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If you’re an author that’s just finished their book, you might be thinking about sending query letters to agents in an effort to gain representation so that you can traditionally publish your book and have it appear in bookstores. If you’ve never queried before, you might feel a little overwhelmed. Here is a step by step guide to querying agents.
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When authors finish writing, editing and perfecting a new book, they typically have two choices. They can traditionally publish with the help of an agent, or they can self-publish their books via common platforms, like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo. Currently, traditional publishing makes up about 70 percent of the market, while self-publishing makes up about 30 percent of the market. The method you choose will primarily depend on your goals, your current and future skillset and the amount of cash you have available.
Querying an Agent
An agent is an individual who has book industry contacts. They know other agents. They know editors at big publishing houses, and they have a team of professionals that help them determine whether or not a book is viable. In short, they have clout. You can look at them as the traditional publishing gatekeepers for publishers that only accept submissions from agents. (There are publishing houses that accept submissions directly from authors, but I’m not covering that in this article.)
What you need to understand is that there is no accreditation for agents. Becoming a book agent is really as simple as creating a website and saying that you are a literary agent. They do not need any education. There are no experience requirements. There’s no license or professional certifications, so authors need to be careful when choosing agents to query.
Read more: Should You Find an Agent or Self-Publish Your Next Book?
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If you’re a new author or an author who’s never enrolled their book in Amazon KDP, you may be wondering what it is and how it works. Amazon’s KDP program is a subscription service for readers. It’s called Kindle Unlimited, and it provides unlimited reading of digital books on any device that has the Kindle app. The program offers a 30-day free trial, but the service is $9.99 a month after the 30-day free trial. There’s also a second category for readers called Kindle Prime. This is for individuals who have an Amazon Prime membership. For authors, it doesn’t matter which service readers subscribe to. It all falls under the same service – KDP Select.
Read more: Understanding Amazon KDP Select (Kindle Unlimited) as an Author
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