How to approach an agent

Most approaches fail before the first page of the manuscript is read. They go to the wrong person, in the wrong format, with a pitch that withholds the story in favour of the author’s feelings about the story. Agents are not unpaid therapists. They are salespeople reading on a deadline. Help them.

Research is the approach

Open the directory, filter by region and by type of representation, then abandon this site for the agency’s own. You want a named agent, not a building. You want evidence they sell the sort of book you have written — acknowledgements pages, deal announcements, the wishlist they posted this year, not a forum thread from 2016.

One agent per agency unless they say otherwise. Follow their file type, subject line, and form fields as if they were a contract. They are the contract for getting read.

The query letter

A query is a one-page business letter. It is not a prologue. Aim for 300–400 words:

1. Why this agent — one specific, true sentence. A book they sold. A line from their wishlist. Not “I saw you on a list of agents.”
2. The facts: title, genre, word count, and two comparable titles that actually sit on the same shelf.
3. The pitch: protagonist, desire, obstacle, stakes. Present tense is fine. Mystery about the plot is not the same as vagueness about the book.
4. A short bio of relevant facts. Credits, expertise, nothing. “This is my first novel” is a complete biography and not a stain.
5. A polite close. The manuscript is available. You can be reached here.

Leave out: how long you have been writing, your family’s opinion, the film you think it will become, and any sentence that contains the words “unique,” “bestseller,” or “destined.”

Dear Ms Agent,

I am seeking representation for TITLE, a [word count]-word [genre] novel. It will appeal to readers of [comparable title] and [comparable title].

[Two or three sentences. Name the protagonist, the trouble, and what must change.]

[One or two sentences: relevant credits, expertise, or nothing if you are new — that is allowed.]

The complete manuscript is available. Thank you for your time.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]

Synopsis and sample

If they ask for a synopsis, they want the ending. A synopsis that coyly stops before the climax wastes their time twice — once now, and again when they have to ask. One page is the default unless they specify. Write it in the present tense, name the important characters, and do not defend the book inside the synopsis. The plot has to do that.

The sample pages should start the story. Not the weather. Not the research. Not a preface addressed to the reader. If chapter one is throat-clearing, start at chapter two and call it chapter one.

Manners of the transaction

Simultaneous queries are normal unless an agent asks for an exclusive. If they ask, give a short dated window — two weeks is generous — and keep it. If another offer arrives, tell everyone who still has the book. That is not a ploy. It is how the trade prefers to be treated.

Wait the period on their website before you nudge. One polite follow-up is adult behaviour. A third is a story they will tell without naming you, which is worse than being named.

If they say no, do not argue. If they say nothing, that is also a no. Send the next name on the list. The previous chapter covers the longer arc; this page is only the knock on the door.

Red flags in the reply

Walk away from anyone who asks for money to read, to represent, or to “prepare the manuscript for submission.” Be slow around anyone who wants you to sign before you have spoken, who will not name editors they would send the book to, or who disparages every other agent you might also be talking to. Enthusiasm is cheap. A plan is not.

Before you press send

When the boxes are ticked, use the agency directory. Sort by the country whose publishers you actually want, and by book, film, or children’s — they are different jobs, sharing a word.