Amy asked Laura Nowlin:

I'm an aspiring writer and I loved If He Had Been with Me. What steps did you take to publish your first book? Did you have a literary agent, or did you go straight to a publisher?

Laura Nowlin Very few publishers will accept manuscripts without an agent's recommendation these days. Here's the good news; when I started trying to get an agent when I was 18, very few agents accepted email queries, I had to type out and snail mail every query. Over the years this has changed, email queries are the norm, and I actually got my agent through a writer's website that no longer exists. My advice is to check The Writer's Market out of your local library. It has tips on composing the best query letter possible, and listings of agents and what they are looking for. Make a list of 10 agents you think might like your work, send them queries and wait. (Ignore any requests for "No simultaneous queries" your time is just as valuable as theirs, send them anyway) If they all come back as "No Thanks" then send out another 10, and another 10, until you find an agent who believes in you and wants to fight to get you published. It took me 8 years to find Ali, and she's perfect for me. Good luck, this is a tough market to break into. Prepare to work a day job long for years (In fact, I still have a part-time job). I promise you though, holding your book in your hands, reading the loving reviews of Goodreads, these things make all the hard work worth it.

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