I am being told that i should get an agent.?

Question

I have completed my novel and i want to get it published.
I am being told to get an agent .
Do an agent get your book edited ? Or do you have to get everything done then hand it over to the agent to get published, actually him finding the publisher.
Only answer if you know the answer.

Answer 1

It's a good idea to join writers chats where there is at least one professionally published writer. They can give you guidance for free. Http://www.burryman.com has several writing chats and a schedule.

Whether or not an agent will help you depends on several factors. Most will not handle science fiction/fantasy or romance. No one will edit a manuscript without charging you for it. They expect it to be presentable when submitted.

Publishers do have editors, but even they want the book to be in great shape when they get it. You'll have to edit it yourself first.

I suggest you get REVISION from Writers Digest Books and THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Strunk & White. You also should read passages from your novel out loud to see if it flows. You'll be able to hear misplaced punctuation and awkward sentences that way.

For more information and more help, come see me at THE WRITE STUFF on http://www.burryman.com. It's free and I will help.

Answer 2

Here's how you spot a professional from an amateur on Yahoo Answers, whether or not they suggest an agent.

Do not, and I repeat, Do not, get an agent.

That's not to say agents are bad, but as a first time author you will not make much money, and your agent will take most of that. If money is not an object, then why not, by all means get an agent.

It's very easy to submit a manuscript to a publisher yourself, it takes more work, but it's also free, aside from mailing costs. The hard part is making sure you have a good manuscript and having it get published.

Editing is easy, run it through spell and grammar check, which will get some of them gone, but you will have to run through it yourself with a fine tooth comb, as auto-checkers miss a ton of errors. As well as editing dialog as if it were formal text, which it often is not.

It's not a bad idea to let other people you know edit it for you. Of course, a publisher will edit it, but if you have tons of mistakes they won't accept it in the first place.

Answer 3

An agent helps you will all those things. They find a good editor for you, submit your manuscript to publishers, and do all the busy work. All you have to do is pay them an exorbitant amount of money for doing very little work, and fork over a share of the profits you make from your artistic work. Usually around 15% is fair.

I'm level two and a published novelist. Heed my advice, it is golden.

Answer 4

You don't HAVE to get an agent. It will cost you to have them and you'll get less profit from sales. Get a copy of Writer's Market 2007 and look for publishers for your genre. They will tell you if they deal with agents only or will deal directly with authors. If all of the publishers you find say they will deal with an agent only, then get one. Otherwise, don't. Publishers have editors to do your editing. Getting it edited before submitting will cost you again.

Answer 5

Yes, you should get a literary (or book) agent. An agent does not get your book edited but he/she can guide you in the process of getting to the publishers to get your book published. Once your book is selected by the publisher, it would go though an editing process there before being published.

Spend a few minutes (about 15) reading more about the topic via
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_agent and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publishing.