How Do You Find A Literary Agent?

This is the question I am most often asked by emerging writers. And there is no "golden key." But there is a key to unlock a path to success, and I'm here to show you how this summer. Join me.

When I first started writing and dreaming of being an author, I truly believed that there was a golden key that was passed around New York City. It was handed out — late at night, in a fancy restaurant under gilded lights and over expensive drinks — to “certain” authors.

And I would never be one of them.

I now know — and you certainly already do — that such a key does not exist. The only key you need you already own: The one that unlocks the door to overcoming your fear and believing in that dream.

The question I am most often asked is: How did you get a literary agent?

In so many ways, securing a literary agent is the “golden key” to becoming a successful author.

There is an old estimate in the publishing world that 99.9 percent of writers seeking an agent are rejected.

Do I believe that? Yes, and no.

I think that too many writers finish their books too quickly and then rush to secure an agent, treating the process without the professionalism and patience it requires (which I will detail). Nearly 100 percent of those writers are rejected. And — I know it sounds harsh to say — they deserve to be.

But those who take a deep breath and approach this as they would the biggest and most important job interview of their lives will have a MUCH better chance of success.

I’m here to lead you through this heart-wrenching, life-changing process.

Over the course of the summer, I am going to do a multi-part Substack workshop on how to acquire a literary agent. We will focus on:

• -Writing a great query letter (with concrete examples)

• -How to find the right (and reputable) agent

• -Being professional in your approach to agents

• -What a literary agent does and what they mean for your career

• -Plus so much more!

This advice is a foundational part of the writing workshops I’ve held over the years that have led to multiple writers securing an agent and being published by major publishers. It continues to this day.

Today’s first step is free, and some will be, too, but I will not be giving all this advice away for free. If you are interested in securing an agent, you will need to subscribe to my page, UNLEARNING FEAR, to get my step-by-step tips. This is advice that will be evergreen, no matter what stage you are in your manuscript and emerging writing career.

But the first thing I need you to do is this:

Believe that you can do it.

How did I do it?

I was just a kid from the Ozarks. I had no connections. ZERO!

I didn’t know any other authors. I didn’t know who to ask for advice. This was in a time BEFORE laptops, online anything, Google searches.

So after spending three years writing my first book — a memoir entitled America’s Boy — and pushing commas around for another year, I took a deep breath and believed. And then got to work.

I had always been a good student, so I studied. For months.

How do I write a query letter? How do I target the right agents? How do I find the right agents?

And that all led to the literary agent I secured nearly 20 years ago and still have to this day.

How?

Well, I plan to share that story next.

I hope you will join me this summer on a journey that just might well change your life.

Keep writing and believing!

XOXO,

Wade/Viola