The truth is that most writers, when we first begin, happen to think we can navigate everything on our own to reach the publishing world. From my own experience, I can tell you that it is practically impossible to reach the major publishing groups alone, without a hand to accompany you and someone to advise you.
I have been writing for four years. The creative process, from my point of view, is marvelous. However, one must bear in mind that, beyond creativity, many other factors are required, such as: documentation, expert advice to ensure your literature has veracity (as is the case with crime novels), social media management, photography, design, and a long list of others.
Of course, it is no easy feat to secure a literary agent, considering they receive a multitude of manuscripts and must choose those they deem most suitable to bet on. Ultimately, in their work, they carry the responsibility of ensuring that those they represent possess sufficient quality to be published. They must read and ascertain the potential of the manuscripts, ensuring their client is truly committed to literature and not merely pursuing a pastime. This is the challenge we face in Spain; there are more people writing here than in the rest of Europe. Consequently, it is difficult for a writer to stand out in a market that is utterly oversaturated.
In my case, in addition to having written several books, I maintain a literary blog and collaborate with the magazine Blanco sobre Negro. I have received formal training to improve my writing through a literary workshop that spanned an entire academic year. During my university years, I also took several courses outside my specialty related to the literary world. I wrote my first book on a typewriter at the age of fourteen. It was 110 pages long.
With this background—which is not insignificant, though in my view never sufficient—I have often felt alone and lost. Not because I lack advice for my books, which I have firsthand, but because of the uncertainty of where to turn (perhaps to Amazon, perhaps to contests…), or which publisher to approach, given that, as an individual, you can only select two from each publishing group.
I must say that since I realized I am not alone and can share my literary and professional doubts and uncertainties with my literary agent, I have found that long-awaited peace and security that every writer needs. From now on, I shall walk the literary path accompanied. I am a happy writer. Together, we shall reach new horizons.
Juan Ramón Biedma, a writer I deeply admire, once told me:
—Your literary agent is like your confessor.— How right you are, dear friend!