Getting an agent (Without losing your mind, neglecting your children, quitting your day job, or going bankrupt)

1. Most (but not all) publishers will not even look at your Some hard truths 1. Most (but not all) publishers will not even look at your manuscript if you don’t have an agent. Getting an agent can be just as hard as getting published. The chances of rising from the slush pile and getting a reputable agent interested are actually pretty small. http://www.adventuresinagentland.com/2015/01/breaking-down-2014.html There aren’t really all that many agents interested in picture books nowadays. It’s a tough market, especially if you’re not an author/illustrator.

There are many useful online resources that can help with your search. The good news There are a few really clear steps to take that can make the process of finding an agent easier. There are many useful online resources that can help with your search. Most agents accept (even prefer) email queries and submissions, so you can do most of your agent-finding efforts from your own home! If you search hard, search SMART, and you have a great manuscript, you WILL find an agent!

Spinning your wheels won’t get you anywhere! What Not to do Spinning your wheels won’t get you anywhere!

Sending bulk emails to anyone who claims to be a literary agent What Doesn’t help Picking up a huge, 1000 page book from the store or library that contains fifty-million agent listings Sending bulk emails to anyone who claims to be a literary agent Thinking about trying to get an agent/making plans to try and get an agent/hoping that somehow you’ll magically get an agent Having only your husband, children, or grandma look at your manuscript Staying uninformed about the ins and outs of picture books/not reading the genre Sending out a great manuscript with the world’s worst query letter

Search hard and search SMART What does help Search hard and search SMART

Read read read (Know the genre) A great manuscript It may seem obvious, but it’s a good idea to make sure your book is absolutely as good as you can get it BEFORE you query. How can you be sure? Read read read (Know the genre) Kidlitosphere.org ThePictureBookReview.com Critique groups Look at writing texts and writing blogs http://www.darcypattison.com/blog/ http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.blogspot.com/

A great query letter: The First sieve The Query Letter AKA your “calling card” Keep It Short! Keep It Professional! Error-free! Sell your story! Agents say that they toss as much as 70% of submissions in the slush pile just because of a bad query letter—that means your manuscript will not even be read!

Anatomy of a query letter Greeting - “Dear Ms. (Mr.) Last name:” Introduction - About two sentences that briefly describe why you’re writing to them. Pitch - One paragraph about your book. Written like book jacket copy. Pitch Part II - A little bit more about your book that’s more informational Bio - A brief statement about you. Max two to three short sentences Closing - Housekeeping info like “This is a simultaneous submission.” and/or “Thank you for your time and consideration.” Sign-off – Sincerely, your name Enclosures – a listing of what you’re including in the submission (Adapted from www.writingforchildrenandteens.com

The basics: where to begin There are several smart ways to begin your search for an agent. The first one is what I did—well, it’s what I did after I decided to do things the smart way—and the rest are great first steps, too. www.querytracker.com www.publishersmarketplace.com Lists of picture book agents on writing blogs: www.literaryrambles.com http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/top-20-picture-book-agents-2015/ http://greatstorybook.com/agents-looking-for-childrens-books/

Next steps: social media and agent blogs Twitter is where kidlit LIVES on the internet—follow those agents! Choose maybe 10 to follow—Twitter will suggest others! Follow them ALL. Take 20 minutes a day to quickly peruse through the agents’ feeds, looking for anything useful Facebook can be useful, too— especially kidlit groups. A particular favorite of mine is KIDLIT411, but there are quite a few that share resources for authors Agent Blogs/Blogs About Agents: Once you have your list of around 10 agents who accept YOUR kind of picture books, visit their website and look for a blog. Read it! There are lots of great blogs about agents—my favorite is www.literaryrambles.com

Advanced Agent Searching Conferences and Workshops where agents will be present-- SCBWI regional and national conferences are a great resource Online Query Contests, Twitter pitch Events, etc. http://writeoncon.com/ http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ Notice the authors you like and who have a style similar to yours, and find out who their agent is! Don’t give up! After the first round of queries, get another list of agents or submit a new manuscript—keep an organized list or queries and agents It can take years. Don’t give up after just a few months!

So you’ve got an agent, now what? Navigating Your First Sale

Be prepared to compromise Working with an agent Be prepared to revise Be prepared to compromise Be prepared to wait