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 
Do you have any agents that accept cozy mystery novels?
Hi Joan,
You can find all mystery agents here:
Literary Agent Database (Directory of Literary Agents)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/literary-agent-database/
Some specify in their bios there that they like cozy mysteries. Most aren’t that specific, so consider querying all mystery agents who don’t say they don’t want cozy mysteries. 🙂
And here are my others 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 Advice (1-on-1 Coaching/Consulting)
https://getaliteraryagent.com/literary-agent-advice/
If you want/need help with anything else, you can post again 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 can an author monitor sales of published books other than the publisher? (Bookboon, and Ethics Press International, both uk)
At what point in the writing process does an article project become a potential book?
Are there article agents?
Hi Frank,
Most publisher contracts include a clause that says you can arrange to have an audit of their books, with or without a representative to help you do that. The moment an article becomes a book is the moment you decide, assuming the topic is big enough to warrant a book. And there aren’t really article agents I’m aware of, as that’s usually handled by books agents for authors they represent on that front as well.
If you want/need help with anything else, you can post again 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
Mark, I have received a large number of emails and voicemails from claiming to be representing well-known book publishers. Sometimes they want you to buy a video service. Some claim to represent a Big Five publisher who is aching to acquire the book with a huge upfront author payment. In the best case, they want to provide me with marketing services for a fee. In the worst case, they are mere scammers. But isn’t it possible one out of many could be a real opportunity? Is there any trustworthy list or directory I could access to screen out the undesirable ones and verify the legit ones?
Hi Randy,
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a big problem these days. If someone you never contacted reaches out to you with big promises and they’re asking for something (usually money), it’s very unlikely you’ll be happy in the end. You can’t rely on a list for that, unfortunately. New ones pop up almost daily, it seems. If in doubt, when one contacts you, meaning they seem legitimate, there’s no harm asking questions to try and figure out if they’re real. Just don’t pay anything. And if you want/need help with anything else, you can post again 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
Hi :
In the last twelve months I have released two new safe dividend books, “New York Stock Exchange’s 106 Best High Dividend Stocks ” and “Canadian High Dividend Investing – 215 Scored Stocks”.
Contact me and I will send you the sample page for BMO from the books. BMO is traded on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. See the sub-scores, plus share prices and dividend payouts going back each year to 1999. Note the impact of the market crash years of 2000, 2008 and 2020. It takes Just minutes to find safe, financially strong, high paying, long established dividend stocks.
Share prices of many of these strong stocks are lower now than they have been. It is a good time to strengthen your portfolio before share prices rise to their historic highs.
If you are looking for geographic diversity, over 100 of the stocks in these two books are foreign stocks.
For more information on the books go to www.informus.ca or go to https://www.amazon.com>Books-Ian-Duncan-MacDonald”.
IAN
Hi Ian,
Good to meet you.
Here are my resources to help you get a literary agent, if that’s your goal and 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 again 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