Ask a literary agent your question about how to get a publishing agent here. You’ll also find answers to questions other authors have posted. This article is part of our free 15-Part Guide About How to Get a Book Agent. It was created by, and is curated by, a former literary agent who’s now helped hundreds of authors get book agents as an author coach and consultant. See successful authors at How I Got My Literary Agent.
ASK A Literary Agent – FAQ
This Ask a Literary Agent FAQ answers questions about: the definition and role of a book agent, who publishing agents are, when you should query literary agents, how much representation costs, the best way to find book agents looking for authors, submissions to literary agents, how to handle an offer for representation, what happens after you get a book agent, and more.
Author Representative definition and role
When you Should Get An Author Representative
How Much An Author Representative Costs
Finding An Author Representative
- How to find a literary agent?
- How to research book agents?
- Who are the best publishing agents?
- Who are the top 10 book agents?
- How to find publishing agents near me?
- Licensed book agents?
- Established publishing agents?
- New book agents?
- Publishing agents to avoid?
- Book agents seeking submissions?
- How to do a publishing agent search?
- Find a list of book agents?
- Publishing agent database?
- Book of literary agents?
- Where to meet publishing agents?
- Book agent events?
- How to Pitch a Literary Agent at a Conference?
Submitting To An Author Representative
- Literary agent submissions?
- How to contact a publishing agent?
- What to submit to a book agent?
- How to write a publishing agent query letter?
- How to write a synopsis for a book agent?
- How to write a publishing agent proposal?
- How to submit a book to a literary agent?
- How many publishing agents should you query?
- Best time to submit to book agents?
- How long to hear back from publishing agents?
- Book agent response time full manuscript?
- What happens when a publishing agent requests your full manuscript?
- Book agent not responding?
- How to follow up with a publishing agent?
- Book agent rejection letters?
- Revise and resubmit to a publishing agent?
Representation Offer From a Book Agent
- Getting an offer of representation from a literary agent?
- First meeting with a book agent?
- Questions a book agent will ask?
- Questions to ask a publishing agent?
- Multiple offers from publishing agents?
- Choosing a book agent?
- Literary agent contract?
- Standard book agent contract?
- Publishing agent contract terms?
- Book agent contract red flags?
- Publishing agent lawyer?
What Happens After You Get An Author Representative
Mark has helped hundreds of authors get offers from literary agents and/or traditional publishers. Writers of all Book Genres have used our Literary Agent Advice coaching/consulting to get Top Literary Agents at the Best Literary Agencies on our List of Book Agents.
Ask a Literary Agent
Due to time constraints, we can’t answer questions that have already been answered. Please make your question clear, and concise, since the submission form below is limited to 500 characters.
If you want to remain anonymous, type “Anonymous” in the name field. You’ll receive an email when a reply has been posted (usually within 48 hours). We look forward to helping you get a book agent.
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
Good Morning, Mark,
Not sure where I should go from here?
Books like Gatsby’s Rival are rare. Reviewer Anne Eliot Feldman
https://booktrib.com/2024/08/02/gatsbys-rival-richard-guimond/
https://booktrib.com/author-spotlight/
We had 1500+downloads on Kindle Promo. Reviews have been good. We both know the pitfalls of self-publishing, but at this point, are there other options? I have also written a Pilot that was covered by The Black List, received very good review. I am now doing a pitch deck and Episode Outlines.
Thanks much.
Hi Richard,
Looks like you posted something for me in 2019, maybe for a different book?
Either way…
Here are my current resources to help you get a literary agent, if that’s your goal:
How to Get a Literary Agent (NEW 15-Part Guide)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/how-to-get-a-literary-agent/
Literary Agent Database (Directory of Literary Agents)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/literary-agent-database/
Literary Agent Advice (1-on-1 Coaching/Consulting)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/literary-agent-advice/
If you want/need help with anything else, you can post here at https://getaliteraryagent.com/ask-a-literary-agent/.
I’ll do what I can to point you in the right direction.
