Literary Agent Fun Facts To Help You Get Published
Working on a book proposal can sometimes be an exhilarating process, and sometimes it’s just a bore. The reason it’s exhilarating is because you’re imagining the success you could have with the book. The reason it can be a bore is because the book proposal isn’t the book itself, it’s the marketing tool for the book. As a marketing tool it has a decidedly business plan feel to it, and business things can often bore a creative writer. Nevertheless, there are ways to make the process more enjoyable, and one of the best ways to do this is to find some fun facts out about the various literary agents you’re planning to contact.
FUN FACTS ABOUT LITERARY AGENTS
I’ve always recommended to writers that they begin the process of looking for a literary agent as soon as they start working on the book proposal. By looking for an agent at the same time you can take a break from the work of writing the book proposal and refresh yourself by just browsing the Web or skimming through books which list agents. You as a hard-working writer deserve to take a break every now and then. J.D. Salinger used to take a break and have a bottle of Pepsi while writing. Sometimes he’d stop and gobble a few peppermint candies, which he kept in the little bunker he constructed on his compound, which is where he does all his writing these days. You, too, should take a break from the book proposal and find out some fun facts about the literary agents you’re considering.
“Fun facts?” you ask. “What in heavens name do you mean by that? Literary-agent hunting is a difficult and time-consuming task. I don’t see anything fun about it!”
Let me try to change your mind. Let’s say you’re writing a book about baking bread and cake. You then come across the interesting fact that one of the literary agents you are considering is seriously overweight and mentioned in an interview that she loves to eat cake. There’s a fun fact for you! You could even mention in your query to her that you have some great recipes for low-calorie cakes and bread. The point is that a fun fact is one which is not only amusing in and of itself but also it’s a fact that you can use to help get the agent interested in you.
THE TRUTH ABOUT LITERARY AGENTS
The truth is that literary agents are people, just like you and me. They have lives outside of the office, interests, and concerns. When you hear them in a podcast or read an online interview, sometimes they’ll let slip some of this personal information. You can use that to your advantage if you can link it to your work.
Let’s say you’re writing a comic novel. And you come across a comment by an agent in which he says, “I just don’t read enough funny stuff these days, and I love humor in fiction.” What a fun fact! This is the guy for you. You’ve got to add him to your short list of agents to query.
By doing your homework and browsing the Web, you’re sure to stumble across plenty of fun facts about literary agents, facts which just might help you get that agent to sell your book for you. And what could be more fun than that?
William Cane is the author of The Art of Kissing, translated into 19 languages. He taught English at Boston College for fourteen years and today is a widely sought-after speaker at colleges and universities nationwide. His Web site contains more insider writing advice for those wishing to get published: http://www.hiwrite.com/
