Literary Agents For Science Fiction Novels
Finding A Literary Agent You Can Work With
So you have finally finished writing the book for which you toiled so hard and just like your newborn, is very close to your heart? And you thought that you have crossed the biggest hurdle? Well now comes the tougher part, which is to get your book printed and making it see the light of the day. For this, you would need the services of a book agent. Not just any book agent, but also someone who is good at his work. There are many kinds of literary agents and hence you have to be careful with who you choose to represent you.
To start with, do a background search on the area of specialization of the book agents. This is important since some agents work with fiction, some specialize in poetry whereas other love technical titles. Once you identify a list of agents who deal in your area of work, you would need to zero down on someone who can ensure that your interests are protected. This is difficult since finding agents who know their jobs is very difficult. It’s almost like searching for a needle in a haystack. Don’t be surprised if you keep bumping into scammers disguised as book agents. Though people like these are available in plenty, they are in it only for themselves and can be really terrible at their job.
A good book agent knows his job well, probably would have learnt it by working for some other reputed agent. That would have helped him learn the tricks of the trade by talking independently to the publishers as well as the authors. He would have the gone ahead and set up his own business. These agents toil hard and will be on your side without ever asking you for any monetary benefits. They will also do things like editing your books free of cost.
However, if you land up with a scammer, you will find that he will send you a bill even before the book hit the shelves. This is something that a genuine agent will not do. Once your book starts selling, he gets his money as a share of the amount you get from the proceeds. This can be a real-time filter of isolating a scammer from a genuine agent. Also, a scammer will make you get your revisions and editing done by a third party though it is supposed to be done by him for free. They are book agents after all and it is imperative that they should have editing skills.
In a nutshell, ensure that you do a thorough research on book agents. You should feel comfortable with them right through. However, if you feel that something is not right, switch to another one at the first opportunity. Don’t panic if you find yourself doing this often since it is important that you are working with the right person. After all it is a question of making your dream come true!
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Do you know any “Sci-Fi” Literary agents?
I’ve been hunting for real Science Fiction literary agents with poor results. I’m talking about agents who would sponsor something like Star Wars or Star Trek, something set in a far future era with little to nothing in our present world. Flying cars, laser guns, all the real science fiction stuff. Not a book about an alien crashing on Earth or some alien-woman who eats people on Earth.
I’m in the U.S with a Sci-fi/Romance novel that I hope to publish. It’s now 58k words, (originally 180k O.o I know too long) and it’s for Young Adults.
Be glad for any help, and I prefer email-available agents if possible.
Side question: Is there a higher change of hooking an agent by mailing it in physically versus email query? I prefer email and many do, but I never know…
I’m shopping for a literary agent for my father’s science fiction novel. They’re aren’t many where we live
does a literary agent have to live in the same city as I do?
http://escape2earth.com
It’s science fiction.
What am I doing wrong for Literary agents? (Query fixes)?
I’ve fixed up my query, but I’m still not sure if it’s good enough.
Note* My bio is gone because I’m 16 and have no publishing credentials. If I have nothing good to say, say nothing at all is what I have been told.
Here is query: (this and above stuff are my notes to you all)
Dear _____,
For eight years, Mark and his brother have hunted down dangerous organisms for a government syndicate in the darkest corners of Salvadon, a growing colony in the far future. Mark didn’t know how it could get worse when a chance encounter with a mysterious woman launches him into a covert war between infamous spy agencies seeking technology that would guarantee unimaginable wealth to the owner. He must decide who to trust between the woman he loves, fellow comrades, and old friends who claim to be his allies as Mark prepares to fight a monstrosity that can annihilate humanity.
THE HEART OF SHADOWS is a fast-paced 60,000-word science fiction novel where love and family clash with greed and corruption in a galaxy notorious in killing for wealth and power. This novel will appeal to fans of Star Wars with its innovative concepts while its twisted plot will leave readers guessing and begging for more.
(Personal agency stuff.)
Thank you for your time to consider representing my work. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Eric Dulin
I just remembered this other ordeal. Is it my query, or just my plot?
