How to Snag a Self-Help Book Agent: Where to Target Your Queries

Self help books are a big market in the book publishing industry. If you are writing one you know that getting the right literary agent, one that has a specialty in the self help genre division, is crucial to your book's success or failure. Average writers, no matter what their skill level, will not have much credibility in the big markets. You will need a serious platform for this market. Make sure you have a web presence and a good speaking platform where you can do conferences and seminars on your topic once your book is out. Have an ezine, a newsletter, or a high ranking website under your belt. Give talks in your community. The better you look on paper, the easier it will be to get that business book proposal into the sell pile.

The statistics point that the majority of book buyers are women and that the self help market is one of the highest selling genres out today. There has never been more opportunity and more competition for the slots available. You have to have a hook and a passion to gather what you need in this market. Gathering the right agent is the main thing to remember. Get a specialty and don't try to expand out to cover everything. Specializing in a field is your best bet, then you will eventually become your own "expert".

Below are literary agents that all deal with self help books and are all, at the time of this article's writing, taking submissions and queries. Each literary agent is profiled with contact information and the other genres they represent. Polish off that query, make that hook the best it can be, and good luck in your quest for representation. Competition is brutal and the fight for the slots at the publishing houses can get messy. You need a competent agent going to work for you, one who knows the market trends and which houses are seeking what type of manuscripts. They can more easily find a home for your book than you can, they can also get your foot in the door of the publishing houses that don't even look at unsolicited manuscripts.

Remember to look for their website and to not email them the proposal unless you know that it is accepted. A snail mail query is always your best bet if in doubt. You don't want a book that could have been a bestseller falling through the cracks just because the agent thought you couldn't follow directions.

Jandy Nelson
Manus & Associates Literary Agency
425 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94306
jandy@manuslit.com

Represents Literary Fiction, Mystery, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction, Thrillers and Suspense, Multi-Cultural, History, Politics, Science, Parenting, How to, Memoirs, Self help, Travel, Adventure and True Story, Spirituality, Business, Women's Issues, Pop Culture, Narrative Nonfiction, Psychology, Health and Fitness, and Journalism.
They are currently accepting queries at this agency.

Stephanie Lee
Manus & Asscoiates Literary Agency
425 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94306
slee@manuslit.com

Represents Literary Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction, Multi-Cultural, Offbeat and Quirky, History, Science, Self help, Memoirs, Dating and Relationships, Business, Women's Issues, Pop Culture, Narrative Nonfiction, and Finance.
They are currently accepting queries at this agency.

Laurie Munroe Abkemeier
DeFiore and Company
72 Spring Street, Suite 304
New York, NY 10012
lma@defioreandco.com

Represents Biography, Food and Lifestyle, Science, Parenting, How to, Self help, Cookbooks, Memoirs, Travel, Business, Pop culture, Narrative Nonfiction, Psychology, Health and Fitness, and Humor.
They are currently accepting queries at this agency.

Theresa Park
The Park Literary Group
156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1134
New York, NY 10010
info@parkliterary.com
(No Email Queries, please)

Represents Literary Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thrillers and Suspense, Adventure, History, Sports, Biography, Food and Lifestyle, Science, Self help, Cookbooks, Memoirs, Travel, Spirituality, Current Affairs, Business, Narrative Nonfiction, Finance, Psychology, and Cultural & Social Issues.
They are currently accepting queries at this agency.

Faith Hamlin
Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
55 Fifth Avenue, 15th floor
New York, NY 10003
fhamlin@sjga.com

Represents Children's, Sports, Biography, Medical, Science, Self help, Memoirs, Art, Business, Narrative nonfiction, Psychology, and Health and Fitness.
They are currently accepting queries at this agency.

Heide Lange
Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
55 Fifth Avenue, 15th floor
New York, NY 10003
(No Email Queries, please)

Represents Commercial Fiction, Thrillers and Suspense, History, Biography, Science, Parenting, Self help, Memoirs, Business, Women's Issues, Psychology, Health and Fitness, Nature and Ecology, and Cultural & Social Issues.
They are currently accepting queries at this agency.