How to increase your chances of finding the best literary agent
Want a literary agent?
In order to align your nonfiction book idea with the literary agent who will propel you to the published expert you are meant to be, you must take control of your own success.
You do this by ensuring you have in place these 3 critical things:
A UNIQUE OFFER
This may be obvious to some, but it’s worth addressing first because many overlook its importance.
What are you offering with your book premise that hasn’t been done before?
Is it you? Is it the way you approach a problem? Is it the results you can promise or guarantee?
Are your ideas relevant to the market? Will it cause a disturbance, a ripple effect, once more people discover your framework?
What published books are similar to yours in terms of content, style, or approach? How would your book differ?
A PLATFORM
Let’s define platform so we’re all on the same page:
Platform is your visibility, both online and in real life, and your ability to leverage or influence a group of people.
Selling nonfiction books require a significant platform.
Who are you? Why are so many people following you online?
Who do you know, in real life, in your field or industry who would support you if you reached out to them?
Which organizations, associations, or companies would love to promote your book to its sizable membership?
Quantify everything.
Agents and publishers want to see numbers. This is a business, and they want to see you know what you’re talking about and that you know there are potential customers (aka readers) who would be interested in your take on a subject.
A MARKETING PLAN
If you’ve entered celebrity status within your niche, that may be enough to convince agents and publishers to take you on. Just as with any numbers game, they’ll see there will be enough people in your psychographic to deem partnering with you worth it.
The rest of you will need to do some work, especially if you’re new to business or to building your platform.
Proceed as you would when marketing your own business:
Know who your target audience is. Nurture relationships with them. Promote your ideas. Embrace your authenticity.
You’ll want to capture what you are already doing—and the steps you’ll take for what you plan to do—in order to promote your book.
These are the three most important pieces to the book proposal that an agent will ask of you if they like what they read in your query letter.
The book proposal does have other critical components. But if you have your premise grounded with your offer, platform, and a plan, the rest will flow more easily.
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