Cont. Of my other question (clarification) about literary agents?

Question

What I meant by my last question is whether a literary agent will do me any good. Say a publishing company does not require a literary agent and i can just sent my request in to them for publication. Would having a literary agent help me in publishing? would a literary agent help me money-wise and all those other -"wise"'s?
pro's of a literary agent?

Answer 1

I just answered your other question, but here is an article about the "why" from the SFWA:
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/whyagent.html

At the end of the day, it depends a lot on what kind of publishing house you are looking for. For the larger ones, you really will need an agent for your manuscript. Many of the new, smaller traditional presses still accept unagented material.

Agents negotiate contracts, so unless you are a lawyer I would definitely recommend one for that. They know how to play the game and get the best deal possible for their clients. Just make sure you find a reputable one! They will not ask for money in advance!

Answer 2

Even if you have already approached a publishing house and they are interested in your work, it's a good idea to have an agent. Publishing contracts are tricky things. For example, would you simply sign the contract to publish your book?
or would you ask about residuals, movie rights, paperback rights, anthology rights, radio and television rights, foreign language rights? Would you know how to negotiate each of these areas? That's what an agent does for you. And you can rely on the agent to get the best possible deal because the agent gets a percentage of what you get. So what it boils down to is, would you rather get 50% of $100,000 or 40% of $600,000? That's the difference an agent can make.
A good agent can also pre-read your manuscript before you submit it anywhere and make suggestions that will impove the story, the presentation, slant it more strongly to a particular market, etc.etc.etc.
So yes, an agent is worthwhile.

Answer 3

Quite simply put, the only way to get through to a major publisher is through a literary agent. No major publisher will accept unsolicited submissions directly from you. They only deal with agents. A literary agent doesnt charge to represent you, they only charge you for incidentals like photocopying and postage. They make their money by selling your manuscript and taking a percentage - that is standard in the industry. You can, however, get through to small publishing houses directly. Get yourself a copy of Writers Market 2007 and start looking for small publishers who are looking for your genre. Also please please please read the Resolved Questions here - there is a ton of information that has already been given (like 50 times a day) and if this is important to you, you will read and learn. Two important things 1) you must ALWAYS follow the submission requirements of the publisher/agent to the letter. To do otherwise is to guarantee yourself a nice form letter saying "no thanks". Read carefully and send exactly what is asked for and nothing more or less 2) there are many scams and unscrupulous publishers and agents out there. Visit Preditors and Editors and look up any agent or publisher before you send anything out. Also join Absolute Write Water Cooler and check their Bewares and Background Checks section. Writers post bad experiences there. You have a lot of work to do now to learn the business. Good luck - Pax - C.