Here's another way to look at it. If you wanted to put your home on the market, would you use a real estate agent who'd been trying for years but had never actually managed to sell a house? It's no different with literary agents. You want someone with demonstrated competence--i.e., a verifiable track record of commercial sales. If an agent has been in business for some time and has no real track record (or won't share sales information--a major red flag) it's a strong indication that she doesn't have the skills or the contacts needed to get editors' attention. And if she isn't having much luck selling her other clients' work, the odds she'll sell yours are pretty slim.

Many writers believe that the words "literary agent" on a letterhead is a guarantee of editors' attention, and that having an agent--any agent--will automatically open doors that are closed to unagented writers. But this really isn't so. Editors are well aware of how many incompetent and/or fraudulent agents there are; it's one of many reasons they prefer to work with agents they know, either personally or by reputation. Unknown agents may receive a little more attention than unagented writers, but not much. And if--as many amateur or fraudulent agents do--the agent uses obviously unprofessional methods (submitting substandard or inappropriate material, "blitz" submitting to a dozen or more editors at once, using form letters, using the client's own query letter, including a "marketing" plan with a novel submission, "bundling" several queries in a single submission...the list goes on) the editor will immediately tag them as questionable and toss their submission onto the slush pile.

So do query that successful agent--not just because you can, but because he's the only kind of agent worth having.

7. On a related note--be careful with new agents. First-time writers are often advised to query new agents just setting up shop, since these agents are usually actively looking to build their lists. This is good advice, with one caveat: not all new agents are created equal. Contacts and an inside knowledge of the publishing industry are essential. Someone with these assets will probably start making sales right away, but someone who's coming to agenting from a non-publishing-related field is going to have a much tougher time getting up to speed--if indeed they ever do.

If you're thinking of querying a new agent, make sure s/he has either solid commercial publishing experience (as an editor, say), or has previously worked for another (reputable) agency. Make sure also that s/he really is new--in business a year or less--and not just using a "new to the business" claim to cover up several years of pitiful track records (a common tactic among incompetent agents). As a general rule of thumb, a new agent should begin making sales within six months to a year of starting up.

Resources Mentioned in This Article

The Association of Authors' Representatives. The professional trade group for US agents. Their website hosts a membership roster and the AAR Canon of Ethics.

The Association of Authors' Agents. The professional trade group for UK agents. Their website hosts a membership roster and the AAA Code of Practice.

Agent Research & Evaluation News. Informative articles on agents and the deals they make.

Publishers Weekly. The online version of the print magazine, very useful for news about agents and publishing in general. It's mainly US-focused, but covers international publishing as well.

Publishing News Online. Also the online version of the print magazine. Comprehensive news about the UK market.

Publisher's Lunch. A fantastic free newsletter that provides the most up-to-date information about the publishing world. A feature is the weekly Deal Lunch, which covers recent agent/publisher deals.

Publishers Marketplace. An extensive professional website where many established agents have listings. Apart from the AAR and the AAA, this is the most reliable agent listing on the Internet; but as with all Internet listings, there are a few bad eggs.

Writer Beware. I maintain this website for SFWA. There's detailed information about literary agents here, as well as sections on book doctors, subsidy publishers, contests, copyright, electronic rights, and online publication.

Preditors & Editors. Agent listings, with notations as to which agents aren't recommended.

Agent Research & Evaluation Verification Service. Another place to check up on agents. AR&E will search their database for sales the agent has made, and let you know if there've been any complaints.

Literary Agent Watchdog. This site posts complaints about agents, some of them pretty detailed.

Researching an Agent's Track Record My article suggests a procedure for researching track records, and offers some resources.

Landing an Agent. This article by science fiction author Robert Sawyer includes advice on querying plus a list of agents who represent SFWA members.

The Complete Nobody's Guide to Query Letters. An excellent article on crafting query letters, from author Lynn Flewelling.

Copyright 1999-2004 Victoria Strauss

This article may be reproduced, with permission, for distribution to writers' groups. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

I was born in Exeter, New Hampshire. My father, a university professor, was very successful in obtaining research grants and guest professorships, and during my childhood and adolescence we traveled almost as much as a military family, never staying in one place for more than a couple of years at a time. In addition to several U.S. states, I've lived in Ireland, England, and Germany, and traveled throughout Europe.

I graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Comparative Religion--which didn't do much to help me find a conventional job, but did satisfy my fascination with world belief systems, an interest that enduringly informs my writing. After that I supported my writing habit through a variety of mostly ill-paid and often odd

positions, winding up eventually as the financial manager of a not-for-profit corporation (a very strange place for a “D” math student to find herself!). A few years ago I happily left the world of salaries and offices behind to begin writing full-time, a decision which has made me a good deal poorer but a great deal happier.

I enthusiastically wrote stories and poems as a child, but for some reason it never occurred to me I could make a career of it (even though my mother is a published novelist). I began my first novel, The Lady of Rhuddesmere, essentially as an excuse to take a year off between high school and college. But some deeper instinct must have guided me, because by the end of the first chapter I was hooked, and before the book was halfway done I knew that writing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Nearly ten years later, thanks to the efforts of my dedicated agent, Lady was finally published. Two more young adult fantasies followed: Worldstone and Guardian of the Hills. Though I enjoy writing for young people, I've always wanted to work in adult fiction, so I embarked upon The Arm of the Stone and its sequel, The Garden of the Stone. My next two books will comprise a duology; the first is called The Burning Land. I'm currently at work on the second, which as yet is untitled.

I live in Amherst, Massachusetts, with my wonderful husband Rob (who doesn't understand my need to write, but fully supports it), and two cats. In my spare time I'm an avid gardener, a voracious and eclectic reader, an enthusiastic hiker, a dedicated movie buff, and a frequent attender of craft shows. I also write the occasional freelance article and book review.

My professional affiliations include the Author's Guild, NovelistsInc, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, where I'm a member of the Writing Scams Committee. Along with other intrepid scam hunters, I help wage a vigorous campaign against the huge variety of literary schemes and scams that prey on writers. As part of that effort, I created and maintain Writer Beware, a compendium of warnings about literary fraud.