I think there is some mystery shrouded around what agents do to prepare for a submission. After you sign with your agent the next big step is going on sub. Your agent will approach editors with your manuscript to try to sell it to the house the editor works for.
So how does an agent (or me, this is my own brand of preparation) send you on submission?
The very first thing we’re going to do is a revision (or three) of your draft. I’m not personally super editorial but we’ll fix typos, sentence structure, and then we’ll work on plot structure.
This all takes time. I have to put you in line with my other clients and I read stuff in order. Then I have to read, make notes in line for copyediting, and write a revisions letter for you. Then you have to do the revision!
After we are both satisfied with the state of the manuscript I will begin to prepare to sub.
I have the genre, but I have to super define that to a micro degree. I look for comp titles.
For example: If I was to put The Hunger Games on sub today I would use DIVERGENT and THE GIVER as comp titles.
After I have my comp titles, (And those can be other media too. My latest sale lead with Once Upon a Time meets October Daye.) I write a pitch letter. The pitch letter is much like your query letter but with extra marketing and a section about why I love the book so much. And I do have to love it deeply to represent it.
After I’m happy with my pitch letter I research editors. I look through multitudes of lists to see if I can see a hole in an editors schedule for your book, then I make sure your book is something the editor may be interested in.
This is almost as time intensive as the edits.
After that we email the editors and wait! The editors will come back and ask to see the manuscript, or say no, or recommend another editor in house that may be a better fit. We field all of those emails, and then we follow up after a few weeks, and hopefully present an offer to our author.
There you have it. Submissions demystified. Leave questions in the comments and I’ll field them for today!
