2 days ago
How I got published and what nearly stopped me
For a writer, there's no feeling like finishing a manuscript. But what if you're a first-time novelist with no idea how to turn the file on your laptop into a book on the shelves?
That was me in 2003. I was working as a journalist, and things were going well –
USA Today,
Ireland's national papers
, RTÉ,
the lot. On lunch breaks I sat in the Iveagh Gardens and wrote my science-fiction adventure in a notebook.
Journalism had taught me how to get words onto the page, and fiction felt like an easy lane change. Within a couple of months I'd finished the story and mailed it to literary agents. Too fast, and too sloppy, as I would soon discover.
When the rejections started flowing, they punctured my confidence so thoroughly that I stopped writing fiction for nine years. But by 2012 I'd given birth to my target market, and I was determined to give it another go. I knew there had to be a right way to find an agent. I'd mastered the wrong way already.
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What I discovered was that there wasn't a single source of knowledge, there were hundreds: about the writer's craft, how to revise, the etiquette around sending a query letter. It felt like trying to earn a master's degree by sitting outside a lecture hall near a half-open window, hoping to overhear what to do next.
In the end, the miraculous happened: I signed with an agent in 2015, and Scholastic Press New York published my debut
Friend Me
in 2020. By then, I'd been rejected more than 100 times, an ordeal that was only survivable thanks to my writing friends.
Here's what I wish someone had told me back in the Iveagh Gardens: the four steps that, for me, would lead to a publishing deal.
1 Get feedback on the manuscript
If you've shown your story to people, who are they? The most valuable critique partners are often those writing in your genre, because you work from the same toolbox. Children's writers grapple with how to get parents out of the picture, and mystery writers must learn how to lay false clues. Historical novelists practice the art of writing about the past without sounding like a museum pamphlet.
Find a professional organisation connected to your genre (mine was the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators); it provides a community of like-minded writers, including critique partners who can give you informed feedback. Their annual conferences can also connect you with editors and agents whose expert insights are fuel for your next round of revisions.
2 Understand the genre
I attended a technology conference once where the keynote speaker was a novelist, a sci-fi superstar who was asked about another author's work. He said he hadn't read it and in fact didn't read much science fiction. This astounded me. I was at the beginning of my renewed quest to get published, and everyone urged me to read more children's fiction.
Read widely in your genre, both the canon and newer, award-winning books. My Goodreads record shows I read 164 children's novels before I found my agent; those are the books that taught me to write fiction.
You'll need a broad knowledge of your genre when you contact agents, too. Your query letter should mention a couple of recent novels that have similar themes to your story and have sold well. These are comparable titles, known as comps; mentioning great comps in your letter is an important signal to agents that you know your stuff.
3 Write the query letter
Writing this letter is surprisingly difficult. Can you say what happens in your story, in a way that makes agents want to read on? Practice writing a compelling, 250-word summary that doesn't reveal spoilers or the ending. This is your pitch, and it will form the heart of your query letter.
When you've added the extras, including comp titles and a line or two about yourself, the letter should be about 350 words, so revise ruthlessly. Your pitch should describe your protagonist in a memorable way; the catalyst that launches them into their quest; their major opposition; and what the late agent Janet Reid called 'the impossible choice', the two, awful options that most heroes must choose between at the climax.
Yes, pitches are formulaic. No, following the recipe doesn't make you a lazy writer. In fact, a killer pitch is one of the hardest things you'll ever write.
4 Research agents and submit
Agents who are the most visible on social media aren't necessarily the best match for your story. Research your target agents in depth, including their deal histories. What editors have they sold to, and do they represent your genre?
My favourite tool was
Publishers Marketplace
(best if seeking a US agent), but there's also
Jericho Writers AgentMatch
. Check the
Association of Authors' Agents
, the
Association of American Literary Agents
, and the ever-popular
Writers & Artists Yearbook
. Always consult agents' websites to verify exactly what they want you to send.
The final time I queried, I didn't approach any agent until I'd read a book they'd sold. This is a long-term business relationship, so don't query anyone you'd be unhappy to have represent you.
Every author has a different path. Entering a contest or contacting small publishers directly sometimes gets writers a book deal, but I'd always choose to work via an agent. They can help develop your craft by offering feedback, sell the screen and international rights to your work, and advocate for you as the industry continues to transform.
Don't lose hope. The biggest misconception about getting a literary agent is that you need to know someone on the inside. All you need to know is your story, and how to describe its key elements in a way that compels readers to want to know more.
Sheila M Averbuch is the author of Pitch Your Book: Write the Letter that Hooks an Agent on Your Novel. You can order
here
or learn more at
