who is the best sci-fi literary agent/agency in the USA??

Question

how do you know if an agent or agency is good or not?

Answer 1

In the course of my career, I have had two agents, and I have known many others socially. "Best" isn't just a matter of opinion, but of "best for whom?"

My current agent is a very good match for me because I write all kinds of different things, and she's patient, waits to see what I've done, and then does her best with it. I would not do well with an agent like Russ Galen, who would tell me what kind of book to write next and work to manage my career to earn maximum money for both of us...even if it meant going in a direction I wasn't all that interested in. Yet Russ Galen is one of the best in the business as measured by what his clients earn.

So that's for the first part of your question: The "best" by some standards might not be the right agent for you at all.

How do you know if an agent is any good? In SF and fantasy, you can find out who the real, money-making agents are by reading Locus, a monthly magazine that many libraries subscribe to but may not put out on the shelves for patrons. (They subscribe for the reviews so they can decide what SF or fantasy books to purchase.) Every issue has a section of publishing news telling you what agent has sold a client's book to which publisher. The names you see in Locus are the names of agents who are really closing deals in the field.

The link below is for Locus online, but for information about book sales, you'll need to get actual copies of the magazine.

Answer 2

By asking writer friends to recommend their Literary Agent to you.

One never knows ifthe Literary Agency is good, that's the reason, it's better to ask writer friends.

Also, taking a writing class at a University is a good idea, because the instructor, is often a published writer and doesn't mind, making referrals to Literary Agencies.