Face it. It’s a jungle out there.  Finding a literary agent can be a confusing, agonizing, and frustrating ordeal. This ordeal is made even scarier by the fact that there are plenty of not-so-savory agents, ready to take advantage of the unwary, aspiring writer. Take Robert Fletcher at Writer’s Literary Agency, for example. In a current lawsuit, it is alleged that Fletcher made $600,000 per year on fees solicited from over 20 websites, yet sold only a few books. Fletcher admitted to having no background as a literary agent. (AG Release) (FYI — there is no “degree” or particular experience required in becoming a literary agent. Anyone can hang out his/her shingle today, and charge you a reading fee tomorrow. Downright scary, if you ask me.)

So how do you know if you’re sending your precious manuscript to a top agent (who will, of course, adore it and sell its socks off), or to a bottom-feeding pseudo-agent that sucks the life out of you (and the money out of your pocket)? After spending the last nine months hunting for a top agent (and landing one), I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade that I’m happy to share:

I recommend buying the book, GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS, published by Writer’s Digest. Get a 2009, or a 2010 edition. It lists hundreds of literary agents from A-Z, none of whom charge fees (DO NOT pay reading fees!). Many of them are members of AAR, an agent organization that has a code of ethics and requirements by which member agents must abide. Go through the A-Z list and create a preliminary list based upon how well your project fits with what they’re looking for. For example, if you have a novel for teens, look for those who accept Young Adult (YA) fiction. If you have a sci-fi genre novel, then search for those who accept sci-fi.

Then, with your preliminary list in hand, do the following:

1. Glean their website for information (if they have a website). What kinds of books do they represent and what is their quality? What publishers have they sold to? To the big fish or to the small fry? (Not that guppies are bad, they’re not. But if an agent ONLY sells to small, relatively unknown publishers, then the agent likely doesn’t have the big publishing contacts so necessary in pulling off a big sale.) Read the agent bios; get a feel for who they are and how they operate. Would you want to work with them? How long have they been around? Is your manuscript a good match?

A couple of points occur to me here: First, just because an agent doesn’t have a website, or has a poor website, don’t assume that the agent isn’t reputable. Many well-established agents simply don’t have the time to create or manage a website. Plus, they usually have a full client list as it is, so why bother? Some purposefully keep a low profile to discourage floods of submissions. Instead they depend on word of mouth, referrals, or a listing in the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS for new blood. Second, just because someone hasn’t been around for a while doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re “bad.” After all, at some point, every agent out there was new to agenting. In fact, new agents are often receptive to new talent because they are looking to build their client list.

2. With modified list in hand, cross check your agents with multiple online services, such as
a) www.agentquery.com
b) http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm
c) http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=792
d) www.querytracker.com

3. Study the books each agent has sold or represented in the past two years. This information is usually available on www.publishersmarketplace.com. Cross-check the information with Amazon. Read the reviews, an excerpt if you can. Search the book to determine quality, voice, etc.

After all this homework, you should end up with a sizeable list of some pretty darn good agents! It takes a lot of time and research, but that’s how it’s done. Next week I’ll talk about the submission process, so stay tuned for Part II.

Good luck!