Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
If you’re like most writers, you’re probably not writing just one book. You’ve written multiple books, possibly in different genres. You may have a whole 3 or 6 or 9-book series planned. So the question naturally arises: Should I pitch my whole series to an agent? Should I tell them about my entire body of work? After all, I want an agent to represent all my work, not just one book.
Along similar lines, reader Jan wrote on Facebook: Whenever I check an agency’s guidelines, they always talk about pitching a particular book. I already have a book published, and I’m looking for an agent to help me build my career. How do I query/pitch in that situation?
The answer is simple and clear:
When querying or pitching an agent, always start with just one book.
Here’s why:
1. While most agents are looking for authors with long-term potential and therefore want to know about your other books, it always has to start with one salable book. “Building a career” starts with selling a book to a publisher.
2. It’s unlikely an agent would take you on if you just have a smorgasbord of ideas and a vague idea of a plan. You need a book ready to go. A book that’s so great, the agent can envision the rest of the career you’re trying to build. If you don’t have a single sellable book, then talking about a whole career is pointless.
3. Similarly— if you’re writing a series, you’ve got to get them interested in the first book. Nobody is interested in sequels if they’re not already in love with book #1. So start there. Sell them on book #1.
4. Agents only get paid when they sell a book to a publisher, not by engaging in endless conversations about hypothetical “career building.” We start with a book to sell, then build a career from there. This is true even if you’re already published.
5. At some point in your conversation with an agent, you’ll know when it’s the right time to talk about all your other books and your vision for your career. Often the agent will ask. If you’re writing a query, you can briefly mention toward the end of your letter that you’ve planned a series based on the book you’re pitching, or that you also have other manuscripts in the works if the agent should be interested.
6. It’s not that you shouldn’t let an agent know of your series or your career plans. The point is not to forget your most important priority:
Sell them on a single book. Everything else follows from there.
Do you have a series or multiple manuscripts in the works? Does it makes sense that you’d need to sell them on a single one to start with?
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash
Maco Stewart
This is important and great advice. Even with well-known authors, I’ve encountered two instances recently where, from my perspective, the authors made an error in “beginning with the end in mind” where their chosen end was a series rather than a great first book. In both cases, not enough was put in to make the reader truly satisfied–an Edwardian-period murder mystery from a decade or so ago that could have been very nicely wrapped up in the last 10% of the book was the most jarring example. I thought Really?? because there was lame, uncharacteristic abandonment of the strong trajectory that the two main romantic characters were showing toward each other. Then I saw it was the first of a series. I read on Wikipedia the plots for the other three, and sure enough, they just kept dancing around each other. Needless to say, I won’t be buying those.
Kristen Joy Wilks
Ah, yes. I agree … my problem is which single book? The paranormal YA. The Biblical YA. The middle grade contemporary fantasy. The middle grade pet ownership debacle. The picture book with the puppies. The romantic comedy. Yep, when you have been writing and accruing rejections (nice rejections, but still …) for 18 years, the book manuscripts start to add up. Ha!
Cheryl Malandrinos
This makes so much sense, but it is hard not to think of all the other great things you are working on. I guess it’s a good thing I rarely have more than one thing ready to go.
Jeanne Takenaka
Rachelle, this makes a lot of sense. Start a career by selling an agent on one book . . . Sounds a little bit like eating an elephant one bite at a time. Or maybe, eating a hot fudge sundae one bite at a time. I think I like that analogy better. 😉
Shirlee Abbott
Yes, I have a series in the works: one nearly done, one pretty much outlined and one a collection of random thoughts yet to be organized into chapters. Book #1 has been through two complete revisions as I redefined my audience and my voice. Focusing on one book saved me complete re-write of multiple books. Thank you, Rachelle, for your logical approach.
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
I have just a single book
in volumes one and two and three
for you’ll enjoy a good long look
at my mastery.
Appreciation of my art
should really not be hoarded;
you really must read more than part
and you’ll be richly rewarded.
The words total 450k
when footnotes are excluded.
Those who say it’s way
too much are clearly deluded.
I’ll quickly send this vital tome
if you’ld just pick up the phone?