(I’m keeeping it breif) My plot is set up in a whole futuristic setting, and I entwined the whole spy conflict into the story which matched well on top of everything else I made as the original story. Is the way I word it the cliche? I based it off of a good query from someone else.
The story is original. (the real thing) It isn’t based off of anything I’ve seen or heard, I just incorporated all the secrecy and deception of the spy world into my novel as a sort of side/main story.
I hate it when answers remind me of the questions I forgot to ask 🙁 (anger at myself, not at posters)
I put the Star Wars thing to show that it appeals to a broad area of Sci-Fi, as I heard it is good to show the agent how your book appeals to people over a group. Should I use a specific title/author to grab more atteniton? (like OSC of Ender’s Game?)
And sorry for all these details. Ths query has been frsutrating me for a while, and I need it good so I can at least get my work to an agent.
What am I doing wrong for Literary Agents? (Query re-edit)?
I’m sorry for the rapidness of these queries, but I need to make sure I’m on the right track or else I’ll over-change it and end up back on square 1. (Which I might have done in this) I appreciate all the feedback, but I need a generally positive audience before I can even attempt sending this out. Here it goes:
Dear ,
Tasked with one of the dirtiest jobs in the galaxy, Mark Preston is a government soldier haunted by regret and personal demons for past actions. He hunts indigenous creatures with his brother on Salvadon, a growing colony in the far future ( should i add “with the help of advanced technology” here?). A chance encounter with a mysterious woman launches Mark into a deadly game among spy agencies as he struggles between his loyalty to the government or saving the woman he comes to love. He must decide whom to trust between his brother, fellow comrades, and old friends who claim to be his allies as even the slightest mistake will cost him his life.
THE HEART OF SHADOWS is a fast-paced 60,000-word science fiction novel set in a galaxy notorious in killing for wealth and power. This novel will appeal to all Sci-fi fans with its innovative concepts while its twisted plot will leave readers guessing and begging for more.
(Personal agency stuff.)
Thank you for your time to consider representing my work. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Eric Dulin
Now I’m pretty sure I’ve made my 1st paragraph more specific, but do I need it even more specific or less then what is is now? It is clear who the protaganist is and what they want? What do I have to change for it to become “amazing”?
2nd paragraph: I don’t know if it needs adding/subracting. (How does title sound? I thought of “One Final Step” or “One More Step”, any opinions?)
Don’t have bio so will leave it ommited.
Again, appreciate any answers/help, and I’m sure I’m annoying since I come up so much…but I’m glad for people who’ve helped me multiple times. I’ve written manuscripts before, but I’m really trying for this one.
An agent does not need to be near to where you live; it’s more useful for her to live near the publishers, which is why so many can be found in the New York City area. The primary purpose in finding an agent is to have someone who knows the publishing industry and the editors who act as its gatekeepers.
j3sus_girl116 has the right general idea in looking through Preditors and Editors, and being wary of agents who demand money up front. Legitimate agents work on commission, although some do charge fees for copying and mailing. Another good resource is AgentQuery.com, which is specifically tailored to writers seeking agents. bksp.org provides an on-line community of writers which includes several bestsellers, and is a great resource for whatever writing questions you may have.
From these resources, you can build up a list of agents whom you think might be a good fit for your work. Research this extensively, and take your time constructing a query letter for the agents you’re going to submit to. (There’s a lot more detail about constructing query letters in the resources mentioned above.)
Be patient when seeking an agent. You’ll likely be rejected many times before finding someone at all interested in reading the manuscript. And remember too that finding an agent is no guarantee of selling a novel; it simply means someone out there believes your novel can be sold.
You’ll find some people telling you to use Writer’s Market or other printed resources. If you do, double-check their listings with sites such as AgentQuery.com, as well as the agents’ own web sites. I’ve found that the printed word listings have a tendency to become quickly out of date.
Josh
A Good Literary Agent for Science Fiction?
I’m writing a novel for the first time so I need to find a literary agent that is interested in this type of thing. To get an idea of the genre, think of the novelization of a film like Fantastic Four.
You can find a good literary agent specializing in Science Fiction genre at PubMatch.org; It helps book publishers and authors from all around the world in finding literary agent who matches their specific criteria.