The SEKRIT to getting an agent by Julie Butcher

Hi Guys!

I'm Julie Butcher @Julie_Butcher on twitter- the writer formerly known as @jimsissy. My agent is the fabulous super-star, Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency! Since I may be the luckiest writer in the world, I want to share a huge SEKRIT about getting an agent.

You’ve already taken an important step with your twitter account. Now use it to learn about publishing and to get to know people in your chosen profession. When I first wrote, in my mind, agents lived the glam life with limousines and champagne for lunch. They were center stage and I was in the cheapest seat in the nose bleed section of the theater.

Not so much. They go barefoot and eat cookies. I have seen this with my eyes.

But even with twitter, how did a mother of six with no formal writing training get an agent? Well first I wrote and wrote, then people told me I had no voice, and then I quit.

Oh, I quit lots of times. It's fine if you quit as long as you do it in the privacy of your own mind, not on the internets, and as long as you get up the next day and start again.

So I wrote some more and finished my first manuscript. Then people told me I sucked and my main character didn't resonate with them. (Guys, this is how they say your character has no soul. So when you get that reaction, quit. Then the next morning, re-think what your character shows when the reader first meets him.)


Online I found great authors, agents, and publishers who, from the kindness of their hearts, provided huge amounts of information for writers. I read, I asked questions. I watched, I participated in conversations and contests. I put my terrified body in a car and drove (by myself) to my first conference.

After months of research, I ten-times really wanted an agent who was a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc. Having family in publishing, I'd heard horrific stories where uninformed writers lost money, rights, and years of their time. Guys, I’m not smart enough to understand contracts. Sure, I could learn. But when would I write? I needed an agent. AAR agents have knowledge and experience and they abide by a Cannon of Ethics.

The worst thing writers can do to their career is to assume every agent is the same. They’re not. (You’re shocked aren’t you?) I researched every agent I queried and you should too. It’s important that you admire and respect your agent and that they return the same feelings to you. On twitter, you get a good idea of the personality and values embraced by different individuals. Some twitter agents you’ll adore, others, not so much.

I first met my agent on twitter. (You should probably follow her, @DeidreKnight , and her agency, @KnightAgency because she is seriously the bomb .)

I’ve seen writers complain (online in front of God and everyone) about slow agent response. Umm… DUH. Good agents are busy people and great ones are even busier. They have secret lives that include families, cooking, and yes, even laundry. If you want a fast answer you must want to hear a great big NO. If you want to hear a yes, wait. Then wait some more.

I sent my manuscript to Deidre and I waited. I revised the manuscript and then… I waited. The day I signed the agency agreement was sixteen months after I’d first sent the manuscript. (This is the part where your jaw hits the ground guys.) SIXTEEN MONTHS. In Publishingland, this was speedy-quick.

So, the big SEKRIT way to get an agent is to do what your mother taught you:

• Work hard- You’ll be a better writer.


• Be honest- Your memory isn’t good enough to lie. (You never did find those car keys and are you really sure what day it is?)


• Smile- No one loves a crabby-pants or wants to keep them around.


• Listen- Ignoring instructions whether verbal or written is shooting yourself in the foot and it is RUDE.


• Use your manners on the internet and off- Rant to your family, at home. Not on the internet, not at a conference. It will come back and bite you in the butt. I promise.


• Wait your turn- Until you sign with an agent, they work for free. Any time they spend on your query or manuscript is a gift. They don’t owe you.

Guys, be patient. I promise it will be worth every single second. Pinkie-swear.