Any direct contacts to literary agents?

Question

I am a 13 year old girl and i am half way through writing a novel. I have been writing stories ever since i was five years old and have wanted get a book published ever since then. I read a great deal and am very passionate about writing.
I've been searching on the internet for publishing houses and it has become very apparent to me that it is very hard to publish a manuscript without a literary agent. Does anyone have direct contacts with a literary agent? I am very keen on publishing my novel and any contacts i would be very grateful of, however if people only want to leave rude, unhelpful comments then don't bother commenting.

If for any reason you wish to contact me my email address is : [e-mail]

Answer 1

I am also a writer but a lot older than you and I understand your problems. The best way to find an agent is to join a writers club. Most of the people there will be older than you but do not feel intimidated they are generally very helpful. There are clubs all over the country and your local bookshop may be able to give you an address.

Answer 2

It doesn't work like that. I'd be astonished if any agents read Yahoo! Answers (or astonished if any of them admit it publicly, anyway). I'd be even more astonished if any author introduced a stranger to his or her agent.



If you want to get a book published, first finish the book. No agent or publisher is interested in something that isn't complete, because they can't sell it. Edit your book at least a couple of times, to fix the most obvious mistakes. Join a critique group, who will find most of the mistakes you missed.



Agents and publishers are generally not interested in something that isn't complete and polished, and as near to publishable as the author is able to make it. It's not so much because they're lazy or arrogant (though some of them certainly come across that way) as that there are far more people writing books than the public is willing to support. Agents receive about a hundred submissions for every one they decide to represent, so they can afford to be - have to be - very choosy about what they take on.



If all that hasn't put you off, buy the current edition of Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, or borrow a recent one from the library. It lists all the agents in Britain who are worth bothering with, and tells you what you have to do to attract the interest of one.



You can find lists of agents online, but be wary - because it's so hard to get a legitimate agent, there are a lot of scammers out there, who just want to separate you from your money. Never pay money upfront to an agent, and never apply to an agent if you can't find out which authors he represents. Scammers don't list any clients, or are vague about who they are - "John is a lawyer from Scotland who's written several books" instead of "John Brown is a divorce lawyer from Edinburgh, whose new romantic comedy 'Further down the Old Kent Road' has just been acquired by HarperCollins."

Answer 3

If you are not mature enough to know that it is very, very silly for a 13 year old to post her email address on a website like this, you are much too naive to enter an industry like publishing.



Do you want every paedophile around to start emailing you claiming they can get your book published if you if you just come and meet them somewhere? Seriously, take your email address down NOW.



The way to get a literary agent is not to ask random strangers if they know one. In any case, literary agents specialise in different kinds of work. Even if someone here did happen to know a literary agent, how on earth would we know if your book happened to be in the style and genre that they work with? Agents specialise, and if you'd done your research thoroughly, you'd know that.



First all, whatever way you contact them, no literary agent will give a toss about you if you haven't finished your book. You're only halfway through writing your novel. After that, you'll need to do multiple rewrites and edits and polish your manuscript for months until it's as perfect as it can be. (No, you won't just write a novel and get it perfect first time, and again, if you think you will, you are not mature enough to be trying to enter into an adult profession like writing novels.)



Only then are you ready to start even thinking about contacting literary agents, and sorry, but you'll have to do it the same way that everyone else does: with a lot of research into the right types of agent for your particular novel, and by querying them in the professional manner that they expect.



There are no shortcuts, and it doesn't matter that you're 13 - no allowances will be made for you on that basis. If you want to compete with professional adult writers - which you will have to do if you want to be a published novelist - you will have to conduct your business dealings in a professional, adult way.



Sorry if I sound harsh, but this is what you need to hear. You may think this is 'rude, unhelpful' but actually, it's very sound advice, because at the moment, you are just making yourself sound like any other naive child writer and not at all like someone who is ready to be published. Even if your book is brilliant, you won't get very far unless you acquire a bit more professionalism, do a lot more research into the industry and behave a lot more like an adult.

Answer 4

You're not going to find a literary agent on this website and no legitimate agent will be emailing you. You need a completed novel before you start emailing agents. It needs to be edited and completely polished, so you're very far from being finished unless it's fully edited. No one will even look at your work unless it's finished.



I suggest you remove your email or delete this question once you've gotten all the answers you need.