You'd rather not...

[A different Gary]

... work with who?

If you've had some bad agents before, or know a horror story about an agent, who is it?

I want to avoid others mistakes if I can. Post under a fake name if you need to, I suppose. If you fear retribution.

I think it's good to share this type of info; people can still make their own decision but it gives them a heads up.

[Tere]

Gary,
If you are looking to avoid bad agents, just stay away from the ones who are not recommended on P&E. I've found that the same agents are mentioned across the various writers websites. There are tons of stories already on the net, and I doubt that anyone here would give you a comprehensive list of who to avoid (there are just too many bad ones!) Good luck in your search!

[A different Gary]

Well we've had quite the storyline about one "uber agent" who everyone seems to want but is a butthead. He's probably not listed as "Not Rec" on P&E, so that list may not be all inclusive.

[Wonky]

I think he's asking for stories about agents who were difficult to work with, not total sleazebags like Melanie Mills.

[A different Gary]

Yes, that would be perfect. Unlike the other thread, I'm looking for stories with names

[Minnie Mouse]

I reported my "bad agent" story to Writers Beware. Just make sure you look on P&E and check with Writers Beware before you accept an offer.

[A different Gary]

People don't like to name names, do they?

[scribbler2]

Gary, agents have occasionally popped in here to say they were not pleased with having their names dragged through the mud. (See recent thread with a particular YA agent.) And with some justification. Unless we're talking about known, named fee-charging agents who don't deserve the benefit of the doubt, this is a tricky area. The agent/author relationship is very subjective. Authors can (and do) have totally different relationships with the same agent - an author who has sold quickly and made her agent a ton of money may call her a "darling," while another author who hasn't sold, and finds herself dealing with "darling's" assistant almost exclusively, will have quite a different take on the situation. Yet this agent has done nothing wrong or professionally dubious, even if one author has had a trying experience with her. It wouldn't be fair to name names in this case, which is why I doubt you'll get many takers on this thread.

[Ed Potter]

People don't name names because different writers like agents who work in different ways. For every agent who isn't universally disliked (and hence not recommended on P&E), there are writers who like that agent's style and writers who do not.

Further, how a writer handles a project depends heavily on that project. Some projects have more potential than others, and some projects are more time-sensitive than others.

If I were to say, "Agent Yankerwicz was a jerk to me. He sent me a contract two weeks after I sent him my full and told me he knew just who would buy it. After three months it hadn't sold, and I asked him what we should do. He told me he didn't think there was a market for it anymore and said he'd send it to any publisher I wanted him to, but he wasn't going to actively push it since nobody wanted it. What a poop head!"

Writer #2 would turn around and say, "Really, Ed? Well Yankerwicz is my agent right now and he's been agressively pushing my book for nine months. He's given me suggestions that I found invaluable for a complete rewrite. He's read the rewrite and he's really charged about it. He's sending it out to a dozen publishers, including some of the ones who rejected the old version! He believes in my rewrite that much!!!! I guess your project just didn't excite him after the initial idea."

[Ed Potter]

Ladies, we need to cut back on the Vulcan Mind Melds or something.