The answer to this really hinges on what you are writing. If you’re writing fiction, then 99 times out of 100 you should start looking for an agent AFTER you have finished writing your book. The vast majority of agents want to know that you have actually completed the work. The reasons for this are numerous. They want to know you have the ability and dedication to actually finish a book, they need evidence of your writing talent and also they need to know the length of the finished work. For instance, sci-fi novels are usually between 50,000 to 150,000 words long and if your book turns out to be only 20,000 words long or 300,000 words long, it’s likely not going to suit the genre.
There may be agents out there who will accept a sample piece of writing and submission for a WIP (work in progress) but these are few and far between. The other instance when agents make take authors on if they haven’t written or finished a book is if the author already has a strong platform. Be this as an author, a celebrity or a large social media following.
When it comes to non-fiction, things work slightly differently. Agents request authors to send an outline of their proposed book and a CV or list of credentials. In this case the author doesn’t even need to have started to the book.
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