How I Got My Literary Agent (+ How You Can Get One Too!)
- Megan Riann
- Apr 23
- 8 min read
Literary agents are the middlemen between authors and publishing houses. Signing with one is a huge and necessary step toward traditionally publishing your novel.
Your literary agent will pitch your book to editors, negotiate your contract, and be your #1 industry supporter. For more on the role of a literary agent, read this article. For an explanation of querying, read this article.
See the steps of my literary agent journey below, including researching and querying tips. I hope reading how I got my literary agent sheds light on how you can get one too!
So We're on the Same Page
This is the third book I've queried, and it's the only book that received requests. If you're struggling with a dead inbox, I've been there. Keep your head up. I'm rooting for you!
I've written novels for about nine years and have finished many manuscripts. I've spent countless hours researching the writing, editing, querying, and publishing processes. I also work full-time at a Big 5 publisher. This is to put into perspective that a lot of hard work and luck go into landing an agent. Even the people who make it look easy have their struggles.
Everyone's journey is different. That's one of my favorite parts of this crazy writing gig.
Table of Contents
Write a Good Book
I wrote my YA contemporary romance from May 25, 2024, to August 9, 2024. It took me 77 days to write 63,318 words. This is a book of my heart. It's a story I wanted to tell, and it draws on my teenage experiences.
I also knew it was the most pitchable book I'd written. It features well-loved tropes (fake dating, celebrity romance), timely themes (ambition vs. love, family pressures), and a personal voice (biracial and Filipino rep; an aspiring linguist MC). I'd never suggest writing to a trend, but do write what feels personal, important, and new. You want to add to the conversation.
I write queries and pitches for my manuscripts as I'm writing them to make sure I'm on the right track. If I can't pitch my novel, it won't matter how great it is. An agent isn't going to read it!
I had two rounds of beta readers and several editing passes. I wanted my book as polished as possible before sending it out. I also had many people give feedback on my query. Editing cannot be skipped! My book finished at around 72k words, and I continued tweaking while querying, including taking feedback from an agent who ultimately passedzA on my full manuscript.
Research Agents (+ Keep Notes!!)
While I waited for beta readers to finish, I started researching. I created a Google spreadsheet to collect information about the agents I wanted to query. See the screenshot below.
The Personalization column was my most helpful. This is where I noted why I thought that agent would enjoy my novel. These were comments like "Likes fake dating trope," or "Referenced This Time It's Real on MSWL." (This Time It's Real was one of my comparative titles.)
I used the Personalization column to add, you guessed it, personalization to each query. I wanted to include at least one line that let the agent know I did my research and genuinely thought we would be a good fit.
Some places I found agent names and info include:
ManuscriptWishlist (MSWL)
Looking at the acknowledgements of similar books at the library and bookstore
Searching "[Agent Name] interview" online
Throughout querying, I updated this spreadsheet with new agents I discovered. Research is a lot to process, so I spread it over a long period.
Be picky here! If the agent doesn't represent your genre, don't query them. If the agent lists a trigger/dislike present in your book, don't query them. If the agent isn't open, don't query them. They'll likely send an automatic rejection if they reply at all.
My list ended up including around 45 possible agents.
Send Your First Batch
I sent my first batch of five queries in January 2025. (Okay, technically, I sent my first query in December 2024.) I chose agents who were known to respond quickly according to QueryTracker. I was focused on fast feedback.
*Cue the rejections*
None of those first agents requested my manuscript. (See the screenshot in step 2.)😅 In my handy-dandy spreadsheet, I kept track of the date I sent the query, the date of their response, and any relevant notes.
Keep track of all your queries and responses! Even the ones that hurt. This kept me from accidentally breaking agents' rules (like don't query more than one agent from our agency) and helped me know when my query was an "Assumed" rejection (like when agents say if you don't hear from me in 8 weeks, it's a no).
Rinse and Repeat
Not to be discouraged (let's be real, I was super discouraged), I sent my second round of queries in February.
3 of the 7 agents I queried in that second batch eventually requested my full manuscript!
I was in a virtual work meeting on February 5 (camera-off, thank goodness) when I received the first request. I was screaming and hugging my sister and generally freaking out. The agent had requested within 12 hours of receiving my query! (Side note: She was the first agent to respond to my full manuscript with the sweetest rejection and four paragraphs of specific feedback. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to work with her!)
