Why Is It So Dang Hard to Get a Literary Agent? | Authortube Writing Conference 2022

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Many emerging authors dream of getting their book published by a prestigious "Big Five" publishing house. But the first - and biggest - barrier to traditional publishing is getting a literary agent. As anyone who has been in the querying trenches knows, the process of finding a literary agent is often fraught with confusion, rejection, and discouragement. Many emerging authors discount the possibility of traditional publishing altogether because they struggle to get a literary agent. So, what gives? Why is it so difficult to get a literary agent? And is there anything you can do to increase your chances of finding one?
As someone who's worked at a top-tier NYC literary agency in addition to two of the Big Five US publishing houses, I understand how the industry works and am passionate about educating and empowering emerging authors on the traditional publishing path.
In this session, I will share:
- Insider knowledge of the industry and how literary agents work
- How to decide if you should keep querying or give up
- Practical strategies you can use to improve your chances of getting a literary agent
Then, I'll open the floor for Q&As on anything related to traditional/Big Five publishing!
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ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. This goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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This presentation is part of the 2022 Authortube Writing Conference.
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Опубликовано:

9 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 95

@Thenoobestgirl Год назад

Why does publishing slow down in summer? It doesn't sound like a business that would have an off season 🤨

@rowan7929 2 года назад

Regardless of all the rejections of 3 books, I'm not giving up on finding an agent. I know I have improved on my writing and I always get my book checked by an editor to make sure it's as polished as possible.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

I'm so glad you're keeping your mindset on your growth! Keep up the good work!

@rowan7929 2 года назад

@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you. I will. As stated several times, your videos have been a huge help too. Even good reminders.

@daviddarlingauthor 2 года назад

The Waiting Game: I would add my advice to your comment around 43:50 mark. While waiting on a reply from an agent(s) KEEP WRITING. Get better at your craft. Study everything from grammar to plot lines. Like anything else, you need to keep writing to get better... work on another project. Someone once said, write your first five books and throw the first four away. "In general, you need to write about a million words of practice before you are competent enough to try publishing." (not my words) However, the odds of making it with your first attempt are low (close to being struck by lightning). Overnight successes are rare... keep writing!

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Well said! It's always important to keep one's writing skills sharp--thank you for sharing!

@MariaMilenovasArt Год назад

Querying is such a stressful process. Thank you for clarifying a lot of the questions involved.

@oldsachem Год назад

Dear Ms. Matesic, you communicate well. Your passion and enthusiasm are evident.

@JamesBond-zd5jx Год назад

Write for you. Write because you’ll die if the story doesn’t come out of you. Don’t expect it to be a career. Invest in it as an expensive hobby (like golf). If you make it big then great. Expect disappointment.

@Olafemi96 6 месяцев назад

Facts.

@daviddarlingauthor 2 года назад

Thank you for the dash of cold-water reality. I'd rather hear the truth than "keep going! never quit". Good news on my part. I now have an agent and moving forward! ** Any chance you could do a video on "What to do when the publisher agrees to buy your book and sign you as an author? ** Things to ask, agreements and so on?

@daviddarlingauthor Год назад

@Dustin Frueh_ Thanks!!

@pillsber Год назад

I think there is truth to 'keep going-never quit.' But do know how you feel. Hugh Howey who only started to have success with roughly his 7th or 8th book; All self published. If you keep going you are also honing and maintaining your craft. Charles Dickens didn't make much money at all until The Christmas Carol-his 13th book of the 14 he wrote. Of course, like you, the idea of traditionally published is a hopeful goal. But I know of number of traditionally published authors who haven't made squat. Cheers, Moon

@AlohaTrev Год назад

The thing no one ever mentions about the batch-query strategy is whether you’re supposed to wait 3-4 months to send out the next batch. That means it will take 5 years to query 100 agents, which is often required to get an agent

@pillsber Год назад

Bingo! That's why I hate the idea of traditional publishing. It's insane the torturous route needed. I'm glad you said this! This is always left out of these discussions and videos.

