Arts >> Books >> Book Publishing

How to Find an Agent for My Short Story Collection

Selling a short story collection is difficult. For this reason, they aren't very popular with agents. However, there is still room in the market for writers who have established themselves by publishing short stories in literary magazines. Publication credits are incredibly important, as are contest wins. It is very rare that an author will sell a short story collection without having at least three or four of the short stories already published. Being a runner-up or winner of a literary magazine contests is also important.

Instructions

  1. Instructions

    • 1

      Look for agent names in the credits sections of published books that are similar to yours. If the agent was successful with one short story collection, she might be interested in taking on your project.

    • 2

      Consult the "Literary Marketplace" at your local library or search for it online. This will include the names, addresses and phone numbers of agents who might be interested in your collection.

    • 3

      Search sites such as agentquery.com. Record the contact information of each agent that you think would be interested in your book.

    • 4

      Write a strong query letter. The first paragraph of the query letter should contain a hook and outline the direction of your collection. The second paragraph should explain a few of the strongest stories in a sentence or two and the third paragraph should list your publications, awards and any writing education you have received.

    • 5

      Personally address the query letters and send them out according to each agent's conditions. These are always different and can be found on the agent's website.

Book Publishing

Related Categories