Guide G3
Publishing
Open
Open and available to everyone. See what Ticket and Members unlock
How to Find the Right Literary Agent for Your Book
What agents actually do, how to find the right ones for your book, how to approach them properly, and how to handle the process without losing your nerve.
Introduction
The door that nobody tells you how to open
The process is not impossible. It is opaque. This guide makes it legible.
Finding a literary agent is the first practical step between a finished manuscript and a published book. It is also the step most writers find the most confusing and the most discouraging. Not because the process is impossible, but because it is opaque. Nobody hands you a map when you finish your draft. The information exists, but it is scattered, inconsistent, and often written as though you already know the rules. This guide sets out how to find literary agents who suit your book, and how to approach them.
What this guide covers
This guide explains what agents actually do, how to find the right ones for your book, how to approach them properly, and how to handle the process without losing your nerve. It will not make rejection painless, but it will make the process legible. Knowing what you are dealing with is most of the battle.
The Basics
What a literary agent actually does
An agent is a long-term advocate, paid only when your book sells.
A literary agent represents authors in their dealings with publishers. They read your manuscript, assess whether it is commercially viable, and if they take you on, they pitch your book to editors at publishing houses on your behalf. When a publisher makes an offer, the agent negotiates the contract, handles the advance and royalty structure, and continues to manage the commercial relationship between you and your publisher for the life of that contract.
How agents are paid
Agents work on commission. The standard rate is 15% for domestic sales and 20% for foreign rights sales. They earn nothing unless your book sells. This is important: a legitimate agent never charges a reading fee, an admin fee, or any upfront cost of any kind. If an agent asks you for money before they have sold your book, they are not a legitimate agent. Walk away.
A long-term relationship
The agent relationship is long-term. A good agent is not just a deal-maker. They advise on your career, suggest which book to write next, tell you honestly when a manuscript is not ready, and act as a buffer between you and the commercial pressures of publishing. The right agent is an advocate. Finding the right one matters more than finding one quickly.
What agents do
What agents do not do
Read your manuscript and assess its commercial potential
Edit your manuscript (though some give developmental notes)
Pitch your book to editors at publishing houses
Guarantee publication
Negotiate contracts and advances on your behalf
Work without payment: they earn commission on sales
Manage foreign rights and subsidiary rights
Accept every book that crosses their desk
Advise on your career and next projects
Charge upfront fees of any kind
Preparation
Before you query anyone
Querying too early closes doors. Get three documents ready first.
The most common mistake writers make when approaching agents is approaching them too early. A finished first draft is not a finished manuscript. Agents receive hundreds of submissions every week from writers who have submitted too soon, and they can tell. Submitting before your manuscript is genuinely ready does not just result in a rejection. It closes that particular agent off to you for that particular book, sometimes permanently.
Three documents, all in good shape
Before you query, you need three things in good shape: the manuscript, the query letter, and the synopsis. None of them is optional.
The manuscript
Your manuscript should be in its best possible state before it leaves your hands. That means at minimum one full revision pass after the first draft, ideally more. It means reading it aloud, or having someone else read it, to catch what your eye skips over on a screen. It means being honest with yourself about the ending, the pacing, the character consistency. Agents read for a living. They know within a few pages whether a manuscript is ready.
Genre and word count matter too. Make sure your book falls within the expected range for its category. A 200,000-word debut fantasy novel is a much harder sell than a 110,000-word one, not because longer is worse, but because the commercial risk is higher and print costs are greater. How Long Should My Book Be? (Guide A1, The Planning Room) covers word count expectations by genre in full.
The query letter
The query letter is a one-page letter addressed to a specific agent, introducing your book and yourself. It is not a cover letter in the traditional sense. It is a sales document. Its job is to make the agent want to read your manuscript.
A standard query letter contains four elements: a hook, a short pitch of the story, the book’s title, genre, and word count, and a short author bio. The hook is the most important part. It should describe the central conflict and the stakes in two or three sentences, without giving away the ending.
The synopsis
A synopsis is a one to two page summary of your entire plot, including the ending. It is not a teaser. Agents and editors use it to assess the structure of your story, whether the plot holds together, and whether the ending delivers on the promise of the opening. It is a difficult document to write well because it requires you to reduce months of work to a few hundred words without losing the emotional logic of the story.
Write it after you have finished revising the manuscript, not before. How to Write a Synopsis That Does Its Job (Guide G1, The Submissions Room) covers the synopsis in full if you want a step-by-step process for getting it right.
Going deeper on the query letter
The query letter deserves a guide of its own, and it has one. How to Write a Query Letter (Guide G2, The Submissions Room) covers every element in full: how to write a hook that works, how to pitch your plot in three sentences, what to put in your bio, and the most common mistakes that produce immediate rejections. Read it before you write a single word of the letter.