@samp4050 9 месяцев назад

@Aloha Trev. I'm in the query process and I'm sending out at least two or three query letters every day. I don't think it's a good idea to wait for months after sending your first batch, cos you're wasting valuable time waiting for nothing, only relying on the first batch of answers, which will probably be rejected anyway. However, if you keep sending query letters daily, you aren't wasting valuable time. Good luck with your querying. 😊

@debrathomlinson6608 Год назад

Adding my voice here. I am a new literary agent. As a previous self published author in wildlife, art instruction, photography, herbal remedies, self help, and in books for the teaching supplies for schools from ages 5 to 14 years old. How do I attract author's?

@CoryNDavis 2 года назад

Thank you so much for this! I've been editing my book to prepare for a professional round of editing. All without touching querying yet. A few people have said I don't need to go that far, but I've always felt it was such a competitive feild that it can only help to have a more polished work. It's good to hear that my gut was right ✅️

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

You got this!

@jeffreybarker357 2 года назад

I’d recommend either a deeper dive or separate video on HOW to “dig deeper” to discover which agent is best for a given story. Ignore if you’ve done this already and I just missed it!

@ComicPower 10 месяцев назад

I loved this deep dive. Thanks. I'm about to make my queries.

@clintoreilly 2 года назад

I'm sad to have missed the live show, then again, in the least there's a replay-timezones. Great video, Alyssa. It basically covers all Q's. Thanks

@mrplatink 2 года назад

Great content, as always, Alyssa!

@mattitude2471 Год назад

Really losing my patience with all these rejections from these people. Thanks for this

@MargaretPinard 2 года назад

Great Q&A, Alyssa! Glad it went smoothly :)

@bmcewen73 2 года назад

Thank you so much for this wonderful information!

@okaforuchenna Год назад

This is so fantastic. Thanks!

@theresagreene7234 2 года назад

Thank you, Alyssa!💚🐦

@andyclark3530 2 года назад

Thanks for sharing this.

@teacherninina 2 года назад

Great video. I think I have watched all your videos.

@jd_moran Год назад

That was really valuable! Thanks 😄

@AlyssaMatesic Год назад

Glad it was helpful!

@jameshansen7108 2 года назад

Should you mention that you have had your manuscript edited in the query letter? Hard is right, borderline miserable, but I know it's just a matter of 'keep going, you'll get there'. Still, really hard to just hear 'no' after 'no', after 'no'. Makes you question whether it's worth it, but I know you just got to keep pushing forward. Thanks for this video though, it did help, the 'dating' analogy was really good. Helped soften the blow of the multiple rejections and to not beat myself up so much about this process.

@AlyssaMatesic Год назад

If you keep finding yourself getting rejections, it may mean that parts of your query package are due for a review as well! Here's a video I did on the subject here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JNqRjPWvRuA.html

@jameshansen7108 Год назад

@@AlyssaMatesic thank you for that! I am thinking of doing a bit of a review for the book. The query itself though it trickier, because every single query letter is tailor made to the agent and their likes or what books they are looking for. Like doing a cover letter for a job, it has to be tailor made, every time.

@RosiesArcade 27 дней назад

I keep hearing that agents hate it when the writer starts the book with a dream sequence because it’s cliche. Well, my novel DOES start with a dream sequence, but that’s part of the plot arc of this book - the dreams and visions that the main protagonist has… how can I work this so that the literary agents don’t throw my query aside as soon as they see that it’s a dream sequence?

@ComicgeddonTV 2 года назад

I'm curious as to why so many libraries are against doing author showcase events for self-published authors. As one myself, I've been attempting to contact libraries to promote my books and it's really hit or miss. Most of the smaller libraries are all for helping to promote self-published authors while the bigger libraries completely refuse to.

@MargaretPinard 2 года назад

I've found this too, and a similar response with indie bookshops. Ya never know, so just try to be sanguine about the approaches? :)

@hl5606 Год назад

I think it's a volume thing. They don't want the millions of people who self-publish to flood them. There are many self-pubbed authors who put a lot of work into their books and are putting out quality books. The accessibility of the indie world has done wonders for many people. Unfortunately, with that ease of publication (relative to trad) quality control isn't built in and if I wrote a terrible first draft of something this morning I could put it on Amazon by tonight without editing or proofreading it and start calling around to get my work out there. Those people are out there and give indie a bad perception and trad pub with some of the gatekeepers (or quality control) there, it's a way to vet writers and weed out the people who are serious vs not serious.

