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Some authors swear by their agents; others view them as an unnecessary expense and hassle. Many publishers will only work with authors who are represented by an agent; others will work with authors directly. If you’ve just written a book or are considering writing one, do you need to hire an agent?
What is a literary agent?
A literary agent represents a writer to publishers and acts as a middleman between the publishing world and the writer. Like a theatrical agent, a literary agent uses his or her knowledge and contacts to get your book sold, get the most advantageous contract terms and negotiate extra sales, such as film rights, television rights and foreign language printings. For their efforts, literary agents are paid a percentage of the writer’s earnings, usually 10 to 15 percent.
When hiring an agent makes sense for a writer
In the past (pre-Internet world), virtually all serious fiction writers and many non-fiction writers had agents. In fact, many of the larger publishing houses, even today, won’t consider a query or a manuscript from a writer who is not represented by an agent. If you an considering submitting a book query to Random House, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins or other “Big Six” publishing houses, it’s wise to enlist the aid of an agent.
Advantages to using a literary agent
In addition to the not inconsiderable advantage of using his or her contacts and experience to sell your book, an agent offers a few additional advantages for writers, even after your book is sold:
1. Allows the writer to write, not sell. An agent takes a lot of the administrative and marketing work away from the writer and allows you to get back to what you do best–writing. For example, with an agent, you will likely be asked to make appearances to promote your book, but you won’t have to approach book stores and other venues to ask if they are interested in hosting a book signing.
2. Helps preserve the editor/writer relationship. An agent acts as a liaison between the writer and the publishing house on things like missing royalties, late payments and other non-writing matters that can get in the middle of a writer’s relationship with his or her editor.
When to go it alone
You may not need an agent if you have an established audience, from an existing Web site, local television show or local business. The Internet makes it easy for you to market and sell your book if people already know to look for it. It’s also generally not necessary to hire an agent if you’re writing a book of local interest as most regional publishers will accept queries and manuscripts directly from the author.
The decision whether to use an agent is a personal one and largely dependent on the type of book you’re written or intend to write and your audience. Agents, far from being the predators they are sometimes called, can be useful allies for authors in navigating the sometimes confusing world of publishing.