Finding a Literary Agent by Louise Hall

When I got married and had kids, I would anticipate the approach of night time when I allowed myself be transported into my own land of bliss as I delved into one of the many good books on my shelves. Reading was a natural form of escapism for me; but something changed in my life which found me unable to read for a very long time.

In January 2008, my youngest sister, at the very tender age of twenty six, passed away suddenly. We were all devastated.

Nicky had Down’s syndrome and was a massive part of our lives. Trying to pick up the pieces wasn’t easy.

Suddenly aware of my own precious mortality, I realized that I needed to replace the books I loved so much but couldn’t find the attention for anymore. After spending a year or so deciding whether or not to write a book, I cast away the unwanted negativity and began to embark on a project I wasn’t really sure I would follow through.

Once I started, it felt like it was the most natural thing in the world. Before I knew it, I had twenty thousand words down. The only problem I experienced at this stage was not knowing whether or not I was actually good at writing.

After much Googling about how I would even begin to get this unfinished book published, I came to the conclusion that I desperately needed an agent.

Obstacle number two, stood smirking right before my eyes as I also realized that for all the successful published authors we Irish seem to effortlessly produce, there are very few literary agents.

I came across a website of an agency based in America and immediately thought, “Well that won’t work”. However, on reading through the website, I discovered that the agency represented Irish writers. Spotting that someone as reputable as P.R. Guru, Terry Prone, was one of the agency’s clients, gave me the confidence to direct myself to the submissions page.

I sent a query email including a synopsis of the unfinished novel to the email address listed. Two weeks later, I received a reply from the agent saying that she would be really interested in my manuscript and could I send on the first three chapters.

I edited, read and re-read my work before I sent it on to the agent. Two weeks later, I received another email which simply read, “I am intrigued, please send on the full manuscript to the address below.”

I was literally enthralled that someone was interested in my work but also annoyed that I hadn’t finished it and was now in an extremely awkward and possibly detrimental situation.

Adhering to the good old fashioned saying that ‘honesty is the best policy’, I emailed the agent back and told her the truth and surprisingly enough she said it was no problem and that I was to contact her when I had finished it.

That was all I needed to put the wind in my sails and I set about finishing the manuscript I simply had to write. From the start, I knew where I was going with the story and so it came very easy to me as I sat down each morning and wrote as much as my brain and time allowed. Within six weeks I had my manuscript complete.

A couple of weeks later, the agent informed me that she was coming over to Dublin to run the marathon and would love to meet up with me while she was there. We immediately clicked and the informal meeting, which involved lunch in the majestic tower where Terry Prone lives in Portrane, was a huge success.

Last year, my first manuscript, titled, The Barrels, was submitted to several publishers through my agent, Tracy Brennan of Trace Literary Agency. The main character in the novel is, of course, inspired by my sister Nicky but the story is fiction and looks at how two families deal with the trials and tribulations of life. The Barrels is a story for anyone who has a child with special needs, anyone who has had cancer and anyone who has lost someone dear to them. It is a book of faith, hope and love.

In order to cope with the lengthy torturous waiting period, I decided to write my second manuscript, Little Moll, which is also with publishers as we speak.

Little Moll is a colorful, detailed account of a young girl growing up in Ireland during a time where the Catholic Church ruled the country and there were little prospects for women at the time. Hoping for a better life, Molly decides to enter the convent at the age of 13 and spends 7 years as a novitiate in America. When she meets a young Irishman who she develops a relationship with, Molly’s life takes a different turn.

Little Moll is a love story and testament to the belief that love will always find a way home, no matter who or what stands in its way.

I sometimes regret that it took something as tragic as my sister passing away, to get me on the road to writing, but I thank her everyday for the inspiration she most definitely sends me from above.

Hopefully, I will get some positive response from publishers in the near future, but for now, I feel that familiar unrelenting urge to write a third manuscript which maybe someday will become a published novel. All I need now is the usual inspiration from above to get me started and the unrivalled attributes of my agent to help me on my way.

You can follow me on @LouHallWriter and on my blog at louisehallwriter.wordpress.com

(C) Louise Hall 2012

For more information Getting Published, read our Submission Tips including

From Contract to Publication - Demystified
How I Got Pubished Without an Agent 
What is Editing 
What is Genre

Check out our listings of Irish agents and Irish Publishers , consider More Publishing Options and Digital Publishing  in the Getting Published section of the Writers Toolbox here on writing.ie