What are agents really looking for?
An interview with my agents, Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty of Root Literary
It’s been a wild few weeks since A Shot in the Dark first landed in the world!
Maybe the two coolest things—the bucket list items—are that A Shot in the Dark officially hit the USA Today bestseller list! And if that weren’t enough, it also got covered in The New York Times with a stellar review.
Believe me, I was in utter shock when both these things happened, and I can’t be grateful enough to all of my readers who bought the book or borrowed it from their libraries. You guys are my heroes.
I have a super special newsletter for you today—one that’s aimed toward all the aspiring authors out there.
One topic is perennially abuzz in bookish spaces: What does a literary agent do? How do you land one? And what do literary agents really want?
Today, I’m excited to share an interview I did with my own agents, literary superstars Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty of Root Literary. You may know them—at least indirectly, even if you don’t know their names—from their representation of dozens of bestselling clients including Emily Henry, V.E. Schwab, Rachel Hawkins, Christina Lauren, Ashley Poston, Jasmine Guillory, Sally Thorne, Ruby Dixon, and Rebekah Weatherspoon.
Literary agents are insanely busy—see my discussion about writing queries and how to land a literary agent—so I’m really grateful to Holly and Taylor for taking time out to share some of the secret inner workings of the job.
What is a literary agent?
When you’ve finished your novel and you’re thinking about getting it traditionally published, the first thing you need is an agent. Most of the major publishing houses (think Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, etc.) require a literary agent to submit manuscripts for consideration. That is, you can’t just mail it to them and expect it to land on the right desk.
Your literary agent helps sell your book, manage contracts, deal with sub-rights (like foreign and translation rights as well as film/TV), prep and edit future books, and give advice. Holly and Taylor have shown up for me so many times in these little ways, like having a phone call when I’m panicking about a book release, vetting new book ideas, and helping me figure out how to have hard conversations (both with publishers and more generally—like on social media).
Interview with my literary agents:
What elements in a query or pages make you think “I’ve got to read more of this book?”
Taylor: Voice is number one, always. We look for a sparkly, distinctive, personable voice.
Holly: A great voice paired with novelty—something that feels fresh and new and interesting; not like every other book we’ve ever read—will catch our attention at the query stage.
Taylor: I also like to see specific details about the plot beyond just the trope. A trope is not in and of itself a concept!
What does a day in the life of an agent look like?
Taylor: Well, today I’ve been on three zooms, a phone call, another phone call about that first phone call, another phone call, and a Slack huddle with my colleagues.
Holly: Four phone calls for me, one zoom, and two Slack huddles. Time between calls is spent swatting at emails.
How do agents go about pitching a book to publishers?
Taylor: We’re trying to convey not only what the book is, but how we see it in the market, so positioning is a big piece of what we do, alongside expressing our excitement.
Holly: The goal is to present the book to publishers in a way that allows them to see the potential and path leading forward. We want to get people to understand the opportunity we’re presenting to them and envision the book not just as something they should buy, but something they should get behind in a big way.
How long do authors typically spend on submission to publishers?
Holly: Could be two weeks, could be two years. It varies widely!
Taylor: There is no set typical amount of time. At this particular moment, though, we’re finding that everything is taking much longer than it used to.
What happens in an auction?
Taylor: An auction is just one way of collecting interest and funneling it down to one single person who will publish the book (there can only be one!). The specifics of auctions can look very different case by case. The way we choose to run an auction depends on the number of editors we have interest from, what the authors’ goals are, and so forth.
How do you help an author decide when it’s time to shelve a book?
Holly: You should start thinking about shelving a book when the response from the market is consistent and repeated. If the feedback you’re getting is that everyone is seeing the same difficulties in getting this book on the market, that’s a sign it’s usually worth thinking about shelving it for now. A shelved book isn’t necessarily a dead book, though—a concept that could be hard to sell as your debut can often work once you’ve established a readership who knows what to expect from you.
Taylor: Or once the market shifts, which it always does. Another sign it might be time to shelve an idea is if the author is hitting creative hurdles that they can’t seem to get past.
How do you help an author decide what story to write next?
Holly: We will weigh in when we get a sense that a particular project is time sensitive, or if we have a strong sense that something is skiing unnecessarily against the headwinds of the industry. When we can foresee an outcome, we try our best to keep people from missing a moment or wasting time. That being said, we always defer to whether or not the suggested direction is of interest to the client.
Taylor: Much of this decision is guided by what’s percolating in an authors’ brain at any given time and really exciting them. Sometimes we come to that answer organically through conversation; other times we go together through a list of concepts the author has brainstormed.
What is your top writing advice for aspiring authors?
Holly: Read an enormous amount, worry less about the vagaries of the market, and worry more about listening to your own voice!
Taylor: Agreed—worry less about writing to the market and write the thing that feels interesting to YOU, even if it feels off the wall. Chase the joy. And get off the internet!!
That last part is some of the best advice, really. My life became a hundred thousand times better when I slowed my roll social media-wise. Instead of focusing so much on platforms like Twitter/X and Instagram, I started working on this newsletter—which helps me connect more personally with readers. I love talking to y’all, so please leave a comment and let me know some of the topics and questions you’d like me to discuss in future newsletters.
What I’m reading right now: Starling House by Alix Harrow
What I’m watching right now: The Fall of the House of Usher
What I’m listening to: Sixpence None the Richer
What I’m writing right now: Two books - my next YA sapphic time travel, The Girl That Time Forgot, plus my untitled adult rom-angst about two rival piano students. (Stay tuned—and become a paid subscriber—for exclusive excerpts!)
What I’m cooking: This fantastic arugula endive salad with pine nuts and blue cheese
See you next time!
Your agents are incredible