@debbiea.7800 6 месяцев назад

I am so scared of rejection. I would prefer traditional publishing, but the thought of all of the rejections hurts my soul.

@AlyssaMatesic 5 месяцев назад

You're not alone - rejection is such a tough (but inevitable) part of the traditional publishing process. I have another video with some strategies for overcoming rejection that you might find useful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vZY91-0f26k.html I hope it helps!

@MrK.A 2 года назад

Thanks for making this video.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@ElderBill Год назад

One more question. My genre is historical fiction. Does it make sense to query agents who represent 'fiction', but not necessarily historical fiction?

@bluefenixalchemy7 Год назад

Thus is an extremely informative video Im a new writer, I appreciate the time you've made to share these videos. I will reach out on Linkin Thank you,

@Intelligencia Год назад

Great piece, very helpful. Unfortunately, catching this after the livestream but one question: Do agents see someone who has had a book traditionally published by a small publishing house as something commendable and does it make them give your query a boost? Any publishing is good but should this point be in your lead sentence?

@BobbyNavarrette-ks3tx 6 месяцев назад

If I told you my book will not only be lucrative, but also very inspirational, and critically acclaimed. What would you say if I asked you to help. I believe together we can knock it out of the park.

@user-bd3cy2xk6y 10 месяцев назад

Novels these days are so often copy-cats of something previously published which sold well! Agents seem to be "looking for" something. Like somebody else's book. Creativity comes from the soul and shouldn't be customised to fit a commercial agenda. Or an ideology. Better to publish privately.

@RoxanaLine 6 месяцев назад

Hey Alyssa! Thank you for this video, I got so much information from it!! I have a question too, if it’s okay. You mentioned in this video that only a book that was not previously self-published (with some rare exceptions) can be considered for traditional publishing. My question is, can short sneak peeks of several chapters posted in my personal blog on social media become a problem for that, even though I later significantly rewrote them for the actual manuscript? And I guess the same question goes for illustrations, is it okay to post on social media some of the illustrations that I made for this upcoming book, or am I biting the hand that feeds me right now? I’m sorry, I got a little nervous.

@hungi 4 месяца назад

great video - thanks Q: should a queried manuscript (or sample) be clean or cannit have the author’s own notes so the reader can get an idea of further devlopment the author is intending?

@Corlwow 2 года назад

Is there a standard font and spacing for queries and submitted sample chapters or is it different and specified per agent?

@menace3828 2 года назад

Hey, my question any tips on how would one go about starting there own publishing company if they chose to do so. Thanks.

@chervilant 2 года назад

In one of your previous vids, you mentioned that self-publishing part of a book can scotch getting a publisher afterwards. I intend to publish on Medium a 'synopsis' of my book--which is non-fiction and contemporaneous--but I don't want to jeopardize publishing my book. Advisable? Inadvisable?

@taurusstarchild5109 Месяц назад

Should I try to offer opening pages with explanations on hiw it wirks out kater in the novel?

@sharonjansen6875 Год назад

If you self-publish the first book in a series can you query the sequel if they are able to be standalone too?

@Corlwow 2 года назад

I may have missed this, but how long do you suggest between batch of queries being sent out?

@matttholl6004 8 месяцев назад

I'm hoping to catch your Wednesday discussion. My question to you.shall be on archway publication...sounds good..but thier reviews kind of suck need your input...they'll correct my ideas...?????? And send out for publication...have a great day..good weekend

@lorettaknoelk3475 Год назад

I can't find a lit agent for a textbook. Where do I find that?

@samp4050 9 месяцев назад

Your fur baby is gorgeous Alyssa. I love animals too, especially dogs. Is it possible for you to allow a few us to send our first few paragraphs for your personal critique please? This way you can teach us what works or doesn't work, and how to improve our first few paragraphs, please. 😊

@BobbyNavarrette-ks3tx 6 месяцев назад

Finding it hard to write , falling in love, ok let's move on. 😂😢😮

@XOAdrienne-te6hm 5 месяцев назад

Is it taboo to query more than one agent at the same publisher?

