Because of the sheer volume of queries, proposals, and manuscripts agents receive every day, some literary agencies shy away from new writers. These agencies will rarely accept new clients unless the new writers have been referred by existing clients. That's the bad news.

The good news is that there are lots of agents who are willing or even eager to work with new authors. The chance to “discover” new talent motivates these agents to open the mail every day and spend their evenings and weekends wading through stacks of proposals. When they find a writer with potential, it's like finding a sapphire in a salt mine.

There are several ways to find an agent who might be interested in representing you. Print directories of agents and publishers, such as Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents, have listings that include names, addresses, genres, and submission guidelines for agents. The Literary Marketplace, commonly known as the LMP, also carries these listings; your public library should have the latest edition in its reference section.

Do I need an agent who lives in New York City?

No. Your agent should have good contacts and a good reputation with editors at major publishing houses, but overnight delivery services and technology like the fax machine and e-mail have made it easy for agents to do their jobs from virtually anywhere.

Another good way to find agents who can sell the kind of book you're writing is to visit your local bookstore. Look in the section that has books similar to yours; if you're writing a travel book, for example, check out books in the travel section. Read the acknowledgments in these books to see if an agent is mentioned and make a note of the agent's name; then check that agent out in the print directories or one of the Internet sites listed in Appendix A of this book. Pay special attention to those agents who are praised by their clients in the acknowledgments.