An Author's Agent Wish List

I am in the querying process now of my first novel. This means that I send letters out (sometimes along with samples of my work) for potential agents (who may be looking for the kinds of things I write). In turn, those agents pitch your book to potential publishing houses that they have a relationship with. I am nervous and afraid. I am scared that no one will want it and in turn. no one will want me.

Although this new age in publishing has allowed the rise of self-publishing to really change the literary landscape, it isn’t a direction I want to go in. I want traditional publishing. I want the support of an agent, editor and publishing house for my work and my voice. I want to be available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I want an advance and be able to do book tours. I want royalties and options for rights (movies, international, etc). without the headache of trying to figure all of that out. And most of all, I want to reach a broad, diverse audience. I don’t want to be labeled “niche” as a lot of self-published authors are. Therefore, I want to reach an agent who can help me further my career.

I do have a concern.

Most agents have a “wish list” of items that they want: whatever is hot right now in publishing is usually what most authors want “more” of. If you are writing stuff that is a bit passe’ (Say, Harry Potter-like stuff. of more Fifty Shades), then you may not get published. On Twitter, authors usually use the hashtag #MSWL (marketplace wish list) to indicate what they want. For example, someone could want “Diverse, LGBTQIA writing set in a historical area” or “romance mixed with sci-fi”. If that isn’t what you are writing, then you will have to seek a lot of agents. Sometimes it can take months, maybe even years to find an agent who is interested in your work. In watching “bookTube” videos, some say most times your first manuscript will always be rejected. It gives folks little to no hope of finding someone. And for me, a black woman, almost over 40, writing about things that have cultural nuance and romance, I am afraid I won’t find an agent who just “gets it”.

So I went to my Twitter (@RichardsonTMM ) and wrote about the things I’d love in an agent:

Now I am not sure how and if my wishes will be fulfilled. I am not sure if this is career suicide by even asking these things of an agent. I mean, seriously. Who am I? I am nobody. Just a person with words who want to be heard and read.

But a gal writer can dream. Right?