@chuckwieser7622 2 года назад

I've loved your channel for the past 6 months as I recently in life have become an aspiring Novelist. It's wonderful to see videos from a professional that has worked in the publishing industry. What generis do you have a back ground in. And could I hire you to do a lite consultation on the 1st Act of my practice novel. I'd like to know if I'm even writing in a style and at a level that is marketiable and professional. Thanks Alyssa.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

I have a list of my genre specializations and editing services here!: www.alyssamatesic.com/professional-book-editing-services#professional-book-editing-services-4

@chuckwieser7622 2 года назад

@@AlyssaMatesic Thanks for sharing the link and getting back to me. Do you know a developmental editor that would be good for a fantasy/Sci-fi epic. I am working on several novels that I want to fall into my own Multi-verse Discworld/ Cosmere thing. Thanks for your help and the videos!

@apolloperez8706 10 месяцев назад

Hi Alyssa, my question is- I had a literary agent contact me a year ago and I rejected him offer, not knowing what I was doing. A year later, a couple of months ago he contacted me asking if I thought about his offer. Do I have a really good story or is he desperate! He is now working with Simon and Shuster. I accepted and now working with him. What does that say about my works!

@FlashUltra_ Год назад

Is there a season for submissions? Like pilot season for television? Or can an author submit year round?

@AlyssaMatesic Год назад

The summer is generally the off season for submissions, and certain agents denote when they're off in their submissions guidelines. Other than that, it's all up to when you're ready to submit!

@btitianwilson111 5 месяцев назад

Can the authors age work against them? Especially if they are presenting their first novel.

@bonniebeingbonnie001 2 года назад

#TeamReWatch

@MargaretPinard 2 года назад

On the same team! 😆🙌🏼

@yellowwoodeducation6227 3 месяца назад

16:00

@codingwithguyfranciscopoli9887 2 месяца назад

Do people really query before finishing their novel?

@MandyHargroder 8 месяцев назад

do you need to be done with writing your manuscript before looking for a literary agent?

@AlyssaMatesic 7 месяцев назад

You definitely want to have a finished draft before querying, and ideally it will be as polished as possible before reaching out to agents. I have another video with more tips for deciding whether you're ready to query: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BxZ5TNMxXI0.html I hope that helps!

@user-qk2wo3mk6j 2 месяца назад

Can you submit in different age group? The book I've written it for adults both in explicit sexual content and violence... but I COULD tone all that down in a separate draft and submit it as YA. It's not an idea I love but I would consider it... thank you for your advice and videos. I know my chance on getting a response from you is small.

@user-fv5ms4sz8e Год назад

I've been through the ringer doing all of this. I decided to give up and self publish. Please consider reading, Coop's Corner Collection Inspirational Stories and Poems 🤓 There is a book 📚 trailer 🎥 within this platform. You can hear me sing the first poem, Lisa Moo Moo Marie. I am hoping to turn most of the poems into posters. Take care 📖 Wm Cooper

@FlashUltra_ Год назад

So if reading quarries is the last in the todo, is there anything we can do? Is there a point to submit with out some connection?

@ElderBill Год назад

Hey, Alyssa. I queried an agent back in March. Not heard back. Is it okay to query another agent in the same agency who represents the same genre?

@alexandersnowden1275 2 года назад

So, if agents don’t have enough time and have a massive backlog of unread query letters in their email, why don’t they put a notice on their website stating they are temporarily not accepting submissions? This small gesture would save a tremendous amount of wasted time for both the author and the underwater agent. I saw one agent had nearly 8,000 unread emails, as a source of pride.

@Ruwen.S Год назад

Most responsible agents will close their submissions inbox and put a notice out saying so. It’s common practice to see agents that “aren’t open for submission”.

@thisoldgoat3927 Год назад

Literary agents are nothing but gatekeepers for the traditional publishing industry. Traditional publishing no longer has the prestige it once had. Self-publishing is the future.

@nicholashillofficial 2 месяца назад

Not since the rise of ChatGPT. Now the self publishing industry has zero credibility

@bewareofpigeons Год назад

I have given up: five novels and not a squeak of a favourable response. Standard replies that really made me wonder if they ever read the query letter or the synopses. The fact that they are under no obligation to say why they are not pursuing a relationship with the aspiring author adds to the negativism. I don't need an agent to feel 'passionate', an overused word, merely to recognise the literary potential, and then to go ahead and work to find a publisher.

