How I got my literary agent
tips and tricks I learned along the way + BONUS advice from my agent
In 2014, a relative of mine in the publishing industry sent my very first novel to an agent. That agent kindly rejected my story (as did many after that). Eight years, two novels, and many edits later, I signed with my agent, Rebecca Lawrence, in 2023.
I will always be grateful for that first rejection. Neither I nor my book were ready for publication in 2014. In fact, I’m grateful for every rejection. Even the ones I receive now. Each one teaches me something. It tells me, wait. You have something to learn here.
So, what happened between my first query submission that got rejected and my last one that didn’t? Several things.
1. I never stopped writing, and I never stopped studying my craft. (Okay, there were lulls, but I always went back to it.)
2. I realized a rejection is my friend. A rejection meant I was moving forward. Learning what was working and what wasn’t.
3. I opened my mind to different possibilities. At first, my agent list was about three agents long. It was scary to imagine working with an agent I didn’t really know. How much can I learn from a bio online, anyway? But then I realized that querying is not a commitment. It’s just a query. It’s a question: Would you like to work with me? Can you believe in my story and me as an author? If an agent is interested but you’re not connecting well, you are free to say no. Politely and kindly.
For most of us, finding an agent requires determination. Not a thick skin, really, more like a curious, growth-minded skin. (Okay, it sounds like we all need to sprout some leaves. There’s a story premise here somewhere.) A thick skin ignores whatever prods it; a curious skin examines the intruder and wonders if the new piece can be grafted in to make it better.
I queried THE SELLER OF SECRETS in two rounds. After the first round I took the feedback I received and realized I didn’t have the skills to implement it. It felt scary, but I hired a developmental editor. Scary because I knew I couldn’t afford to hire an editor with each book. But I went into it with curious skin, and came out with a much more solid book. Better yet, I understood how to apply the improvements to my next novels.1
My next round of querying, I set out to accomplish something. I knew that if this round resulted only in rejections, I would shelve TSOS.2 I held back nothing. I researched and hunted and dredged up a list of nearly 100 agents.3 Then I queried them in batches of 5-10, personalizing each letter, keeping track of submission dates, rejection dates, all the details.
Then I started to get requests for a full manuscript. My intuition (and some friends) told me I was getting close. I’ll never forget the scene: I was out with some writer friends during a writer’s conference when I got the email that Rebecca was reading my full manuscript. I had a feeling.
By the end of the summer I had signed with Rebecca and embarked on a new phase of my traditional publishing journey.
Sign up for the Booker Albert Literary Agency Newsletter to read an exclusive Q&A about my journey to getting an agent!
Advice from my Agent
Rebecca Lawrence of The Booker Albert Literary Agency
Why is it so hard to get a literary agent? You might be a good writer, with an interesting concept, a budding social media presence, and have a great work ethic. The issue comes down to one thing: competition. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to write. Even many traditionally published books struggle to stand out in the world we live in. So now that we have diagnosed the issue, what is the solution? Actually, it is very simple.
Write an excellent book. There’s no shortcut around the sheer volume of writing it takes to become excellent. They say it takes about a million words to truly hone your craft — and I tend to agree. That doesn’t mean you need a million words in one novel. It means writing consistently, revising ruthlessly, and learning from every draft, short story, or chapter you create.
But writing alone isn’t enough. If you want representation, your book needs to stand out. These days, I see the same types of query letters over and over. Right now, I’m flooded with submissions featuring princess tournaments and dark epic fantasies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with those tropes — many of them sell well — but when the market is saturated, the bar for originality gets much higher.
It’s true that no idea is completely unique anymore. But you can bring a fresh perspective, a surprising twist, or a new emotional truth to the table. That’s what I’m looking for: something that makes me sit up and say, “I haven’t quite seen that before.”
When I read through Sheri's manuscript, I was immediately intrigued by her magic system. Every book that I have signed has included some wow element that made me sit up and pay attention. So if you’re hoping to land an agent, become an excellent writer. Don’t chase trends — tell the story only you can tell. Make it so compelling, so vivid, that I can’t help but keep reading.
That’s what gets a yes.
-Rebecca Lawrence of The Booker Albert Literary Agency
Query Rebecca here, or follow her on Instagram.
I hired Mary Weber of Cherry Pie Author Services. Highly recommend her! She was kind, skilled, professional, and helped me hone my vision for my story in ways that I can implement for the rest of my career.
I’m planning a post that goes more in depth about when to shelve a book.
I found querytracker.net to be very helpful for compiling my list.