Is it better to go through an agent or submit directly to a publisher ?

Question

I want to protect my rights as an author and protect my rights financially. Which option is better and why ?

Answer 1

My wife is a published author with over 30+ books published.
The answer is through an agent. the reasons are:

1) They know which publishers will be interested in your work.
2) They know the format and options in a contract - do you have any idea what sort of advance you should get or what your royalties should be on overseas sales?
3) They are a filter that most publishers require before reviewing a manuscript i.e. a manuscript sent by an agent is going to be read whereas a manuscript sent to a publisher goes on the slush pile! It may or may not be read!

My wife's agent is a member of this organization - Assoc. of Author's Representatives.

NEVER pay an "agent" to read your work!

Answer 2

Your rights as an author? Do you honestly believe that publishers (who by the way, do not accept unsolicited material and don't even read it, but send it back unread because they get hundreds of thousands of submissions a year) are going to steal the work of some unknown person? The chances of this happening are about as likely as you being stuck and killed by an asteroid! In addition, agents are very difficult to obtain and usually take only proven writers with a great track record. Sometimes they will take a chance but you had better have the next block buster on your hands and it had better be expertly written! Publishing (and the work of an agent) is about one thing: Making money! Again, the publishing world (real publishing, not the on line vanity garbage the kids are all into) is fraught with disappointment, and the truth is that only about 1% of all the manuscripts submitted every year (hundreds of thousands and more) ever get published. In addition, before you ever write a book, you need to research the market to see what's new and what's hot (and what's new and hot now won't be in a couple of years), learn to write a stunning query letter, great proposal, an outline, and a synopsis. And even then, your chances are very low of becoming published. Again, I am talking legitimate recognized publishing not this other stuff like on line, vanity, Publish America, and all of those). As for your idea being stolen (or your work) I really wouldn't worry about it. And by the way, an agent can steal your work just as well as a publisher, but in both cases, your odds are almost nil of that ever happening, especially if you are an unknown. And, I wonder what some of the titles are of the books that the poster below claims his wife has had published. You would think if she were a famous (or even well-known) author that we all recognized, he would have mentioned her name, or at least the titles of some of the books she has written. I am dubious to say the least. Anyone can say anything here, so be wary before proceeding. I am not saying he is lying (perhaps he has a wife and she has indeed had all those books published) but again, anyone can say anything here and there is really no way to prove (or disprove) it. And by the way, the link he has provided is indeed legitimate, but just because an agent is a member of that organization, does not mean they are honest and forthright and beyond reproach! Again, proceed with caution!

Answer 3

Nowadays, publishers won't even look at you without an agent. They generally throw away manuscripts that come in the mail. And good luck trying to get an appointment with them. Find a good reputable agent or a company of agents. They will treat you well, and otherwise, you won't even get a second glance. Plus, if you are really good- you won't have a problem finding an agent (reputable)- if you repeatedly cannot find representation, you should probably look for another career.

Answer 4

An agent (And make sure you have plenty of copies because the publishers might just throw it away)