How to Query a Literary Agent

In this course, Marissa Burt, author of numerous novels and non-fiction books, provides a comprehensive overview of the querying process for literary agents and traditional publishing. She explains the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing, unpacks the essential role of literary agents, and explains the steps authors need to take to prepare for querying. She helps students develop their own personalized query kit—including a stand-out query letter—and guides them through various ways to research potential agents. Marissa walks students through the querying process, including accessing tools like Query Tracker, Publisher's Marketplace, writer's conferences and more to help authors find agents who would be a good business partner. She also discusses what to expect with agent responses, how to stay organized throughout the querying process, and how to prepare for a business call with a literary agent.

This course is designed to help authors of non-fiction and fiction books understand the traditional publication process. It will be most helpful to people who have a completed, polished draft ready to go out to editors and authors and to authors who are still in the drafting stage but may also want to look ahead toward publication. It is a natural follow-up to Marissa's two other Udemy courses: How to Write and Publish a Novel and How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal.