet an agent who says, “Yes, I want to see your proposal”), then submit your book proposal (a significant document often 50-80 pages), then wait.

But what’s it like from the inside? I asked Dr. Randy Kamen-Gredinger to share her experience of finding an agent. And some of the things her agent asked for in the process before signing.

During a course at Harvard Medical School on Writing and Publishing Creative Non-Fiction Books, surrounded by colleagues interested in learning the ins and outs of writing books and getting them published, Randy says she, “felt confident I, too, had a book in me.” She decided her book would focus on relationships.

When Randy started in my book writing course, she “hardly knew how to use a computer” by her own admission. As a psychologist with a very busy private practice, she didn’t really need to use a computer much beyond checking e-mails and Internet searches.

Entering the world of the aspiring author meant learning many new skills–not just how to structure a book and write in a compelling way. Randy quickly became skilled on her Mac, began organizing material collected throughout her career as a therapist, and created keynote addresses on a variety of topics that related to her book.

Randy held a focus group to help find a title for her book

After making headway on the book, Randy wrote her proposal. Literary agent Jeanne Fredericks liked the book and saw its potential. Still she wanted to see several revisions to the proposal and a more compelling title. At a gathering of twenty-five women friends in Randy’s living room, led be a trained branding expert and facilitator, they came up with the title What Women Need: The 12 Keys to Gaining Balance and Happiness.

Jeanne requested an edited video clip of one of Randy’s speaking engagements and four chapters of her book. Nine months from the time of the initial submission, Jeanne accepted the proposal and formally became her agent.

Was it time to submit the book to publishers? No. Her agent advised her to continue building her platform and become a “thought leader” in her field as she continued to write her book. She developed a presence on Facebook and Twitter, gave an occasional radio interview and returned to the lecture circuit after a many year hiatus. (At one point she had shared the lecture platform with greats like Dr. Herbert Benson, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Joan Borysenko).

With the help of a dear friend and savvy internet marketer, Alan Bergstein, Randy built a new website and blog.

Response to this site about a wide range of women’s issues far exceeded expectations. Jeanne thinks the site will be an important feature in the selling and success of What Women Need.

Randy admits, “The process of writing my book became a much bigger deal than I ever imagined. It’s been an amazing, and sometimes frustrating, journey. Building my platform with speaking engagements, writing for various publications, building my website and blog, creating videos for YouTube (and next webinars) continues to bring all kinds of wonderful and unexpected surprises. The deeper I go down this path the more compelling it becomes.

“Developing the website is especially fulfilling because it all of the other elements. Though still in its infancy DrRKG.com has become the umbrella of all the other activities going on in my professional world. It continues to evolve.

“As a psychologist I have been somewhat constrained by the confidential component of my work. Expanding my horizons as a speaker, writer and coach have given me a venue for reaching a much greater audience and making a difference on a larger scale.”

While it may seem a bit frustrating for aspiring authors to do so much up front work, the platform building and advance preparation means that, when your book comes out, you’ll have pent up demand for your book and you won’t be rushing to catch up and create an audience from nothing. Can’t you just see those books flying off bookshelves and virtual shelves?

Good Morning: My Take on Your Chances to Publish

March 11, 2009 by Lisa Tener

It’s raining and cloudy this morning. I woke up a tad tired. I remember a time I would not have called it a good morning, especially since I planned to take a walk today.

Oh, yeah, I can walk in the rain. I own boots, a rain jacket with a hood, even rain pants. What do you know? It is a good morning.

What does that have to do with writing and publishing books? Everything.

I hear so many people talk about the publishing climate. What does it mean when bookstores are going out of business and publishers are cutting jobs? What does it mean for you, an author?

There is some meaning to be found, of course. It is getting more difficult to get a traditional publisher. And that’s good news. It means you need to really research your book, your audience, competitive and complementary books. It means you need to make an airtight case for your book. It means you need to work hard to develop your platform (your following, mailing list, internet presence, etc.). And it means you need a fantastic promotion plan for your book.

Isn’t that great news? It’s much more likely to insure your book is a big success and reaches even more people.

