self publisher?

Question

does anyone know of any fictional book agents!

what is a litetral agency how do i find one

just like to add big thanks to those who reply especially to wizeoldphartrs and many thanks to Replybysteves, both of which were really helpful. My husband, Jason cook already has his book published 'Theres no room for jugglers in my circus' and has written a sequel but wants to go through a different route of publishing his second instead of self publishing. Keep the advice coming. Thankyou

Answer 1

If you get an agent/or literary agency (they have to accept you as a client) they will tell you what you need to do to improve your work AND they will submit your work for you to publishers. They have a relationship with publishers and if they have a good reputaion they will be able to get your work looked at quicker than you can.

They also take care of the paper work, explaining to the writer what the contract says and what they are selling when they sign it. They will give the writer advice and encouragement for promoting their book, so will set up interviews, signings, and other appearances.

If you are self published, you probably won't be able to find an agent.

If you are self published because you couldn't sell your work to a publisher, you probably need to take another look at the manuscript and see WHY the publisher doesn't think it will sell. Get some help with this from someone in the business or a published author.

Answer 2

Edit: after clarification of your question, I've changed my answer a bit and added something about the New York Literary Agency.

[Took out some of the stuff on self-publishing, since you know what that is]

Self-publishing can now be done by places such as lulu.com which does have the advantage of being free, they take their cut from any that are sold. And it's pretty easy to use.

The problem with self-publishing (or vanity publishing) is that nobody checks to ensure what your work has any value, whether it's spelt correctly, got good grammar, is *legal* (libel is a potential risk) and so on.

I don't think it's a good place for publishing fiction but there are some occasions when self-publishing makes sense, for example I have a friend who is a sculptor, she was always being asked about sculpting so wrote a book and now sells it to anyone who asks.

Then there's the other route. You write a book, you make it as good as you possibly can, you send it to dozens of literary agents then, if it is any good, they will take you on as a client.

It is very rare for any literary agent to take on someone with "potential" they want to see a finished book, and if they think changes are needed they are unlikely to take you on.

Once you have an agent then they try to sell your book to a publisher. If they don't think they can sell your book, again, they won't take you on in the first place. You have to have an agent if you want to write anything except SF and Fantasy -- in those genres you can approach publishers directly.

You can get a list of literary agents from various books: Writers & Artists Yearbook or Writers Handbook in the UK, otherwise you can just do a web search for "literary agents" and you'll get websites with listings.

Things to watch out for: If an agent charges an up-front fee, forget it. Real agents make their money out of your book sales, they don't charge up-front fees. PublishAmerica is a con, they will take your money and tell you you're a genius. The New York Literary Agency is another con. See these websites:

http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealn.htm
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.html
http://www.writerstoyou.com/books/readonline.asp?bookid=8292&locid=7929&user=1754&title=Scot+Savage+-+Me+and+the+New+York+Literary+Agency

You must present yourself as professional, if you don't you will get rejected before they even read one word of your work. Does that sound harsh? It is. Agents and publishers receive 100s of 1000s of manuscripts every year, they have to cut that number down as much as possible. They do this by rejecting everything that does not conform to professional standards and their submission standards.

Sorry if this sounds negative but this is the truth of life in the publishing world. It is vicious and cut-throat and you need nerves of steel, as well as talent, to make it.

Another friend spent over 10 years trying to get published, he saved 300 of his most interesting rejection letters, he wrote 20 books in that time. But now he has four titles published and another three in the pipeline. You need stick-to-it-ivity.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Smurfete:
Browse to New York Literary Agency. There they tell you what to do.
They answer your querry within two days and if interested ask you to email them your manuscript. They get back to you in two weeks. They charge nothing unless they find a publisher for you. Then only 15% on your sales which is very good.
They are the only ones that do this to my knowledge. Others take up to three years to answer you and usually with a no.
Wayne Russell, The Vagabond Writer
Oh! Please let me know how you do. If they do as they say I will pass this on to others. Should you go the self publish route contact me for help.

Answer 4

Typically, one must be referred by a client of the literary agency.

Answer 5

why don't you have a look at lulu.com for self publishing with no vanity fees or upfront costs>

Answer 6

have you got a book that needs publishing then, if so well done