The Agent

I was extremely lucky to find an agent, Michael Cybulski, New Authors Collective, who specialises in helping debut authors. His ethos is to ensure no book is put in front of a publisher until it is ready. By that, he means the author has received the services of a professional editor and the final manuscript is reviewed by a panel of beta readers. This was provided to me on the basis that my book had promise, but was NOT ready. I believe this arrangement is unique and not something offered by other agents and so the benefits I received from working with Andrea Barton, editor, and receiving feedback from a beta reader panel were immense.

The main role of an agent is to pitch your book to publishers and negotiate a book deal. Of course, it is possible to do both these things on your own. However, agents have access to a larger group of publishers, importantly those who will not accept manuscripts from an individual author (unsolicited). Given how hard it is to get a first novel published, the value of having someone represent and vouch for the quality of the book is enormous.

And beware! Maybe you’re thinking you’ll try on your own first and, if that fails, look for an agent. The catch here is that, if you’ve already approached a publisher and been rejected, they won’t accept a second submission from an agent.

Agents can be found online or ask for a recommendation from authors in your writing community.