5 Reasons Writers Fail to Land an Agent or Book Deal

Each writer has their own individual goals, whether that’s to record their thoughts or supplement their income with freelance writing. Many have the goal of publishing a book, which requires landing a literary agent and/or a book deal with a publisher.

(Do Writers Need Literary Agents?)

While there are many factors that can go into why a writer is able to finally find success (and it’s not always writing talent), there are some no-brainer reasons why many writers fail to land an agent or book deal. I’ve collected five common reasons here to help writers avoid making these mistakes.

Reason #1: No manuscript

I don’t know how many times I’ve run into a writer who wants to make it as a writer, but they haven’t written the book. While someone may be able to get away with this in nonfiction (if they have a strong platform), most book deals require at the bare minimum a book manuscript. Anyone can have a book idea; authors take the idea and write it out.

(5 Tips for Fast-Drafting a Rom-Com.)

Reason #2: Manuscript isn’t ready

Some writers think a book deal is just a matter of writing a certain number of words and getting to “The End” of a manuscript. While it’s an achievement to finish a book-length manuscript, most first drafts are not ready for the submission process. Rather, writers need to go through a rigorous editing and revision process that might mean as many as a dozen or more drafts (or at least two).

(When Is My Novel Ready to Read?)

Reason #3: Don’t know the manuscript’s strengths

This is a common problem. A writer does write the manuscript and cleans it up with a thorough revision process. But if someone asks them about their book, they don’t know what to say. What’s the book about? Why is it worth reading? And the author needs to communicate this in a sentence or three, whether it’s a work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

(60 Examples of Hooks for Books.)

Reason #4: No understanding of the market

One of the first things an agent or editor wants to know when a writer pitches is a book is where the book fits in the market. While they’re likely to know more about the market than an unpublished author, the author should have at least a general idea of where their book belongs. Know your genre, comparable books that have been published in the past few years, and who is likely to be interested in your book.

(Identifying Your Book’s Target Audience.)

Reason #5: Lack of business awareness

One final red flag is the prospective author who lacks any business awareness. They are likely to send a pitch that warns the agent or editor that their work is protected by copyright (so they better not steal it, as if this is what agents and editors do in their free time [as if agents and editors have free time]). Or they say they’ll settle for a six-figure advance. Or a movie deal. Or an appearance on a certain TV show. Or whatever other faux pas they can commit. 

(How to Write Successful Queries for Any Genre of Writing.)

Avoiding these mistakes won’t guarantee success for a writer, but it will put them in a much better position to land that coveted agent and/or book deal.