Agents

You probably don't need an agent.

Many successful writers go for years without an agent, and many unsuccessful writers have an agent sending their poor manuscript to every publisher in New York.

An agent isn't a magic ticket to publishing success, no matter how cool it is to say to your girlfriend, "I've got to go; my agent's calling on the other line."

Some beginning writers fear that editors will steal their work or not take them seriously without an agent, and that is not true in my experience. Editors hardly ever steal work; it's in their interest instead to find a steady source of good fiction. As for being taken seriously, that's what good writing is for.

The following guidelines may help you decide about using an agent:

• An agent can't afford to sell anything less than a screenplay or novel.
• NEVER pay an agent to read your manuscript.
• When you're ready to find an agent, do your homework.

An agent can't afford to sell anything less than a screenplay or novel.

Time for an unpleasant truth: there are about ten or twenty magazines that pay professional rates for your work. More often, you'll receive contributor's copies, a credit, and the thanks of the editor.

Since reputable agents make their money off of a percentage from selling your work, you can understand why your agent might not want 10% of your contributor's copy.

It's just not worth it for an agent to sell short stories.

A novel or a screenplay is another story. There's just enough money to be made in a novel or screenplay to make the effort worth it to an agent. Don't bother engaging an agent until you have a novel or a screenplay to submit. Even then, you can sometimes send it yourself.

NEVER pay an agent to read your manuscript.

Sadly, it is profitable for a subspecies of leech to suckle on people desperate to be writers. You'll find their ads in the back of magazines like Writer's Digest: we can sell your manuscript! For a nominal fee...

NEVER pay an agent to read your work. This is the surest sign of a disreputable agent. Real agents make their money by selling the works of authors to publishers. Sleazy con artists steal money from writers dying to be published.

If there is a lower form of human being, I'd be surprised. If you meet an agent who insists on getting paid upfront to represent you, kick him in the 'nads and move on.

When you're ready to find an agent, do your homework.

Treat an agent like you would a market: send only when you genuinely believe you have a chance with the agent and know exactly what sort of work he or she likes.

Some tips for researching an agent:

• Discover who is the agent for your favorite authors, or (even better) authors who write similar material to yours.
• Always contact a specific agent, not an agency. Never send a manuscript if can't address it to a specific name. You don't have to play golf with this person: just know his or her name so you can be polite enough to call him or her something other than To Whom it May Concern.
• Make sure the agent handles manuscripts in your genre.
• Expect a long response time, usually several months.