“Plain words on plain paper. Remember what Orwell says, that good prose is like a windowpane. Cut every page you write by at least a third. Stop constructing those piffling little similes of yours. Work out what you want to say. Then say it in the most direct and vigorous way you can. Eat meat. Drink blood.” - Hilary Mantel

Submitting to agents can often feel like a mystifying process. So the team here at Greyhound has put together some tips to help you on your journey to finding an agent.

1. Do your Research

Doing some research while you’re in the process of writing your book or your proposal can save you from common pitfalls. Word count is particularly important. Published books generally have somewhere between 70,000 and 120,0000 words, with different genres having different conventions. A word count of 250,000+ words is off-putting, because we know that a publisher is unlikely to acquire something of that length for both practical and economic reasons. It’s a good idea to visit bookshops (if you are able to do so) or look online at major book retailers to learn what’s being published and what’s selling. Try to develop an understanding of where your work sits in the market, relative to what you see.

2. Looking for the Right Fit

Before you begin querying, take the time to research agents and agencies. Partnering with an agent is an important business decision for you as an author. Can you imagine working well together, for a long time, with any one of the agents you are writing to?

You will have a better chance of success if you query agents who already represent works in the same genre that you’re writing in. Sending a novel or a poetry collection to an agent whose profile only mentions non-fiction, or a picture book to an agent who only has clients writing for adults, is unlikely to bear fruit. Most agents will have a website profile that explains what they are looking for (and what they won’t consider), just as we do here at Greyhound Literary. We take a lot of care over these, aiming to give a good sense of our taste and the genres we represent, to help you decide whether or not to approach us.

3. Make it Personal

It’s best to address agents by name, rather than as ‘Dear Agent’, and avoid mass emails to agents in “cc” or “bcc”. We appreciate seeing that you’ve given the submission process some thought and have made a decision to approach us specifically. If you want to mention something in our profile or client list that particularly resonates with you then that’s always welcome, and depending on the agent, can really help. We understand that it’s time-consuming to personalise every query email, so don’t stress yourself trying to draw a connection between your work and every detail of an agent’s profile. Ultimately, it’s the pitch and the description of your book that is the heart of any submission letter. That’s what will really capture our attention. At Greyhound Literary, we ask that you pick only one of our agents to submit to (rather than sending your book to several or all of us at once). Many agencies have a similar policy so take care to check guidelines on this point. It is understood and expected that authors will approach multiple agencies simultaneously but if you’re making an exclusive submission you should say so in your query letter.

4. Use Comparison Titles

When it comes to your pitch, comparison titles are a great way to convey the genre, style, intended audience, and tone of your work. Try to mention books that were fairly recently published, and be specific about why they’re comparable. Is the subject matter similar? Are there elements of style, setting, technique, characters or themes which resonate? Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, making these connections gives us a better understanding of your work. And be realistic: classic authors like Joseph Conrad, Ursula Le Guin or Virginia Woolf may be great influences, but it’s more helpful to mention contemporary titles to show how your book relates to the current market.

5. Tell Us a Story

When crafting your blurb or description, remember you’re selling your book to the agent as a reader. Don’t focus too heavily on abstract themes or explanations of how you came to start writing it at the expense of the actual plot or subject matter (if it’s non-fiction). Take a look at the blurbs on the backs of your comp titles or your favourite books in the same genre. What made you pick up that particular book and buy it? You don’t to need explain the whole plot or structure in your blurb, just try to create a hook that will capture our attention and help us to see what makes your book or proposal unique. This is equally true whether you’re writing literary fiction, a romance novel, a children's picture book, or a book about astrophysics. The best blurbs begin with lines that are arresting, to the point, and immediately draw the reader in while playing on our curiosity. They tell us a story.

6. Following Submission Guidelines

We know that there is a lot of variation between different agencies’ guidelines. While this can be frustrating, following them shows you’re professional. You can see ours here on our website. At Greyhound Literary we ask you to put your cover letter/pitch in the body of your email so we can immediately see what your book is about. Then attach your sample chapters and synopsis to the message. Please don’t send links to Google Drive, Dropbox etc. -- for security reasons, we can’t open them. Finally, please be sure to send your sample material with your query, rather than writing to ask whether we might be interested in seeing it first.

7. Structuring the Perfect Query Letter

A typical format for a submission (query) letter is:

A short opening paragraph introducing your book (including perhaps a one-line pitch) and a brief explanation of its genre, and your comparison titles. Add any personal touches you’d like.
Blurb: in two or three paragraphs, describe your book and what makes it stand out. (You may prefer to include comparison titles here, instead).
A brief author biography. For non-fiction remember to mention any platform, relevant experience or qualification you have to write the book. For fiction, we want to know what makes you tick as a writer, a little about you, and any relevant inspiration. Don’t worry if you haven’t been published before, or done a writing course; agents love finding new voices.

8. Proofread and Polish

Before you press send, try reading your sample material and synopsis out loud to yourself. You’ll hear things such as repetition, missing words or awkward phrasing that might escape you otherwise. Make sure you’ve done your best to polish your query email, too. It’s part of your submission and should showcase your ability to communicate clearly and succinctly.

9. Try Not to Overthink It

If you’re not able to format things quite right, or you realise after sending that there was a small typo, or you forgot to attach the material, don’t worry. We’ll still consider your submission (in the latter case, please just resend with the attachment so we can read it!).

Good luck with your submissions, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Tips for Writers: Querying Agents