In fact, some would tell you that’s the easy part.

The hard part of the journey happened months and even years before their book hit shelves as they scoured the literary landscape for an agent to represent their then unpublished work.

To appreciate the drive most unpublished authors feel to find an agent, one must only spend a few hours at any of the many writers conferences held around the country each year. These conferences are packed with programs and educational sessions, but that’s not why the events are sold out. For most, the sessions are secondary for the chance to meet one-on-one with an agent.

While some authors find the road to their perfect agent paved by a chance meeting or referral from a mutual friend, many spend countless hours online conducting research, mailing query letters and waiting…hoping…wishing to get something beyond a template “not the right fit” response.

The most frustrating part of the process for authors who remain unpublished is an ongoing question of whether or not their work ever got an actual read from the agent. Much like publicists who pitch national media contacts and don’t hear back, there is a nagging question of whether or not the pitch/proposal/query letter was ever even opened.

On the flipside, it’s hard to blame the agents. They receive mountains of query letters every week, and there are simply not enough hours in the day to read each manuscript, service current clients, coordinate with editors and generally evaluate every piece of writing and determine whether it is possible to find it a home.

So, as an author, how do you stand out from the crowd?

If you head over to Google and search “how to find an agent” you’ll find pages and pages of tips on how to write a better query letter or how to organize a proposal to make it stand out. Each of these are different ways to “push” information at agents.

While the tips you’ll find on how to “push” information at agents may have worked well in years past, today’s climate of shrinking lists is leading agents to be more selective than ever before.

In this atmosphere, the best way to stand out from the crowd is to use the crowd.

Instead of pushing proposals at agents, you have to pull agents to you because they’ve heard about your fabulous blog or read a tweet from you that they thought was a great idea for a book.

This goes against everything authors have been taught about how to find an agent—it’s a paradigm shift for a new publishing industry.

Skeptical?

Media Bistro’s GalleyCat blog featured a great interview last week with Justin Halpern, author of Sh*t My Dad Says, about how he found his agent. The book currently sits at #2 on the New York Times nonfiction list and CBS has a new miniseries based on the book staring William Shatner.

How did Halpern get his break? An @ reply from an agent who found him on Twitter.

Numerous pieces have been written about blog-to-book success stories that launched major books like Stuff White People Like, which was written by Christian Lander.

How did Lander get his break? Several agents reached out to him after they found the blog.

Social media is opening doors for new and “no-name” authors that have not been open in the past. Before social media, an agent could say “I don’t think there’s a market for this,” and the only thing an author could do was argue.

Now an author can whip out an analytics report or link the agent to a massive following on Twitter with evidence that can give them the confidence needed to convince an agent, and eventually a publisher, that there is a home for their work.

The good news is that authors have more control of their destiny than ever before. The bad news is that you have to be remarkable to stand out online, and many of the same skills that separate good authors from “all my friends like it” hobbyists are the same that separate good bloggers from the pack.

So, where should you start if you are an author who wants to catch an agent’s eye via social media?

• Start a blog. Justin Halpern proved that a blog isn’t the only way to do it, but it is the route that most budding authors take, because it caters to a love of writing, an ability to interact with key authors and insiders with Q&As, reviews and other coverage, and it can showcase great content.
• Consider a podcast. If you are a business author who may not have much of a platform, but you have plenty to say and aren’t afraid to entertain, a podcast may be the right fit for you. With tools like Blog Talk Radio and Podbean.com, it’s easy for even the most technologically challenged authors to find their voice online.
• Utilize Twitter. Most of my clients are very familiar with my opinion of the many opportunities available to them on Twitter. From trading @ replies with journalists to being a fly on the wall as literary agents discuss their likes and dislikes in a public forum, it’s hard to match the quick access to top literary types an author can obtain via Twitter. It is important to remember that while anyone can sign up for Twitter, it takes special talent to stand out in 140 characters.
• Don’t shy away from YouTube. Five years ago there was a significant barrier to entry for most authors who wanted to grow a presence on YouTube–money. Today, with high-quality flip-cameras that shoot web-ready video running under $200, this barrier to entry simply isn’t present anymore.  If you are going to build out a presence on YouTube, make sure you have a good understanding of what works well in the format. Spend some time watching other business channels and get a feel for who is doing it well.

The important thing to remember before you jump in and start a blog, Twitter handle, podcast or other social media account, ask questions an agent would ask. Who is my target market? How is my blog going to be different than competitors? How can I establish a unique voice that will provide value to readers?

While this may sound like a lot of work, the best part about this paradigm shift is that it allows many authors to not only pull in agents, but also media members who may need sources in your topic area, organizations who may need speakers for their next event, key figures from your industry who may reach out because they love the blog and others.

If your writing really has a market, before you know it, you won’t just have an agent—you’ll have a platform.