How do I get published — do I need an agent?

A writer writes, Do I need an agent to get a book published? 

The short answer is no.

Because there are many ways to get published, which I outlined previously. 

Embedded in the question, though, are a couple of complexities, which I’ll tease out here.

Not every book is a good fit for an agent/Big 5 publishers. 

Here’s why. Agents don't make money unless your book makes money. (Agents receive 20% of anything your book makes. So you can see that financially they have to be strategic about the books they choose to represent.) They make their decision about whether to represent you and your book based on the business case for your book. Is there an established market for that type of book? Are there books like it that have sold well? Does it offer a fresh perspective? Above all, is it written well? 

Agents receive more queries than they can possibly devote time to. They have to make fast decisions based on your query letter. (How to write a good query letter is a topic in and of itself!)

If an agent is interested they will respond to your query and ask for sample chapters or the manuscript or the proposal. If they see the value in the manuscript or the proposal they may offer representation. This process might take months or a year or more. And then you go out on submission to publishing houses and that process can take a long time – and there’s no guarantee your book will be bought by a publisher! And then if it’s sold, it’s a year or more to publication as the manuscript goes through editorial and production…

If you want to dip your toes into looking for an agent, look at Publishers Marketplace, agentquery.com, Manuscript Wish List, Query Tracker, and Duotrope. Agents tend to be active on Twitter, so you can see what they’re talking about and looking for. At many writing conferences, there are pitch-fests where you can pitch agents live or virtually for a fee, and get fast feedback.

Here’s the thing: if your book is for a niche market, or if there is no established market for books like it, or if your book is much longer or much shorter than an industry-standard page count, it's likely not a good fit for an agent. 

And that's okay! Because having an agent/Big 5 publisher is not the only way to get your book out in the world. 

As you can see, there is a lot that a writer has no control over in this process. A writer has no control over whether an agent is open to submissions, whether an agent likes their query or proposal or manuscript, and whether they get representation and publication. Ultimately, what the writer has control over is to write the best book they possibly can. The rest is a little luck, a little hope, and a lot of strategy. And waiting.