Some of our creative writing course graduates use agents to get their work published. However, the majority prefer to make their own approaches to literary publishers.

So, should you use an agent, or not?

It really depends on how many contacts you have after you have finished your online creative writing course

If you are a complete novice, then an agent might be able to cut corners and get your work before potential publishers.

Remember, though, that most literary agents deal with specific genres, for example, food, sports, fashion etc. There are very few agents who cover the whole publishing market.

The first step is to check out literary agents on the internet and find one that would look at your genre. This article gives some helpful tips.

Then you need to make sure that your manuscript is formatted, edited and proofread, and presented in a perfect condition exactly the way the agent wants to see it.

Agents are no different to publishers – they don’t want to see fancy colours, fonts or errors.

It’s also worth looking in the Writers and Artists Yearbook. It’s pricey, but full of useful information and contacts. It’s available at a bookshop or to buy from Amazon.

CMP’s self-publishing course is another option. It shows you how to use CreateSpace to turn your manuscript into a book to sell on Amazon and Kindle.