Asking for an Agent Referral

It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while an author will reach out through the blog or in response to a rejection asking for specific agent referrals.

Quick question.  I am looking for an agent for a Zodiac killer novel.    Can you kindly suggest 2 or 3 of the best agents.

While I can (and will) always recommend agents at BookEnds, I don’t have confidence that I know enough about other agents to recommend them. I notice deals and I see what people are doing, but I’m not researching like authors are doing.

If you want to find an agent and you want to get published you have to do the work. That work is writing the book, writing the query, and researching the hell out of agents. It’s learning the business and this is all part of the business.

While it might seem like it would make your job easy if I just threw a few names your way I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. There are occasions when I’ll recommend an agent outside of BookEnds, but I have to already feel that the book is worthwhile and it’s just not right for us. I’ve maybe done that a handful of times in my almost 20 years as an agent.