TLDR: Be born to a wealthy family
Mar. 28th, 2026 07:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingTake It from Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/734107/take-it-from-me-by-alia-hanna-habib/
This book is an approachable and interesting read, but it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. There’s no secret sauce, unfortunately. I think a lot of this translates to fiction writing as well. But essentially, this is how you get an agent:
1. It is very important to agents that you have a “platform.”
2. This “platform” doesn’t necessarily mean having a lot of social media followers, but it entails being famous or respected in some way.
3. You can query all you want; but, 999 times out of 1000, an agent is going to get in touch with you if they’re interested.* Querying agents isn’t a complete waste of time, but most agents aren’t finding their clients through queries or book proposals.
* This has been my experience, by the way. Almost all of the nonfiction work I’ve published (including my book) has been directly solicited or commissioned by an editor. In contrast, most of my unsolicited pitches go unanswered.
4. The best way to attract an agent’s attention is to be a celebrity in a field that has nothing to do with writing.
5. If you’re actually a writer, the best way to attract an agent’s attention is to publish a steady stream of shorter pieces and hope that something wins an award or goes viral.
6. There’s a lot of “word of mouth” buzz in the industry, so it can be extremely helpful if you know somebody who knows somebody.*
* This has also been my experience. Most editors have gotten in touch with me because someone recommended me by name. I suspect that, usually, that “someone” was their first choice who happened to be busy at the time, but I don’t let that bother me. I also try to be that “someone” for other people when I can.
7. This is why it’s super useful to do an MFA, the process of which will help bring you into industry circles. Do you not have $100k to spend on an MFA? Sorry, friend. The world is unfair.
8. If you can’t do an MFA, it can be a decent alternative to do writer’s conferences. Very strong emphasis on can be, though. Writer’s conferences are infamous for being hectic.
9. Another alternative is to do a PhD. PhD students are funded (ie, given full tuition, a salary, and access to research grants), so this is what I did. I wouldn't recommend it, though. This is the devil’s path.
Basically, though, it all boils down to “platform.” In other words, the agent has to know who you are beforehand. So good luck with that.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/734107/take-it-from-me-by-alia-hanna-habib/
This book is an approachable and interesting read, but it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. There’s no secret sauce, unfortunately. I think a lot of this translates to fiction writing as well. But essentially, this is how you get an agent:
1. It is very important to agents that you have a “platform.”
2. This “platform” doesn’t necessarily mean having a lot of social media followers, but it entails being famous or respected in some way.
3. You can query all you want; but, 999 times out of 1000, an agent is going to get in touch with you if they’re interested.* Querying agents isn’t a complete waste of time, but most agents aren’t finding their clients through queries or book proposals.
* This has been my experience, by the way. Almost all of the nonfiction work I’ve published (including my book) has been directly solicited or commissioned by an editor. In contrast, most of my unsolicited pitches go unanswered.
4. The best way to attract an agent’s attention is to be a celebrity in a field that has nothing to do with writing.
5. If you’re actually a writer, the best way to attract an agent’s attention is to publish a steady stream of shorter pieces and hope that something wins an award or goes viral.
6. There’s a lot of “word of mouth” buzz in the industry, so it can be extremely helpful if you know somebody who knows somebody.*
* This has also been my experience. Most editors have gotten in touch with me because someone recommended me by name. I suspect that, usually, that “someone” was their first choice who happened to be busy at the time, but I don’t let that bother me. I also try to be that “someone” for other people when I can.
7. This is why it’s super useful to do an MFA, the process of which will help bring you into industry circles. Do you not have $100k to spend on an MFA? Sorry, friend. The world is unfair.
8. If you can’t do an MFA, it can be a decent alternative to do writer’s conferences. Very strong emphasis on can be, though. Writer’s conferences are infamous for being hectic.
9. Another alternative is to do a PhD. PhD students are funded (ie, given full tuition, a salary, and access to research grants), so this is what I did. I wouldn't recommend it, though. This is the devil’s path.
Basically, though, it all boils down to “platform.” In other words, the agent has to know who you are beforehand. So good luck with that.
