Q: How do I know if a literary agent is great?
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Q: How do I know if a literary agent is great?
A: Great is a subjective word, but if you do your research by going to the places I suggest in my course, you’ll start to narrow down who might be great for your work and who might not. For example, I believe GREAT agents are ones who are
1) LEGIT, meaning not scam artists - go to the resources I point out in my agent articles to double-check that they appear to be who they say they are and don’t charge fees, etc.,
2) Represent the kind of work you write (e.g., Picture books, or nonfiction, or novels, or all of the above)
3) Meet the criteria you have for an agent (again the see the articles for a list of criteria)
4) AND one who you seem to get along with. This last one is going to be your biggest indicator as to the word GREAT. You can do a lot to narrow down an agent that might be a good fit, but it’s not until you are offered representation, that you will have a real opportunity to interview them and figure out if you are a match. See my article on interviewing an agent.
Hi Cynthea,
I just came across your wonderful site through SCBWI. I have had NO luck getting an agent, despite the fact that I’ve had 12 picture books published, a couple of adult books, and dozens of work-for-hire elementary texts. I was told by one agent that most don’t want to bother with picture book authors because they get only 5 percent royalty. What do you think?
Thanks, Carole
Hi Carole,
It’s sorta true. Finding an agent who will rep strictly picture books is pretty hard to do. If you have a track record (hopefully a recent track record), that works in your favor, but if the new manuscripts you’re pitching to them don’t interest them, you might as well be back at square one.
At any rate, a lot of agents find that picture books are 1) very hard to sell because there is so much competition out there when compared to novels and 2)to the agent’s point, the “take” is a lot lower for picture book authors unless the agent is repping an author/illustrator. The advances also tend to be lower for picture books than for novels. And since most books don’t earn out their advances, the agent’s time is probably better spent looking for novelists instead.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get representation! If no agent is biting at the work you’re submitting, pitch those manuscripts to editors directly and try something else with the agents. Getting an agent off of a picture book is possible! It’s just a lot harder than if you are a novelist. So going into it with the right expectations might help lessen your frustration.
Here’s a link to a related article I wrote that addresses this subject as well.
http://www.cynthealiu.com/2006/05/23/42/should-i-find-an-agent-now/