Impress & Win a Literary Agent: Leverage 'Old School' with Social Media

Times change, but the 'old school' methods of courtesy, clarity and respect will strengthen your appeal to agents. This is true for fiction and nonfiction authors, screenwriters, poets and playwrights.

Yet many writers have found representation by being savvy with social media. Likely you already have a presence online. Now use it as a substitute for the classic query letter many writers use when contacting agents.

This concise 4-page workbook gives you the 'old school' language and format that you can revise and repurpose to suit the projects you wish to share via social media.  Use the same techniques I share in How to Start a Book, Article or Screenplay.

 Simple yet powerful techniques will help you get the attention of experienced professional agents!  

The 13 insights for writing to an agent will give you confidence by clarifying your strategy. Here are a few: 

• 7. If you’ve had anything published, mention it: articles, short stories, fiction or non-fiction, self-help, etc.
• 8. If you’ve won, or got to the finals of any legitimate writing contest, mention it.
• 9. If you’ve studied in a respected writing program, mention it. (UCLA, USC, NYU, Iowa Writers Workshop and some others are respected.)

This may sound obvious, but I've listened to many agents and other professionals say they lose patience with queries that don't spell their names correctly.  Really? Be a pro. Know who you're talking to.

Some authors freeze when they attempt to describe the novel, screenplay or nonfiction book they wish to sell. The sample letters reveal simple ways to describe your story.  Sometimes a comparison within a genre of other titles can help focus your pitch.

A blend of 'old school' and online savvy can take you a long way. Get the basics right and you may be the next talented writer to land a literary agent!