Do We Still Need Literary Agents?

Do We Still Need Literary Agents?

The BookTown Team

A common question aspiring authors tend to ask themselves is whether they need to hire the services of a literary agent or not. A literary agent, also known as a publishing agent or a writer’s representative, is a party who acts on behalf of a writer to sell and promote their works to publishers, producers or studios.

They assist in working out deals with outside parties and negotiating contracts
on the writer’s behalf. Literary agents usually charge their clients a fixed
percentage on successful sales coming from any negotiated deals they set up.

Although it is not imperative for a writer to use the services of literary agents to communicate with publishers or producers, their services are indeed extremely valuable, especially for beginner writers, as they have established connections with publishing houses and editors from past contracts for other clients.

If you plan on getting your works printed by a traditional publishing company, you may have to hire a literary agent to represent you. Writers found they had a much harder time getting editors or reviewers from these companies to even consider looking at their book proposal or manuscript without the presence of a literary agent. Besides searching for a company to publish your works, a literary agent will also
negotiate the best deals for you (your sales ultimately affects earnings).

You may think that the literary agent is mainly the business and promotions side of your work, but you would be wrong. Agents have to deal with multiple manuscripts of various writing forms and niches. The best representatives are able to offer feedback
on your manuscript or proposal before an editor even lays eyes on it. They are also most likely informed of the latest trends and areas of interest when it comes to books and other published works. Their connections with other authors and editors grants them sufficient information to identify trends and changes in the industry. Most importantly, they are there to hold your hand throughout
the whole process. They know the various obstacles and red tape of publishing
houses, and they can accompany you from start (accepting to promote your works
to publishing houses and production studios) to finish (signing a publishing
contract deal). Remember: you and your agent are both interested in your book’s
success.

When looking for a representative, make sure that the agent is credible with a good track record. Oftentimes high-quality agents are members of the Association of Author’s Representatives whose members must adhere to a code of ethics, including not charging up-front fees to their clients. However, some reputable agents may have just begun building a client database, hence their ineligibility for AAR membership. Bottom line: just be careful when dealing with a literary agent since they come in all
shapes and sizes.

There are multiple success stories of small-time authors making it big without hiring a representative. One famous tale is of Amanda Hocking, a paranormal romance writer, who was rejected numerous times by agents who felt they would have a hard time representing her writings to publishers. Recent developments in technology and communications played a major role in Hocking’s success. Without proper representation, she felt her only avenue of selling her materials was making a product page on Amazon’s site.

With no help from publishers or representatives, Hocking was able to sell more
than 150,000 copies of her book, generating over $20,000 in sales. Between
2011-2012, she sold a staggering 1.5 million copies of her books and earned a
$2.5 million in sales.

Another well-known story is of Dylan Jones who self-published his works online. He was inspired by Stephen King’s persistence to keep creating new materials despite the growing number of rejection letters from agents and publishing companies. Although he was equipped with little business acumen, he decided to take his written works
to Amazon in 2013. His first book, Black Book, wasn’t an immediate success but after nearly 18 months it started generating buzz and finally knocked King’s book from the top spot on the website. Although he hasn’t made piles of cash from his online hustle, the greatest success of his writing career is getting his works published and read
by a wide audience.

In the end, it doesn’t matter which avenue you take. There are several stories of writers making it big after striking the right deals – with or without a literary agent – and there are failure stories even with professional help by reputable agents. Opening
the door to publishing houses is much easier when a literary agency can grease
the hinges for you, but who’s to say you won’t impress an editor you meet at a
cafe?