@danielarmua6627 Год назад

Publishers, more often than not (conveniently) forget to submit pending royalty checks to authors who's books have clearly surpassed the initial costs of the book purchase.

@azia3337 2 года назад

Can you look at my book get some rejections wondering what your input is

@oldsachem Год назад

Ms. Mastesic, does anyone still flog ms. presentation by paper and slo-mail?

@AlyssaMatesic Год назад

It's extremely rare--I would err on the side of caution and send your query in by email, just so there's no risk of the letter getting lost in transit or on a crowded tabletop. Thanks for the question!

@Lightmane 2 года назад

I've written a D&D novel; Book 1 of 5. It's basically D&D in story-form, written from the perspective of the Characters (no 'Players' involved). I then self-published it on Amazon, partly so that I could have a copy of my book with my name on it. Of course it's not selling on Amazon, since no one knows anything about it, so they have no reason to purchase it, other than possibly idle curiosity. I'd love to find a Literary Agent, but I've found that task to be very difficult, and have no clue how to go about the incredible task of "getting my book published" by a real publisher. The scammers called me, and tried to scam me. Fortunately, I saw right through their lame scam. I'm shocked that people actually make a living scamming authors, promising to sell their book for them and make them a lot of money. You'd think there'd be laws against scamming people. I included this last comment, in case any of them read your comments here, looking for prey. Now if only I could get Wizards of the Coast to read my book and partner with me. That's the dream, as my D&D story would make an awesome, ongoing, cgi mini-series : )

@margaretliucollins2702 Год назад

Book of Isaiah Explained

@donemigholzjr.7344 Год назад

He is 10 x worse than this

@u_t_d_s_h-1_a 2 года назад

. . .they don't do shit.

@alandavies3727 2 года назад

The reason why nobody can get a agent is: 99% of all books in todays world won’t make back their publishing costs. Most publishers today are making most of their money by their back catalogue. I really don’t understand why people want somebody else to put up the money for their work.It’s very easy in todays world to publish your work yourself. If you did manage to get a agent and get your work published it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see a penny in royalties. The publisher and agent will cream off everything until they get all their money back. If you self publish you’ll get all the royalties, nothing is taken out. You really don’t want to be paying 15% of your earnings to agents. They don’t have a clue as to what will be a success . If they did they would all be millionaires. A lot of these agent have never written a book in their life. There’s a lot of rubbish that comes out of these agents mouths. In reality it’s unlikely that you’ll ever get any success unless you have written a childrens series, probably at least seven books. I wouldn’t take her advice I would give up with these agents.and self publish. I’ve personal had five books published this year, and they’re of really good quality, some of the traditional publishers books are of very poor quality, they keep their cost to a minimum. Traditional publishers are a thing of the past. The world has moved on.

@hl5606 Год назад

This is untrue. Publishers start making back money almost immediately on books, even when it hasn't earned out their advance. Of course they want to reach a certain level to deem it success, thus when an author starts making royalties/bank. You don't understand why people would want someone to put up money for their work??? How about people who don't have money? Or the time/interest in running an entire publishing/marketing team, which is essentially what you have to do as a self-published author (and many don't understand/do, which is why most self-published books don't sell anything). Yes, nothing is taken out when you self-publish... except all the start-up/upfront costs? I don't understand how people who trash trad pub skirt around this fact like it's insignificant and not a huge barrier to many people. "If they didn they'd be millionaires." Yes, because every self-pubbed author on Amazon is rich? MOST aren't (just like in trad). MANY have 5 reviews from their friends and family. 100% of a little is still... a little. In self-pub you also have to publish with increased frequency, so the number of pubbed books/your backlist ALSO sells your frontlist. You don't press publish on Amazon and it's all made from there. In both spaces, trad and indie, there are a select few at the top, most who can't make a living off writing (not all want to). But if self-pub was truly this amazing option with zero drawbacks everyone would be doing it??? And it's not true. Enjoy your self-pub journey, I wish you success. But you don't need to spread misinformation/lies to do so, especially if it's because you're bitter you didn't get anywhere with trad. Two different markets. What's successful in one may not always be successful in the other.

@alandavies3727 Год назад

@@hl5606 I have absolutely no idea as to what you are talking about? Can you explain in English what you’re trying to say.