Literary Agent Biographies – Are you making a common mistake when reading the bios of literary agents online or in books? This article shows that there are probably a lot more publishing agents than you realize, that might be interested in you and your book. But you might not think to submit your work to them.
This article explains…
Every week I help my new 1-on-1 coaching clients find the right prospective agents. In other words, I help them figure out which literary agents are the best fit for their book so they can get a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. And I walk them through entire process, step-by-step.
A big part of that process is looking at literary agent biographies, but it’s not as easy as you might think to find the right book agents to submit your work to. This article includes one of my best tips to help you be more effective when reading literary agent biographies, so you can get the results you want.
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Literary Agent Biographies – A Word of Caution
Start by thinking of literary agent
biographies as imperfect.
Completely incomplete.
Even the most detailed literary agent biographies don’t necesarily list everything you need to know… to see if your book is a good fit for a certain book agent. Put it this way. Most book agents are open to more types of books than you (or even they) might realize. Their personal experiences affect their professional choices. And good book agents are interested in new experiences (just like good writers).
To help you understand, I’ve compiled a short list of quirky things about me below that you probably don’t know. You won’t see this type of information (for the most part) in literary agent biographies because most book agents wouldn’t see the relevance of including it. But all the items on this list have helped me connect with different authors who’ve written books touching on related topics or themes.
For example,
did you know that:
* When I was little we were so poor that we had a one-piece-of-toilet-paper-per-person-per-bathroom-visit rule.
* I have two half-sisters.
* I’m the youngest.
* My parents split up when I was 10 (the police came and made me decide who I was going to live with).
* My father died of a heart attack when I was 11.
* I’m a romantic who’s written (but you can’t see them yet) 6 books of love poetry.
* When I was an literary agent I read (and represented) virtually all book genres.
* I’ve gone 155 miles per hour on a motorcycle (when I was young and stupid).
* I’ve broken multiple bones (yes, there’s a connection to the motorcycle).
* I have my pilot’s license but don’t fly anymore.
* I’m a certified scuba diver but don’t do that anymore, either.
* I’m more street smart than book smart.
* I majored in Psychology and Communications in college.
* I’m the first person in my family to go to college.
* I like introverts as much as extroverts (I switch back and forth myself).
* I’m a recovering junk food addict turned fitness enthusiast.
* I’ve taken judo and Tae Kwon Do.
* I can probably beat you at billiards and Scrabble.
* I’m a Pisces.
* I like beer as much as I like wine.
* As I kid I was part of a weird Christian church that didn’t allow it’s members to have friends or date outside the church.
* I was a late bloomer socially and college was like high school for me.
* I saved myself for marriage.
* I was married once before (now in my second marriage, together 15 years).
* I do my best not to judge others.
* I try just as hard to encourage others.
* I like dogs and cats and I’ve lived with both.
* I cried my guts out when I watched Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.
* I like most types of music including classical, country, rock, and rap.
* I think of myself as a renaissance man who likes ballet and opera as much as football (well, almost).
* When I was in school I took a semester of golf, Spanish, and French.
* Before I worked in publishing I was a behavior modification expert and trainer for several social services institutions serving developmentally delayed adults; the homeless; and disadvantaged youth (including jailed offenders).
* My first job was pulling weeds for a neighbor for $1 per hour.
* Other jobs I’ve had: bag-boy, cashier, prep cook, aircraft parts painter, telemarketer, door-to-door sales, logging foreman, and assistant chemist/metallurgist.
I could go on,
but I think you get the idea…
* * *
Literary Agent Biographies – Don’t Assume Anything
Hopefully there was at least one thing on the list above that surprised you and made you feel more of a connection to me… because that means you might have the same experience with other book agents who are still active and looking for new writers. Don’t put too much weight on literary agent biographies.
Why?
You might be pitching a book about the 50 best honeymoon locations in the United States, but you wouldn’t know which agents recently got engaged. You might be pitching a book about how to grieve the loss of a loved one, but you wouldn’t know which agents recently lost someone close to them. Or, you might be pitching a novel about forgiveness, but you wouldn’t know which agents were recently betrayed by someone they trusted dearly.
The bottom line…
There are thousands of things you don’t know about the book agents you’re thinking about submitting your work to, even though you’re reading their literary agent biographies. So, don’t assume that a book agent isn’t a good fit for you just because he or she supposedly isn’t (in your mind) the right gender or age or anything else.
Be more open and inclusive when you’re reading literary agent biographies and compiling your list of prospective book agents. Always remember that you’re only looking at a small piece of the puzzle.
Good people are
just like good books.
They can
surprise you.
Pleasantly.
If in doubt
send the
query out,
– Mark
* * *
* * *
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the advice. I’m a Libra who cried her eyes out over Old Yeller, Bambi,Dumbo, Animal Farm, The Yearling, Black Beauty… Anything with animals gets to me. I was a late bloomer also, probably because I was so busy reading and crying.
The info provided here is priceless and I’m going to take full advantage of it. I will stop vivisecting agent bios and start sending more queries to more agents, thanks to you.
Best regards,
Joy Brautigam
Hi Joy, I love it… thank you for the wonderful comment.
Have a great Friday, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Great article. I’m also a retired scuba diver and instrument rated pilot and many other commonalities. I’m impressed how open you are too
Thank you Somraj, who knew???
Ingrid and I have been together for 15 years and we’re still learning new things about each other!
Have a great day and see soon. 😉
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Mark,
Thanks for sharing a few tidbits of your life. It makes you more real. Even tho this is an older post I’m just finally getting around to read it. I’ve got 14 tabs open of things to read, mostly from your site; and I needed this one today. I love your little rhyme at the end: “If in doubt send the query out”
Keep up the great work! It really helps.
Hi Angie, your kind words are much appreciated. I’m glad you’re finding everything helpful. That’s a big part of what keeps me going. 😉
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
OK, so how do you go deeper into finding out more than surface info on agents?
Hi Angel, I know we talked this week but in case you still want an answer to this… you can learn quite a bit about each agent in my online agent directory. You can learn a bit more (sometimes) by visiting an agent’s website. 😉
Have a great day, and weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Pisces, eh? That makes a lot of sense in terms of other things you listed. You are in for a spiritually uplifting year.
Thanks for the article,
🙂
I like that sound of that.
And you’re very welcome.
Have a good night!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Some agents conveniently say what they are absolutely not into. I always love when they do that, because sometimes you fit right into the gap left between what they say they prefer and what they say they don’t. So it’s like, “Ah, so I still have a chance!” Lol.
And some agents are no help at all, only bragging about their education and what they have achieved. They don’t say their preference at all. I really don’t care that they graduated cum laude. Seriously.
Hi Nikki, I guess there’s a little comfort to be found in the fact that some of that might be agents trying to impress you. 😉
Not that it’s working, but…
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Lol, true true…
🙂
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Great article, Mark. I not only view this as a lesson, but a testimony as well. It’s inspiring to see how far you’ve come to be where you are today. 🙂
Hi Adam, thank you… and have a good night!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com