All my best,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
https://markmalatesta.com
The Bestselling Author
https://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Great greetings, good guide guardians.
After falling to your planet and carefully observing your culture and customs, I have compiled a cache of personal philosophies regarding human dispositions, demeanors, developments, dilemmas and differences.
It appears, based on the number of unwanted solicitations to assist, that my avocation has garnered interest. In an attempt to determine if these solicitations and my interpretations have merit, I am researching requirements, services and protocols. My query seems elemental yet I am unable to satisfactorily establish “genre”.
After scouring your most comprehensive site/s, (thank you for your diligence), I still languish in ambiguity. However, I believe, if anyone can help, it would be here.
While typically concise and blessedly brief, I do fall victim to circumlocution and the intoxication of exuberant verbosity, I do love to write. Nonetheless, my quandary is; the events are real, with exceptions, but the characters are fictitious facets of my personality.
Historical Fiction or Memoirs? Think “Ishmael” or “The story of B” as told by a surly, supernatural catfish with quixotic, quasi-cryptic linguistics. Quite fun to write and read but not sure I have a genre OR an audience. Previously published in How-to-DIY’s and anthologies before self publishing 3 books under the pseudonym Blundering O’ Bloat.
Thank you,
>-=^;>
Hello, Anonymous,
Happy to help.
Sounds like a novel inspired by or based on true events to me.
And…
Here are my resources to help you get a literary agent:
How to Get a Literary Agent (NEW 15-Part Guide)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/how-to-get-a-literary-agent/
Literary Agent Database (Directory of Literary Agents)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/literary-agent-database/
Literary Agent Advice (1-on-1 Coaching/Consulting)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/literary-agent-advice/
If you want/need help with anything else, you can post here at https://getaliteraryagent.com/ask-a-literary-agent/.
I’ll do what I can to point you in the right direction.
All my best,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
https://markmalatesta.com
The Bestselling Author
https://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Dear Literary Agent: My name is Doris Washington. I’m an author of nine books of poems. I just finished my manuscript for my 10th book of poems, “To Hope, To Love, To Forgive.”
I’m looking for a Literary Agent to help me better get my books to a wider audience. Even though I have done over 575 Book Signings successfully selling many of my books at major bookstore chains since my first book, “A Blessing, Caring & Sharing in 2004, I feel an agent will help me better market and get my work out to more people. Could you give a list of literary agents who represent poets. Thank you. My email address is: Djeanw831@aol.com, and you can reach me by phone & text at: 717- 580-3272.
Hi Doris,
Too few agents handle poetry, and I don’t have a list of those, unfortunately. However, there are some agents who do poetry, and you can find them by doing a Google search.
If you want/need help with anything else, you can post here at https://getaliteraryagent.com/ask-a-literary-agent/.
I’ll do what I can to point you in the right direction.
All my best,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
https://markmalatesta.com
The Bestselling Author
https://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
most of the ;iterary agents listed in the picture book directory are close to submissions, or aren’t deaking with picture books in the first place. Elsewhere in your site the info is more accurate, bur the list is not updated accordingly. Moreover it’s a nightmare to navigate in your site. You need to close many pop-up windows and visit irrelevant pages to your search. Some of the information you provide is very useful, but it’s buried into a ton of redundant phrasing.
Hi Yehuda,
No matter which agent directory you use, that should only be a starting point. It explains on the site that you should check the agent websites before querying, since agents close/open to submissions. It changes, and once it’s fall, more start closing to submissions. We aren’t able to make those types of updates as quickly as we’d like, since there are 1,400+ agents with 600+ websites. We do our best, especially considering the directory is a free service, unlike others. I appreciate the feedback about the navigation and all else, by the way. We’re in the process of updating everything, to make it more seamless.
If you want/need help with anything, you can post here at https://getaliteraryagent.com/ask-a-literary-agent/.
I’ll do what I can to point you in the right direction.
All my best,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
https://markmalatesta.com
The Bestselling Author
https://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com