I found my uber-agent on the internet. Here’s how I did it … and (mostly) avoided some pitfalls along the way.

Although I’d been published before, The Tin Horse was a very different kind of book – mainstream Jewish fiction – from the mysteries I’d done in the past. So when it was time to find an agent, I felt like I was starting from scratch.

A lot of people agent-hunt at writers’ conferences. Me, too. I went to a conference and did ten-minute pitches to two agents. Both were enthusiastic and asked to see my book when I was finished. But …

PITFALL ALERT! You’ll notice that Rule #6 involves choosing your agent. The idea that you choose an agent may sound strange. Often, writers taking their work into the world have a “please choose me!” attitude, like a wallflower hoping to be asked to dance (a metaphor that may ring painfully true to many of us who were bookish teens). But you do have a choice, and it’s empowering to realize that; plus, it can save a lot of wasted effort. All writers know at least one person who was over the moon with excitement because an agent wanted to represent him/her but then got increasingly frustrated as the agent seemed to do nothing. Maybe it’s happened to you. Better to be choosy. (BTW, my pitfall graphic is by British caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson, via Wikimedia Commons.)

So, I was thrilled that the agents were interested, but I checked their client lists, and neither seemed a great match for me. I kept their cards and planned to send the book to them … only, not right away. I thought of them as my B list.

For my A list, I started by getting a few names from a friend who was also writing Jewish fiction. Then I turned to a web site called AgentQuery. I love AgentQuery! This cleanly laid-out, comprehensive, free site has great general info about marketing your work and – as of today – listings for about 900 literary agents. You can create a customized list by entering search terms relevant to your book. For instance, I tried “Jewish fiction” but didn’t get enough results (though the same search yields quite a few more listings now than when I did it several years ago). I had better luck with “family saga.”

The list you generate will have brief profiles: the agent’s name, contact information, genres represented, and whether s/he is accepting queries. For the ones who look like good prospects, Full Profile gives you a web address, submission guidelines, and representative book deals – some of which may be on AgentQuery, while for others you need to consult Publishers Marketplace. BTW, there are some very good agents (like mine) who don’t have web sites. But if there’s a web site, definitely go there for the most up-to-date client list and submission guidelines.

PITFALL ALERT! Researching a potential agent’s actual deals is crucial! An agent may love a particular genre but not have a track record selling it … which, I’d say, puts that agent on your B list, if at all. Remember, you’re choosing.

After my AgentQuery research, I had an A list of about 15 agents that I thought would be really great. Most of them wanted just a brief initial query, most via e-mail although a few requested snail-mail. And yes, it’s fine to send multiple queries. Using my fabulous query letter (Rule #5: Write a strong query), I started to approach them when the book was ready.

PITFALL ALERT! Don’t query until your book is finished. It’s true that many agents will initially ask for just the first 50 pages and then take months to get back to you. But what do you do if someone immediately requests the whole book, and you’re eight months away from being ready to send it? This does not look professional, and who knows if the agent’s initial enthusiasm will survive eight months later? I did it right in terms of having the book completed, but barely avoided another pitfall: Lousy timing I almost sabotaged myself because when my book was ready happened to be in December. I actually sent my first queries two weeks before Christmas. Duh! Fortunately, I realized before I’d sent more than a few that December was an insane time to approach anyone about anything unless it involved eggnog.

I held off and sent most of my letters in January; I did a few over the course of a couple weeks, just to spread out the stress. I was surprised how quickly I heard back from many agents, several requesting the first 50 pages. Then Susan Golomb – and this was Susan herself, not an assistant – asked to see the whole manuscript. Hallelujah! Then the not-so-hallelujah: she also asked for a six-month exclusive.

PITFALL ALERT: This situation felt like walking on a very narrow path with dropoffs on either side. I wanted to do whatever would make Susan happy!  But in order to give her an exclusive, I’d have to hold off the folks who already had 50 pages, as well as any other agent who got back to me. I figured the chances were slim that Susan – who represents Jonathan Franzen – would ultimately say yes, and then I’d have to go back to the other agents and say, “Exclusive’s over, hope you’re still interested” … as I trailed the taint of rejection. I wish I could say there’s one clear-cut way to handle this situation. Here’s what I did, after spending half a day discussing pros and cons with my buddy Abigail Padgett: I wrote to Susan that although I wasn’t in a position to give her an exclusive, no one else was looking at the full manuscript, I’d be thrilled to have her consider it, and I could overnight it right away. Then I sweated a bit. Susan wrote back that she’d still like to see the book. And I raced off to copy and overnight the ms.

Two weeks later, Susan called. She said how much she loved the book … Let me stop here for a minute and just exult! Then she floated some ideas about changes she thought I should make. Her ideas made a lot of sense; plus, as someone who’s done journalism for years, I’m grateful for good editorial comments. And I’m sure one thing she was looking for was, was I a prima donna, or was I a professional who was open to working with her critique, and down the road open to working with an editor? Finally, after we’d talked for perhaps half an hour, I ventured to ask, “Are you offering to represent me?” She said yes! And I said yes.

PITFALL ALERT: Later I saw on AgentQuery what, in terms of etiquette, I was supposed to do. Since several other agents were looking at the first 50 pages, I should have told Susan I was delighted, but I needed to give the other agents the courtesy of letting them know I’d had an offer of representation, and give them a chance to make an offer. OTOH, I couldn’t imagine anyone topping Susan. In fact, one of the other agents, when I wrote to say I was signing with someone else, asked who it was – and when I told her it was Susan, she responded, “You couldn’t do better.” However, back to the idea that you get to choose your agent: You don’t have to go with the first one who asks.

Do make sure that, when you settle on an agent, you promptly inform any other agent who’s considering you. Publishing is a relatively small world. You don’t want to get a reputation for being inconsiderate. Besides, it’s very bad karma.

This is the sixth of my Seven Rules to Write By. Coming up next: It may sound radical to say you can choose your agent. But Rule 7 involves choosing your publisher.