Hey all, I'm new to the writing game and I have just finished my first novel (nearly 2 years work) I'm looking to get it published and I understand most publishers do not publish slush. Does anyone have any advice on getting an agent, I live in Belfast northern Ireland if anyone knows any. Thanks for any help.
AgentQuery has a bunch of useful info on this topic and even has a database of agents. The first step is to write a query letter and submit it to potential agents. I'm not sure if AQ lists agents from outside the US, but at the very least they have a lot of useful resources for writers. If they don't list agents from Ireland, you'll have to do a search on your own; it shouldn't be too bad because I just did a Google search and got some good hits. Also, congrats on finishing your novel!
Ah thank you, I finished it and then realised I didn't have a clue on publishing or anything at all really. I'm going to spend a few hours reading through here and get as much information as possible
The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2014 has a list of literary agents. It costs under £20, but your local library should have a copy in the reference section. Good Luck with the book!
Try and contact other writers around you, hope you will surely get a direction. Congratulations on your new book.
I'd find it difficult to recommend an agent for a manuscript I haven't read. You could try finding some published books similar to yours, then finding out who sold them. That should give you an idea of some agents who deal in the area in which you write. Agent Hunter is also fairly good, but as with The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, it costs money.
Marian Keyes is a very successful Irish author, and she always communicates with her readers. I would recommend getting in touch with her via Twitter. She's very kind and I'm sure would be willing to give you some pointers.
