How to Pitch Non-Fiction Book Ideas to Agents
Guidelines for Getting Your Manuscript out of the Slush Pile
Jan 19, 2009
In order to survive this period of economic uncertainty and limited book sales, literary agents have had to become increasingly selective in their acceptance of new authors. In order to ensure that your manuscript does not pass quickly from the slush pile to the nearby, already full garbage bin, keep the following five guidelines in mind:
Find The Right Book Agent
Research agents ahead of time and only send them work of the nature they represent. Some agents focus on academic texts, others on self-help books, others on memoirs-do not make the mistake of sending your green building idea to someone who works primarily with cook book authors. Beyond ensuring a speedy toss into the trash, a basic mistake like this could damage your image as a serious writer.
Write an Appealing Query Letter
Keep your letter brief and on-topic, and don't be afraid to be funny. Agents and their assistants and interns spend hours every day opening query letters, so make yours intriguing-the goal is to get your envelope on the desk rather than in the trash. Skip detailing your full resume or life story, and focus instead on your book idea and accomplishments directly related to your authority on the subject. List previous publications, along with any degrees or employment history, which explain why you are the person to write this book.
Don't Send Your Entire Manuscript
With your query letter, send a proposal, not a full manuscript. Although this may seem counter-intuitive, sending several hundred pages represents more work for the agent than a well-crafted proposal does. Most agents are planning to work with their clients on the direction of manuscripts, and prefer to give initial feedback before the bulk of the text is written.
Avoid Typos in Your Query Letter
Be sure there are no typos in your query letter. This line is often used as a joke, but in fact it is true-the person reading your letter is hoping for a reason to throw it into the trash, and a grammatical error on page one is as good a reason as any. This may seem brash, but mistakes early on in a proposal generally suggest a lack of professional, quality work throughout. If you want a chance at representation, be meticulous.
Understand Book Publishing Trends
Know the market. A vital, often overlooked part of book proposals is research into the genre market the writer hopes to break into. You must research books written in the past several years dealing with your subject matter, and explain clearly where your concept overlaps, and where it differs, from what is already out there. You have to make the case that your idea is relevant-i.e., that people buy books on this subject, and that you bring an important and fresh angle to the subject. Your idea should be about 60% familiar, and 40% new.
Most importantly, you must be organized, respectful of agent's time (no repeat mailings, no harassing phone calls) and you must cast a wide net. Agents are overworked and often underpaid people--show your potential to earn them money and save them time, and you just may have a shot at selling your book.
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