Agents...where to look.

[leslee]

I don't understand why he got lost.

Well, he's saying he did. Isn't that enough?

He found WN. So he did seek, he did find, and he's asking a good question.

It's a reasonable question to ask at a writing site.

As Liza put it, That's what this joint is here for, right?

[Avonne Writer]

Agents that belong to Association of Authors' Representatives abide by a certain code of ethics, which includes not charging to read manuscripts, etc. Here is their website:

http://aaronline.org/

This does not mean that if an agent doesn't belong that he/she isn't any good, but it is a good place to start looking looking.

Another trick to finding agencies is to look through agent bios. You locate one agency. Look at all the agent bios, get at least 3-5 more agency names and so forth. They will tell you which agencies they've worked for previously and that gives you several more to research. (As long as those are still in existence that is)

Good luck

[Micheal Woodruff]

Agents don't publish; they sell stories to publishers in return for a percentage of advances and royalties paid to the writers. To land an agent, you write a query letter. (There are other ways, like being really famous.)

A good on-line source for agent stuff--and query writing, too--is AgentQuery. Also, you can verify an agent's bona fides at Writer Beware and Preditors & Editors. Refer to each agent's website for submission instructions; they are not all the same.

Query widely and simultaneously. Avoid exclusives.

Don't pay anyone to represent, edit, or publish your work.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thank you Jayce. It does help.

I came across the AQ site several hours after the original posting and began looking through the list.

Not that it shouldn't be done, but articles responding to this question have been stickied to the "Agents" page for years (I know, because the lead article is mine) and it hasn't stopped the question from being asked.

Want to find an agent? There are articles concerning how to approach this linked to the "Agents" page of this website, righthand column.

Thank you Gary. In looking through the Forum I didn't notice the ribbon at the top of the site page that has Agents on it.

Micheal says, "I've done internet searches but got lost in the results." I don't understand why he got lost. Plus, there are many helpful forums at WN already set up.

*_*

Yes Kitty, I got lost in the results. Why? Because when performing the search I received thousands of misleading links. A lot of the top ones I received were scam artists posing as agents and publishers. It might have helped to include "Literary" in my search but I didn't know that at the time.

Agents that belong to Association of Authors' Representatives abide by a certain code of ethics, which includes not charging to read manuscripts, etc. Here is their website:

http://aaronline.org/

This does not mean that if an agent doesn't belong that he/she isn't any good, but it is a good place to start looking looking.

Another trick to finding agencies is to look through agent bios. You locate one agency. Look at all the agent bios, get at least 3-5 more agency names and so forth. They will tell you which agencies they've worked for previously and that gives you several more to research. (As long as those are still in existence that is)

Good luck

Thank you Avonne. That does help clarify a good many things for me.

[Gary Kessler]

You can also go to your local library (in the States) and ask for copies of the annual Literary Marketplace. (It's usually in the reference section and often behind the librarian's desk as they use it as a reference). This is the bible of the publishing industry on agents, publishers, and supporting functions. There is an indexed (by category) Agent section of this. You still have to research the agents listed, as some stinkers do get through. But it's a free-use source and one that the industry itself uses.

[Jeanne Gassman]

And don't overlook Querytracker.net as a resource. The premium membership ($25.00 a year) offers tons of great features, but the free version is also quite good. All of the agents in their database are vetted and screened. If you go to the Resources tab on the right of the main page, you will find a link to the discussion forum, where you can receive some good feedback on query letters, the first five pages, the synopsis, etc.

AgentQuery (already mentioned here) also has a discussion forum called AgentQueryConnect.

Despite all these helpful links, Michael, you will still need to do a lot of personal research. Once you find a list of potential agents, you need to do some research on each one. Google their names, read the interviews and the blog posts. Follow them on Twitter. See if they have a FaceBook page. Literary agents today are highly socially connected. If you're savvy, you can make this public presence work to your advantage by learning to read between the lines. There are agents--very successful agents--who post regularly on Twitter. Even though they rep my genre, I would never consider querying them because I don't feel comfortable with the way they mock some of the poor souls who have queried them in the past. It seems unprofessional to me, especially when they post revealing information about the writer. However, I've also discovered some wonderful agents on FB or Twitter who otherwise have a very low Internet presence. These are the agents who have chosen not to be listed in databases like AQ or QT. Many of them are open to queries. They just don't want to be inundated by them.

You may not like the whole social networking thing, but it's becoming the way the writing biz functions.

Jeanne

[Susan B]

Micheal, have you tried looking in the acknowledgements of books similar to yours? I've seen that advice somewhere here. Authors usually thank their agents. It might narrow down the overwhelming number of agents to research, or at least give you a place to start.

[Jena Grace]

Micheal, have you tried looking in the acknowledgements of books similar to yours? I've seen that advice somewhere here. Authors usually thank their agents. It might narrow down the overwhelming number of agents to research, or at least give you a place to start.

This is exactly how I found my agent.

[Frank Baron]

This is exactly how I found my agent.

And it's exactly what I (and quite a few others) have been advising newbs to do for years. It's about the best evidence possible of an agen'ts worth.

[Jena Grace]

And it's exactly what I (and quite a few others) have been advising newbs to do for years. It's about the best evidence possible of an agen'ts worth.

And you're the one who probably told me to do that way back when. Thank you!

[Micheal Woodruff]

Excellent thoughts from everybody. Thank you. I hadn't considered the Libraries Copy of Literary Marketplace but then I haven't been to the library in quite a while. The social networking idea is good too. I'll have to remember that when I get into a position where I can participate in that regularly. Certain restrictions at present tend to limit accessability.

Indeed there is a lot to go through and now I have great starting points. Thank you all.