First, you have to find an agent with the right specialty. Usually, an agent’s areas of interest are listed in writer’s market guidebooks and on his Web site. Authors also generally thank their agents in the acknowledgment sections, so you may also find names by picking up books with topics that are similar to yours and looking for the acknowledgments. Agents who specialize usually have terrific contacts with editors and publishers in their areas of interest. They are familiar with all of their books, the competition, their current lists, and their wish lists.

But once you’ve found a specialist, have you found an agent who’s right for you? Let’s say you approach the agent who just sold the hottest diet book with your time-tested diet book, based on your long-running newspaper column called “Eating Right.” You’re a certified nutritionist who lectures frequently—that certainly doesn’t hurt.

Since this agent has experience with diet books plus the connections and knowledge of what diet books editors and publishers are buying, you just might have contacted the right agent.

But on the other hand, she might not be right. Due to her recent success, she may have ascended to another level, representing only high-profile chefs and foodies with the most established national platforms. The bar might be set so high that you don’t have a chance. Sometimes the only way to find out is to approach her.

But don’t give up yet. Some agents represent a variety of authors who write about many different fields. Some literary agencies have agents who specialize in different areas. If an agent or an agency doesn’t handle your type of book, he or she usually can refer you to someone who does. And their recommendations can make a difference. Start thinking of yourself in terms of your specialty areas. Are you a parenting writer, a memoir writer, a true-crime writer, a business writer, or a gardening writer? The more precisely you describe what you do, the more effectively you will be able to communicate with agents or people who can connect you with agents.

Check out the national bestseller Author 101: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman with Mark Steisel.

Contacting an Agent
Most writers initially contact agents via e-mail. Agents like e-mail inquiries because they’re easy to answer. Most of the queries agents receive are about books they are not interested in handling, so being able to save time responding is critical. A declining number of holdouts prefer to receive query letters sent via postal mail, but they’re in the minority. Check each agent’s Web site to see how he or she prefers to be queried. Authors can also make initial contact with agents at conferences and other events. For information on writers’ conferences, see Writer’s Digest and ShawGuides.

Many agents won’t accept unsolicited telephone queries, and if you call, their screeners generally won’t put you through. If you do get through, most agents will still ask you to submit something in writing: a query letter, a book proposal, or your entire manuscript, if it’s written. Agents want written submissions so they can get a sense of writers’ ability to express themselves clearly. Written submissions also let agents see how well writers are organized and their skill in presenting themselves and their ideas.

Think Like an Agent
If you want to find an agent, ask yourself this simple question: Where do agents go? To be more specific, what conferences do they attend? Where do they speak? What organizations do they belong to? Although we certainly aren’t suggesting that you follow them around, if you start thinking like agents think, it will improve your chances of being at the right place at the right time to meet the right agent. Research the literary and publishing scene in your area. See if, when, and where writers’ associations, publishers’ groups, and literary clubs meet. Are any nearby bookstores, libraries, or cafés conducting interesting programs or hosting book signings? Are local colleges or universities offering lecture series featuring writers, agents, or publishers? Agents get a lot of their new clients through referrals from their existing clients and their publishing contacts, so you may want to seek out those people too. Investigate whether any well-known authors are teaching courses that you could attend in your area, even if it’s just to sit in. Go where book people congregate and make contacts.