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 
Does anyone publish Autobiographies?
Hi Deborah,
Unless you’re a celebrity, it’s best to pitch it as memoir these days.
And…
Here are my resources to help you get a literary agent, if you haven’t seen or used them yet:
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 Mark, in 2021 I willingly paid to have you review material from my debut novel manuscript. We later had a long phone conversation where you praised my work. Queries to an estimated 80 literary agents were unsuccessful. To my deep regret, I agreed to work with a hybrid publisher who had no national media or publishing industry contacts, nor did she care to. She made her authors do all the marketing and publicity. My novel, “No Greater Duty,” … https://nogreaterduty.com … published in 2022, has earned high praise from reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads. But not having an agent represent the work truly harmed its potential.
I’ve finished a second contemporary military-global intrigue suspense novel-manuscript. Several retired U.S. Navy admirals and other senior military officers read and widely praised the unpublished novel. But once again, no success attracting a literary agent to represent the work to a major publishing house.
What would be your fee(s) to work with me on the query letter? I already believe the letter is most convincing. I also think too many agents believe the genre is not of interest to publishers they work with. It’s as though they’re telling me, “there’s no mainstream readership interest for this.” Yet why would five (5) distinguished retired military beta readers say otherwise? And urge me to get it published? And option for film, too?
Thank you for reading and considering a reply.
Hi Robert,
I’m glad you’re staying with, since, as you’ve seen, it’s usually a long road. Also happy to hear you’ve gotten some good reviews. And I believe what those agents are saying isn’t that there isn’t mainstream readership interest, but that there isn’t enough, for them. They get so many submissions, and it’s hard for them to sell books to publishers, so it’s hard to get them on board. And, to answer your question, I’m still doing coaching, so if you want to do more together, what I sent you before still applies, though it was quite a few years ago, so the fee might be different/more now. I’d have to check that. I don’t think that’s what you’re looking for though, based on your message. If I’m wrong, let me know. It’s just me here so, at the moment, all I have time for and am able to do is the intro call, which you already did. I do one of those with people. And then some of those do more with me in the other program.
No matter what, there are more agents and publishers that don’t charge fes that you can query, so don’t give up too soon.
And…
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
How do I get my books reviewed?
Hi John,
If you mean by a literary agent…
Here are my resources to help you (hopefully) get one, if you haven’t seen or used them yet:
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
I have finished a book on my 27 years as an illustrator/art director. It is three quarters illustrations and the illustrations sell the book but Query Manager does not allow for pictures. My query letter has 6 small pictures of major films I’ve worked on like “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Ghost Busters II,”A Perfect Storm,” “Jerassic Park III,” and “Toys.” These films
will only be seen sent by mail, email, or the internet. Do you have a solution? Thank you.
Hi Jack,
You can put the version of the query you’d like them to see, with the illustrations, online, and include a link to that in the letter you need to submit through Query Manager, asking them to please click to look at that if they have any interest.
Also…
Here are my resources to help you get a literary agent, if you haven’t seen or used them yet:
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