Melissa Charles author

I originally posted this on Threads, but wanted to compile it all into one blog post so folks could find it easier.

Let’s begin at the beginning, as they say.

What’s An Author Referral?

It’s when an agented author recommends you to their agent. It’s not a guarantee of an offer of representation or even a request for further materials. Can it help? Yes. If the book is right, the agent is right, all the planets and stars align, it can help.

How Do I Get A Referral?

Situation One:

You’ve been friends with an author for a while, they’re familiar with your work and think that their agents might enjoy it, they may offer to refer you. Which is fantastic!

BUT.

They have zero control over anything else. They can’t demand the agent read your query, ask for the full, give feedback, etc. A referral MAY get you a faster response, but all agents (and their processes) are different. Being upset with your author friend if you wait longer than you think you should, or get a rejection will only result in losing a friend.

Situation Two:

An author approaches another for a referral but has no history of a relationship with them, at best being vague acquaintances.

This isn’t great.

A lot of folks are of the opinion that it can’t hurt to ask, and the worst that can happen is someone says no.

But please consider what is actually being asked for here. The author being approached for a referral doesn’t know you or your work, but you’re asking them to stake their reputation, their relationship with their agent, on a stranger.

That’s gonna leave people feeling the ick in a major way. Being used never gives people the warm fuzzies.

Situation Three:

Someone queries the agent, claiming a referral, but the client has ZERO CLUE this is happening. This may be from someone who does know the author to varying degrees, or someone who’s completely unknown. This happens. I don’t know if it’s a lot, but it definitely happens.

For the love of all that ever was or will be, DO NOT DO THIS.

Is It Okay To Ask For A Referral?

Sometimes, yes.

I know, that’s sooooo helpful, right?

When is it okay? Well, have you researched the agent? Do they rep your genre and age group? Are they open for queries? Are you and the author friends? Are they familiar with your work?

If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then I’d go ahead and ask. But if they say no, DO NOT mention their name when querying.

You should absolutely query the agent if they seem like a good fit, but nowhere in the query should the author’s name appear.

Agents and authors talk. Discovering a querying author misrepresented themselves by claiming a referral that never happened is not a good thing, and ruins trust before it can even really begin. You have a far better chance of a positive outcome by simply querying via the slush pile than faking a referral and turning a potential ‘yes’ into a hard ‘no.’