Why The Hell Does Anyone Need An Agent?

[Bennett]

Sorry for the "hell" word. Too many people get offended by certain things. All I'm trying to say is that literary agents are sharks. Yes, sharks. They wait for the right-looking seal to come floating on the surface of the water. They slowly surround the prey, without any sound or notice. Suddenly, they poor innocent seal is caught in the jaws of a relentless and hungry predator that only wants to satisfy the need to feed. ($$$$$)

Now, let's understand what sharks really do. They get hungry, they hunt, they kill. That's all.

Have I been hurt by a shark? YES. When I was 17 years old, living off the coast of San Pedro Bay, I was innocently wading in the water, which was only about three feet deep.

Before I could say, "****" I was struck by what felt like a semi-truck going about 100 miles an hour. I lost a big chunk of my upper left thigh. So, yes...I actually know what it feels like to be attacked by a predator.

It's no different than a human stealing everything you've worked for.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Bennett

[Isabelle F.]

Confused about the parabol. More land-related info possible, please?

[Karen Dionne]

I'll bite.

Bennet obviously has had a bad experience with an agent who charges upfront fees and needed to vent. Unfortunately, he's right that there are bad agents out there ready to snap up the unwary, and I'm sorry he got caught. But there's no need to stay out of the water entirely from here on out - just proceed with your caution. There's a wealth of information about how to find a reputable agent (including articles on the Agents' page on this site) that spell out clearly the scams to watch out for so that he can be the one doing the hooking next time, and not the other way around.

I'd encourage him to keep swimming, but this time, put on his shark repellant.

[Goliardeys]

Some are sharks, some are adorable, like mine. That's life. In most cases you'll make more money paying an agent fifteen percent, or whatever, than going freestyle and trying to do the deals yourself. Anyway, it's not a bad thing for an agent to be a shark, as they might bite if some big chunks of money for you from publishers etc. You wouldn't want a flounder going out to bat for you, would you? Or a tuna.

[Elizabeth]

I don't know, I've known some pretty scary tuna fish in my time.

[Ed Potter]

Unless an agent is taking you for 15%, the publisher will probably take you for a whole lot more (in the form of a bum contract). We should also add to that something on how agents have established relationships in the publishing houses and therefore have a higher chance of getting your MS read.
There are a lot of bad writers, but we're not crying that all writers suck. There are bad people, so there are bad doctors, there are bad cooks, and there are bad directors. We still go to the hospital, to restaurants, and to movies/plays. We just try to be conscious consumers of those services, and that's why everybody on this site stresses doing a li'l agent research.

[Daphne]

Oh, Bennett, come on. Spill the land story as Isabelle has pointed out. Don't give us a bunch of watery metaphors, lest we swim away and find other fish to sautee.

God, that was bad. Sorry.

[Steve]

1) Agents are beneficial. If I had an agent six months ago, I feel certain tht at least one editor from a major publisher would have read my work. I'm pretty sure I would have at least one taker from a mid size house.

2) You don't need them. If I manage to get a major house interested, I might not get an agent. A lawyer (usually entertainment) can handle the contractual issues to assure you are not screwed.

3) Agents are still helpful. Whereas I might be looked at by one house, an agent could get me looked at by multiple houses and start a bidding war. Unless I get 2 or more houses bidding on me, I probably will get an agent no matter what. However, 15% is 15%--if I can save it, I will.