ON AGENTS

By Cindi Myers aka Cynthia Sterling

Recently an the RW-L list, someone posed the question "What stops just anyone from calling themselves an agent, and how do I know I can trust them?' Luckily for us, upcoming Berkley Jove author Cindi Myers (writing as Cynthia Sterling) jumped on in, and so became our guest in this month's ...From The Author's Mouth

The short answer to your very good question is that yes, anyone who gets the urge can hang out their shingle and declare themselves to be a literary agent. No licensing or other requirements exist. Which is why you need to be careful in finding the right agent for you.

Sometimes writers are so eager to get an agent, thinking it's the only way to get a publisher to read your work --and believe me, it's not--that they latch onto any agent who will take them. I really believe it is sometimes more difficult to get a good agent to read your work than it is to get a publisher to read it.

There are some things you can do to Increase your chances of getting a good agent.

Write the best book you can
Read up on agents. Read the RWR (Romance Writers Report) and RT (Romantic Times). One book I highly recommend is Jeff Herman's Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents. It's published by Prima Publishing and the 1999-2000 edition is just out. Every agent is not in it-only the ones who returned his survey. But the survey is very comprehensive and reading the agents' answers will give you an idea of their personality and the types of books they have sold. Richard Curtis has also written a book called How to Be Your Own Literary Agent which is very helpful in that it explains contract terms and negotiation. After all, even after you find an agent, you want to know if they really are working in your best interests, don't you?
Attend conferences and sit in an talks given by the agents there. Do they sound professional? Who are their clients? Are they people who write the kinds of books you're writing?
Once you've found an agent you like, ask other writers if they have heard any negative things about that agent. If you're attracted to a particular agent, check with RWA to see if any complaints have been lodged, against them.
Look in books by your favorite authors and see if they thank their agents. Many do.
Avoid fee-charging agents. I also think its good if the agent is a member of AAR (Association of Artists Representatives) since those members have to agree to adhere to certain guidelines, including not charging fees. You can write to AAR in New York and obtain a free listing of their members or check their link at www.bookwire.com. Bookwire also offers a link to Literary Marketplace online, where you can check addresses and spelling of names, etc. of agents.
Once an agent expresses interest in your work, spend a little time interviewing them. Find out how they work. Do they want a lot of input from you or none? Are they interested in career planning, or a one-book deal? Where do they see you going five years from now? Are you comfortable talking with this person or do they intimidate you? Remember, you are hiring an agent to represent you, though' it sometimes feels like the other way around.
Realize that your first agent may not be the one you stay with throughout your career. I'm currently with my third agent. The first two were very reputable agents with esteemed firms who tried very hard to sell my work, but for whatever reason were unable to. My agent now, Pam Hopkins, works by herself. It's a much more comfortable relationship for me. I have friends with the other agents who have been just as successful with them. It's really a matter of personal fit, like a marriage.
Don't rush! A bad agent can hurt you a lot worse than no agent at all. Any publisher will read a one-page query letter from an unpublished author and many, many authors make their first sale with no agent at all. Once you have a publisher interested in you, finding an agent is usually a much simpler matter.

Cindi Myers (aka Cynthia Starting) is the author of Patchwork Hearts, part of Berkley Jove's Quilting Romance line. Her second book is A Willing Spirit. Visit her at http//members.aol.com/CySterling/index.html.

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