Publishing Your Writing Through an Agent

Agents, or reps, certainly have their place in our field. There are both pros and cons to having someone act as your agent. Some of you may not see any reason to have someone represent your publication. And in some instances that's valid thinking, depending on the breadth and scope of your potential audience. However, let's look at some good reasons to use an agent.

An agent may be the insider door you've been looking for in your particular genre. An agent may help you out because you know one of his current or former clients, thus opening more doors. Agents often know the right people to get your manuscript to, bypassing secretaries, junior editors, etc.

Agents can tell you if your work is truly marketable or not. If they don't think it is, they will tell you. Why would they spend time on a non-marketable product? (Ten percent of zero is still zero.) An agent may think that you have a good manuscript, but a potentially narrow audience, and she can guide you to some good self publishing sources. If you are writing in addition to holding a demanding day job and family obligations, an agent can handle a lot of hassles once you are accepted to be published by a reputable company.

Agent lists tend to stay up to date better than the revolving door of editors at a large publishing house. There is less time spent chasing down the correct person to send your manuscript to. Agents tend to represent only a few genres. Once again this saves you time looking for the proper editor and publisher on your own.

There are many more reasons to go with an agent, but those are some of the biggest. If you decide to look for an agent, do it with common sense, and with a realization that you may still have to submit your finished work for a long, long time before anyone will take a good look at it, let alone represent it. You also need to be realistic about the audience for your book or article. If your list of potential buyers is very, very small then you might be better off finding a good independent editor, publishing it yourself, and then using direct mail to target customers.

I'll add one word of warning about agents and representatives in this business. Except in rare cases, agents are not editors. Don't expect them to be. Do not send a crappy, crudely written, poorly revised manuscript to an agent hoping that he or she can see the potential in it. If that's your idea, then I have another bit of advice for you. Get over yourself!

Sorry to get on my soapbox again, but don't expect someone else to do your dirty work for you. Unfortunately, some writers (and here I use the term loosely) think that it's their responsibility to make sure that an agent earns his percentage. Frankly, that's just an excuse for being lazy. Agents are supposed to represent good manuscripts and they expect them to arrive in their mailbox without needing a total redo by anyone. They are not looking for rough potential. They are looking for a marketable product that they can present to a good publishing house. Why should they spend time with sloppily written and poorly presented copy? There are enough writers out there willing to do what it takes to be a success. A good agent can spot that in the opening pages of a manuscript.

Speaking of good agents, how do you find one? Go to your library or bookstore and read through one of several guides to literary agents. Most of those books have very helpful advice sections. One of the best things you can do is contact a local writer who emulates your style and who works in your genre. Actually, any writer you admire might be able to give you a good place to start. When you do hook up with an agent who wants to represent you, ask them for references, for names of people that they've represented and gotten published. Any reputable person will be glad to furnish you with some names and phone numbers. If you still aren't certain about representation, then you might consider many of the self publishing options.