I know!!! You need to have an impressive writer's resume. I know that sounds odd. You would think that your good writing could be enough--but in this cash driven world, it isn't.
In order to build your resume, you need to get some short stories, poems,or flash fiction published. As you get these published, you can add them to you resume. People also like it when you take workshops and have college courses on writing. Haveing this experiance will help agents feel that you are a safe person to gamble on.
Agents, a safe and good agent, only get paid IF YOU GET PAID. So any new writer is a risk. But if you have the impressive resume, the risk seems safer.
Need help finding a publisher for short stories? This is the website I use:
http://duotrope.com/index.aspx
It is awsesome. It will help you find the right editor.
Just be prepared to be rejected a lot. I have had about 12 rejection letters and only one acceptance letter. It is very hard to get published. Editors are biased. Just don't give up!