Best way to find an agent
Some may argue that querying allows you to fish for agents in a larger pond…and the point is valid. If you have one or more knock-out books that create instant addiction in the reader from page one, you may, indeed, do better querying (assuming you can also create a knock-out query). Not only can you cast a wide net in querying, you can go after the agent you think is perfect for you, at least on paper (assuming such agents are taking on new clients).
However, most writers trying to break into the business are not in a position to choose agents, except by targeting their queries. Rarely do we have agents fighting over us. More often, we feel as if we are playing roulette, hoping we’ll be lucky enough to land in any agent’s slot. And the agent we’ve “won” may or may not be right for us.
That’s where writers’ conferences can help. Not only can you meet agents at conferences and pitch your books, you can sit in on their workshops to learn more about their personalities, their preferences and their hot buttons. An agent who looks good on paper may express a complete dislike of certain styles or subjects that are integral to your work. That would effectively eliminate that agent from your list of choices.
On the other hand, while certain agents’ personalities may clash with yours, you should not cross an agent off your list for personality alone. Some very good agents may come across as extremely abrasive or, at the other end of the spectrum, may seem shy until you get to know them.
Perhaps more important, conferences give you the opportunity to impress the agent with your personailty, your enthusiasm, your marketability. At a conference, you have the chance to make your book rise above the noise in an agent’s mind by: (a) showing the agent you are a client he/she would enjoy working with, (b) revealing glimpses of your public poise, professionalism and your ability to promote the book, and (c) exuding excitement about your work that will (ideally) “infect” the agent.
At that point, you are no longer just another faceless author sending a query, you are an author with a personality and a certain kind of energy that makes you memorable.
Conferences help you get an agent in another way – though the opportunities have diminished over the years. Occasionally, editors still attend conferences, and you may have the chance to attend their workshops and pitch your work to them as well as to agents. If you find an editor who is interested in seeing your manuscript, you have done a part of the agent’s job and may find it easier to get an agent to represent you, whether during the conference or afterwards.
Typically, agents will only pick you up if they believe they can sell your work and make money. This makes perfect sense: they depend on the commission they make off their clients’ book sales to pay their own bills.
But it’s not about making boatloads of money (though that would be a nice bonus). If agents feel a passion for your book, they may be willing to find a home for your specialized or highly literary book at a small press, despite the tiny commission.
Most of the time, agents need to understand and enjoy the kind of books you write. They typically have relationships with editors who buy such books and know what they are looking for.
Occasionally, however, they may represent subjects/styles they are not as familiar with if they think the book is an easy sell (the subject matter is a hot news topic, you have a strong “platform” or notoriety, or an editor you pitched to at a conference or elsewhere has offered you a contract).
The bottom line is that meeting an agent at a conference gives you extra advantages not available in the cold querying process.
The Eldritch Post 