In my experience, when you write and publish a book, the universe is going to put a few challenges in your path. You set a big goal (like writing a bestseller), the universe will put some opportunities in your path for honing your skills, learning to overcome obstacles, raising your frequency, so to speak. Isn’t that great? All those things you might view as obstacles are actually the universe supporting your vision by making you stronger and better equipped to meet your big, big vision.

Years ago, at a writer’s conference, I heard a whole bunch of women on line to pitch their books to an agent. “It’s nearly impossible to get an agent or get published,” they all agreed.

“Wait, I’m published. I had no credentials for my book when I began. I got tons of rejections. It’s not that hard. You need to be persistent and just keep learning as you get feedback. You’ll get there.”

These women had given up before they even began. They were telling the universe that didn’t believe in themselves. What kind of message is that to put out in a world that delivers what you expect, what you send out vibrationally?

Whoa. Put the stops on that one. If you’re telling yourself it’s difficult or impossible to get published, stop that thought right there. One of my clients just signed a mid-five figure book deal recently. The world of publishing is still alive. Sure, it will continue to change. The internet will continue to become a bigger force in the industry.

But it isn’t all a bad thing that publishing companies are in trouble. Many of them are poorly run. As someone with a master’s in management (business) from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, I’ve taken my share of business and strategy courses and it’s always amazed me how publishing companies didn’t employ many of the obvious and simple business principles everyone else did.

There are huge opportunities now for publishing companies to manage themselves better–and those that do will flourish. I’m sure of it. It’s not like people have stopped reading.

So, if you want a traditional publisher, go for. Just do your research, hone your proposal, and keep reminding yourself what a good morning it is, rain or sun.

Small Publisher or Work on My Platform & Hold Out for the Majors?

December 30, 2008 by Lisa Tener

What would you do in her shoes? Today I received an e-mail from a client asking me “writing coach” advice. I’ve changed a few details to protect her anonymity. It’s the kind of question you might be asking yourself, even if you don’t have a publisher yet.

“Lisa, I was offered a “direct” publishing contract for my book by a small independent publisher. They were very excited about the book…(came to me through a friend) and though they don’t do a lot in my genre, they want to use my book to break into this market.

“They offered me a very small author’s advance ($16K). My agent advised that I turn them down…and work to build my platform [national audience, mailing list, reach]– then go to a bigger, brand name publisher, where I might get better attention and more money.

“What do you think? I’m torn…would love to get the book published and ‘out there’ … but also like the idea of getting a better known publisher behind me…even though this will take more time and effort on my part.”

My answer isn’t cut and dry. Is $16K a bad advance? Not for a first book. In fact, a typical advance for a first book is around $3K – $4K. Could this author get a bigger advance? Yes. Is it worth waiting? Maybe. Let’s look at the issues: effort, money, timing.

Effort: Either way, she’ll need to build her platform– before or after the book deal–if she wants to sell books. So the platform will need to be built. That effort remains equal.

In terms of effort to get books into bookstores, she needs to get a better sense of the sales force and past performance of this publisher. How big a run are they planning? How effective is their sales force? To whom does the sales force sell? Is it a match? If not, this author may have to spend alot of time trying to get her books in stores.

In terms of publicity, she can probably expect to expend equal effort with either publisher, but she shouldn’t assume that. She should ask the small press what they would do. Perhaps, if they want to get into this market, they’re willing to do more publicity than average.

Money: Yes, she could make more money with a big publisher, certainly in the short run with her advance.

Timing: Does she want to have the book out within a year? Will it help her reach other current goals, such more public speaking, more consulting clients? If so, the small press might be a good bet.

But if she wants to have a bestseller, she probably needs to focus on building her platform before the book comes out. Of course, even if she signs a contract today with the small press, she has some time before publishing to focus on building her platform. Yet the waiting strategy would probably provide time for a bigger, more solid platform.

What would you do in her shoes?

How to Find a Literary Agent and More Publishing Advice

The Steps to Secure a Literary Agent and a Book Deal

What Happens After You Sign with a Literary Agent?

Publishing Beyond Your Wildest Dreams: An Interview with Carrie Barron

Pitchapalooza: Nora Hall’s Book Pitch Experience

The Process of Getting a Literary Agent

Good Morning: My Take on Your Chances to Publish

Small Publisher or Work on My Platform & Hold Out for the Majors?

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