Member-only story
How To Get A Nonfiction Literary Agent
Tips from authors, agents, and bloggers with major book deals
Whether you’re an aspiring writer or entrepreneur looking to publish a book for the marketing benefits — if you want a traditional nonfiction book deal, you need an agent. A literary agent represents writers to publishers and negotiates publishing deals on behalf of the writer.
In this article we’ll cover:
- What you need before you reach out to agents
- How to get an agent
- Advice from authors, agents, and bloggers with book deals
Before you reach out to prospective agents, you need the following three things.
1. Platform
Platform is how many fans, followers, and blog views you have. Here’s how much “platform” you need, according to Chuck Sambucino (editor of Guide to Literary Agents, more on this book below).
2. Book proposal
Your proposal is a thorough book description and business plan.
A good proposal is worth its weight in gold; a bad proposal can ruin the author’s chances irrevocably. A proposal can vary in length from 10 to 70+ pages. Its purpose is to communicate and persuade: to communicate clearly the idea at the core of the book and the question asked in the premise of the book, and to persuade that the finished manuscript will answer that question in a satisfactory, interesting and original manner. — Federica Leonardis, Literary Agent
You need to send a query letter when you share your proposal. Check out this article to learn to craft a book proposal.
3. Query letter
A query letter (email) is a letter you send to agents summarizing your book, its market, and a bit about you.
Once your proposal is ready, it’s time to reach out to agents. You could go the traditional route and query agents with a query letter (learn to craft one here) — or, you could use the tactics below.
