As a writer, you may have wondered whether you want to self-publish or go the traditional route. If you choose the latter, you’ll need to consider hiring a literary agent.

In short, a literary agent is someone who advocates for their author client in every conceivable arena that involves promoting their work. Agents often work for a specific literary agency, but it’s not unusual to find agents who have gone solo and work for themselves. They not only work with publishers to try and get their clients’ books published, but they also build relationships with other entities that might benefit the client, such as landing magazine interviews or negotiating with television networks for a series deal.

When looking to hire a literary agent, there are a few important strategies you should keep in mind. These include things you can do on your end, as well as certain qualities and qualifications you should look for on their end.

Don’t start shopping around until you have a completed manuscript.
Once a publisher gets ahold of your book, a certain amount of edits will need to be made (sometimes a lot of edits). That shouldn’t concern you at this point. What should concern you is making sure that your book is complete to the best of your ability before sending out even a single agent inquiry email.

The last thing you want is to get off on the wrong foot by receiving a response back from a literary agent who’s asking for the full novel and then being forced to admit that you don’t actually have the full novel ready yet. I guarantee they’ll be asking themselves, Then why in the world did you send me this inquiry? So first things first: make sure your book is good to go before reaching out.

Pinpoint the books that are similar to yours.
One of the best ways to find a literary agent that is right for you is to comb through books that are in genres comparable to yours and find the agent(s) who represented those novels. This is often (although not always) mentioned in the acknowledgments section at the end of a book. Literary agents usually work with clients whose writing falls in the same general category, so by identifying a handful that represents your particular genre, you’ll be more likely to hit up someone who is familiar with what it takes to help make your specific book a success.

Embark on an online research quest.
One of the wonderful advantages of the internet is access to information that traditional authors of the past never had. Put that advantage to good use by doing your own research online. Whether that is looking at a specific literary agency (most of which list their agent qualifications right on their website) or perusing professional social media platforms like LinkedIn for independent agents who are open to new clients, there is a plethora of digital ways to find someone to whom you can send a formal inquiry.

Build your own buzz about your book.
Don’t worry; it’s not all on you to make a connection with a literary agent. In fact, many spend plenty of time energetically looking for their own clients. Where they look may vary, but it could be anywhere from blogs and winners of writing contests to published anthologies and creative writing school literary journals.

In other words, get your work out there in the world! It will not only help your writing by encouraging you to do it more and more, but it will also greatly increase the chances that a literary agent will read something you wrote (even if it’s not the novel that you ultimately want to shop around) and reach out to you as a result.

Get your materials ready to go.
Once you have decided which literary agents to submit your work to, the time has come to gather everything you need to send in. This includes three major elements that should not be skipped.

The first is a synopsis of your book. This means a brief summary (generally 500–700 words) of the major highlights of your plot, written in a way that is intriguing but not opaque (you want to interest the agents, not confuse them).

The second item needed for submission is the first three chapters (and only the first three chapters!) of your manuscript. If the agent is interested enough after those three chapters, they will respond and ask for the full book. If they are not interested, you may want to take another look at the content of those first three chapters.

The last thing you need is a query letter. This is essentially a one-page pitch that includes what your book consists of and what kind of audience it will appeal to. It is designed to pique the agent’s interest in finding out more about what you have to offer.

Just remember to keep each inquiry and submission individualized—address the agent specifically by name and submit materials to different agents one at a time. After all, no one wants to feel like they’re part of an email blast.

Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville with her husband and two kids. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.