The short version: keep it to one page. Do not explain your creative process. Do not compare your book to a classic unless the comparison is precise and earned. Do not tell the agent how much your friends and family loved it.
Research
How to find literary agents who are right for your book
Query only the agents who represent your kind of book.
Not every agent represents every type of book. Querying agents who do not represent your genre is wasted effort on both sides. The starting point for any agent search is identifying who actually works in your category.
Start with the books you admire
The most reliable way to find agents who represent books like yours is to look at books that are already published in your genre and check the acknowledgements. Authors almost always thank their agents by name. A few hours with the acknowledgements pages of books you admire will give you a targeted list of names to research further.
Use the established databases
Several well-maintained databases allow you to search agents by genre, location, and submission status. The most useful ones for UK and US writers are listed below.
Resource
What it covers
Notes
Authaurus Directory
UK and US agents, editors, and publishing professionals
Listings with genre, specialisms, and submission details.
QueryTracker
US and UK agents, searchable by genre
The no-charge tier is sufficient for most writers. Tracks response times. querytracker.net/
Publishers Marketplace
US agents and recent deals
Paid subscription gives access to deal history, which shows what an agent has actually sold. publishersmarketplace.com/
Manuscript Wishlist (MSWL)
Agent wish lists updated regularly
Agents post specifically what they are looking for. Check before querying. manuscriptwishlist.com/
The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook
UK agents and publishers, updated annually
The standard UK reference. Worth buying the current edition. writersandartists.co.uk/
Check submission guidelines carefully
Every agent has their own submission guidelines, usually published on their agency website. Some want only a query letter. Some want the first ten pages. Some want the first three chapters. Some want a synopsis. Some do not accept email queries at all. Read the guidelines for each agent before you send anything. Ignoring them is one of the fastest ways to get an automatic rejection.
Build a tiered list
Do not query every agent simultaneously. Research thirty to fifty agents who represent your genre and organise them into tiers: your top ten, your next fifteen, and a reserve list. Query your top tier first. If you receive requests for the full manuscript, that is a strong signal your query is working. If you receive consistent rejections with no requests, that is a signal to revise before continuing.
Keep a simple spreadsheet tracking who you have queried, when, what you sent, and what response you received. The process can take months, and without a record it becomes impossible to manage.
The Process
What happens after you send the query
Expect weeks of silence, requests that go nowhere, and the occasional call.
Response times
Most agents respond to queries within four to twelve weeks. Some respond within days. Some never respond at all. A non-response after twelve weeks is generally considered a rejection. This is normal and unhelpful in equal measure, and it is one of the genuine frustrations of the process.
Partials and fulls
If an agent is interested, they will request either a partial (the first fifty pages or three chapters) or a full (the complete manuscript). A request for more material is encouraging but not an offer of representation. Agents request the full manuscript and then pass on it. It happens to almost everyone.
The offer call
If an agent wants to offer representation, they will usually request a call. This is your opportunity to ask questions too. An offer of representation is not something you have to accept immediately. It is reasonable to let other agents you have queried know that you have an offer and give them a short window to respond.
Stage
Typical timeframe
Notes
Query response
4 to 12 weeks
Many agents operate a no-response-means-no policy after 12 weeks.
Partial request response
4 to 8 weeks
Variable. Nudging after 8 weeks is acceptable.
Full manuscript response
8 to 16 weeks
Longer at busier agencies. One polite nudge after 12 weeks is fine.
Offer call to signing
1 to 2 weeks
Allows time to notify other agents with pending submissions.
Resilience
Handling rejection without losing the manuscript
Rejection is the default outcome. It is not a verdict on the book.
Rejection is the default outcome of the querying process. Most published authors were rejected many times before finding representation. Some were rejected dozens of times. A rejection from one agent tells you nothing definitive about your manuscript. It tells you that this agent, at this moment, did not feel strongly enough about this book to take it on. That is all.
Form and personalised rejections
Form rejections, which give no reason, are the most common. Personalised rejections, where the agent explains what did not work for them, are valuable. If you receive several personalised rejections pointing to the same issue, take that seriously and consider whether the manuscript needs further work before continuing.
What not to do after a rejection
Do not query the same agent again with the same manuscript after a rejection. If they pass, they pass. Move to the next name on your list.
Do not revise the manuscript after every rejection. Revise it when you have enough feedback to identify a pattern, or when you genuinely believe something is not working. Tinkering after each rejection is a way of staying busy while avoiding the harder decision about whether the manuscript is ready.
Making the Decision
What to look for when you have an offer
An offer is the start of a long partnership. Take a few days.
If you receive an offer of representation, the instinct is to say yes immediately. Resist it. An agent relationship is a long-term professional partnership. It is worth taking a few days to assess whether this particular agent is the right one for your book and your career.
1
Track record
Look at what the agent has sold. Publishers Marketplace tracks deals. Has this agent sold books in your genre? Have they sold debut authors? Recent sales matter more than old ones.
2
The agency
Some agents work at large, well-established agencies with strong relationships across publishing. Others work independently. Neither is inherently better, but the agency’s reputation and contacts matter.
3
Editorial involvement
Some agents offer significant editorial notes before submission. Others submit without feedback. Know which approach you prefer and ask about theirs.
4
Communication
How does this agent prefer to communicate? How often will they update you? These things matter over a long submission process.
5
The contract
A standard agent agreement covers the commission rate, the duration, and the termination clauses. Have a lawyer or an experienced writer friend review it before you sign. The Society of Authors in the UK offers contract advice to members.
Question to ask on the offer call
Why it matters
Which publishers are you planning to submit to first?
Tells you whether their vision for the book matches yours.
What is your submission strategy if the first round does not sell?
Shows whether they have a plan beyond the obvious houses.
How do you prefer to communicate with clients?
Prevents frustration about response times and updates.
Will you offer editorial notes before submission?
Sets expectations about the pre-submission process.
What happens to the agreement if you leave the agency?
Protects you if the agent moves or changes career.
The Alternative Path
When the agent route is not the right one
Not every book needs a literary agent.
Not every book needs a literary agent. Self-publishing has become a genuine and viable path to publication, not a consolation prize for writers who could not find representation. Some writers choose it from the start. Others arrive at it after an extended querying process. Neither is a failure.
When the agent route fits
The agent route makes most sense for writers who want to be published by a major traditional publisher, who value the editorial and commercial infrastructure that comes with a traditional deal, and who are willing to accept the time and uncertainty the process involves. It can take years from querying to a book on a shelf.
When self-publishing fits
Self-publishing makes most sense for writers who want control over their timeline, their cover, their pricing, and their rights. It requires significantly more work on the business side, including editing, design, distribution, and marketing. But it also means keeping a far higher proportion of the revenue per sale.
Self-Publishing vs Traditional: A Practical Comparison (Guide H1, The Self-Publishing Room) covers both routes in full, including an honest breakdown of costs, timelines, income, and control. If you are unsure which path fits your situation, read that before you begin querying.
Your Querying Checklist
Seven steps from finished manuscript to signed agent
Everything above, in the order you will use it.
1
Revise until the manuscript is ready
At least one full revision pass after the first draft, a word count within the expected range for your genre, and an honest look at the ending, the pacing and the characters.
2
Prepare the query letter and synopsis
Both in good shape before you contact anyone. None of the three documents is optional.
3
Build a list of thirty to fifty agents
Start with the acknowledgements in books you admire, then use the databases to check genre, location and submission status. A legitimate agent never charges an upfront fee.
4
Organise the list into tiers
Your top ten, your next fifteen, and a reserve list. Query the top tier first and read the responses before going further.
5
Follow each agent's guidelines exactly
Send only what they ask for, in the format they ask for.
6
Track every submission
Who you queried, when, what you sent and what came back.
7
Take your time over an offer
Ask your questions on the call, check the agent's track record, let other agents know, and have the agreement reviewed before you sign.
Before You Close This Guide
Research, patience and the right match
The right agent matters more than a quick one.
Finding an agent is less about luck than about preparation. Get the manuscript, the query letter and the synopsis ready before you contact anyone. Research who represents books like yours, query in tiers, follow every set of guidelines to the letter, and keep a record. Expect rejection, learn from patterns rather than individual responses, and when an offer arrives, take the time to be sure. If the agent route turns out not to fit your book, self-publishing is a real alternative, not a consolation prize.
What to do next
Where you are: Ready to publish, guide 5 of 16
Three books you admire, three agent names.
1. Do this now
Pick three books you admire in your genre and check their acknowledgements for agent names.
2. Read next
G2: How to Write a Query Letter (Open). Before you send anything, make sure the query letter is ready.
G5: What Happens After You Sign With an Agent (Members). What happens if an agent says yes.
G4: What the First Page of Your Manuscript Tells an Agent (Ticket). Most agents ask for opening pages. Make them ready.
3. Not sure?
Manuscript not formatted yet? F3: How to Format Your Manuscript for Submission
Thinking of self-publishing too? H1: Self-Publishing vs Traditional: A Practical Comparison
No synopsis yet? G1: How to Write a Synopsis That Does Its Job
← Previous on this path: G2: How to Write a Query Letter
Next on this path: G5: What Happens After You Sign With an Agent (Members) →