From then on, I sent queries 1-3 at a time. Often, I would send another query after receiving a response, whether a rejection or a request. It was nice to keep a revolving door.
Many agents were closed to queries during the last weeks of 2024 and the first months of 2025. I had to check back numerous times to see if agents I was excited about were opening up, and some agents on my list never opened up while I was querying. I don't think you need to wait to query if your book is ready, but something to note is that agents may not be as responsive or open during the holidays/new year.
The Offer
On March 26, Agent A emailed, saying she enjoyed my full manuscript and would like to see more materials. She requested blurbs and sample pages of projects I was working on. She wanted to know if we would be a long-term fit (and I think she wanted to know if I had more than one book in me, but that's only my theory).
Note that this isn't a necessary or even common step. This was Agent A's style, and I researched enough to know she wasn't pulling a scam.
After getting this request from Agent A, I sent out five more queries to agents I was excited about. Since I had this response, I knew my query/pages were working, and after you receive an official offer of representation, you can't send any more queries, so I wanted to cast my net wider in case she offered.
On March 28, I sent Agent A pitches and 6-page samples of 4 projects, a mixture of romance and fantasy. She enjoyed my materials and set the call for April 3. After a lovely conversation where she offered rep, I asked for the customary two weeks to make my decision.
On our call, I had asked Agent A for several clients' contact information. She agreed (and it's a big red flag if an agent doesn't) and sent me some email addresses. I emailed two YA clients, one who had sold multiple books and one who hadn't yet sold, to ask for their experiences. I highly recommend this as it solidified how great Agent A would be.
The Two-Week Window
Immediately after my call, I let all the agents who still had my query or full manuscript know I had an offer of representation. It's industry standard to give agents 10-14 days to request, read, and decide if they also want to offer rep.
I was ecstatic when a full request came within an hour of me nudging agents with the two-week deadline! I also received 2 kind rejections before the day was out. Oh, the ups and downs of querying.
From April 3 to April 17, my gut was a mess of nerves. I constantly refreshed my email, exhilarated at every request and stung at every rejection. Rejections especially hurt on a full request. And that was even after I had an offer from an amazing agent! (Maybe a pro tip would be to limit screen time to avoid this fixation, but that's easier said than done haha.) I'm so grateful to every agent who took the time to read my query and manuscript. I was so lucky!
On April 14, I received an email from Agent B, who had read my full manuscript in about three days. We set a call for April 15 and talked for an hour about her vision for the book, my vision for my author career, and how we would work together. On April 16, she sent the offer in writing along with her agency's contract.
Signing (I Got My Literary Agent!)
I officially had 2 offers on the table!! Agent A and Agent B. I had two days to make my decision. Meanwhile, another agent had my full manuscript, having requested it during the two-week window. I held out hope until the last day, but they never got back to me.
I referenced this list of questions from Alexa Donne during both agent calls. (Alexa's videos on querying are helpful as well.) There are many things to consider when choosing an agent, but these were the most important to me:
Communication style and frequency of communication
Their editorial vision for my book/how much editing they thought it needed
Their usual editing process/timeline
Agents' ability and willingness to represent fantasy as well as romance
Submission strategy and where they saw my book fitting into the market
Their knowledge of the industry and connections
My gut feelings also played a big part. After weighing the pros and cons, on April 17, I called Agent B and accepted her offer of representation. I officially signed with Paige Wheeler at Creative Media Literary Agency! I'm so excited about this next step and honored that Paige sees the vision for my novel and career. <3
You can see my official announcement on Instagram and keep up with updates in my Newsletter.
Fast Stats
I loved seeing numbers from other writers while I queried! But please don't compare your timeline/requests/rejections to someone else. All it takes is one yes.
First query sent: December 28, 2024
First offer of rep: April 3, 2025
Signed with agent: April 17, 2025
Total days querying: 110
Total queries sent: 26
Dec/January: 5
February: 10
March: 11
Rejections: 20
Including 4 no responses
Full Requests: 6
Request Rate: 23%
Offers: 2
If there's anything more you'd like me to answer about my querying process, please comment or DM me. I'm planning to share a breakdown of my query letter soon!
If you'd like to get exclusive book updates and learn more about the writing process, my Newsletter is the place! Thanks for reading, and I wish you the best on your writing journey.
If you found this helpful, consider subscribing to my Newsletter.
You’ll get bonus writing worksheets, behind-the-scenes updates, and reminders about blog posts every month!
Write on the Exhale
Comments