Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Kostin
Yeah? Cause I read on one site that free agents are no good and only the ones that ask $ are good. Is it true?
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Agents earn a percentage of what you earn. If your book doesn't sell, they don't get a penny. If you are successful, they are successful. An agent who relies on his percentage is a hungry agent. An agent who takes money up front has no incentive to sell, and they will take your money whether your book is viable or not; they can't lose.
Look at the evidence: find the website of any respectable 'free' agent and look at their list of represented authors. They promote them, and make a fuss about it. Then go to the website of an agent who charges upfront fees, and try to find who they represent. They'll probably make excuses that they're 'protecting their authors' privacy' or suchlike, but the truth is they don't tend to represent published authors, only gullible ones. The way it works is they'll take a reading fee, admin fees, editing fees and any other money they can screw out of you, keep you dangling for as long as they can, then tell you that the market for your kind of book has dried up, and they no longer want to represent you. They get rich, you get poor.
Good agent:
Folio Literary Management
Bad agent (take your pick):
Warnings and Cautions for Writers--Writer Beware's Thumbs Down Agency List
PS The first doesn't charge up-front. The others do. I hope this clarifies.
Agents
