simple question

amlptj said:

I'm kind of new with trying to get published and i was wondering is an agent really worth it and or needed? And are they expensive? Is it possible to just send the manuscript to a publisher and if so how would i go about it and is that smart to do? Thanks for any advice you can give

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Yes, they are really worth it.
No they cost nothing - any agent who wants money upfront is a scammer
Yes, you can send direct to some publishers but you really want to have an agent do it.
They'll get you a better deal, they know which editors are the right ones for your novel and they know their way around publishing contracts (which are really tricky )

Your agent takes 15% of your earnings.
You earn nothing - they don't get paid.

I have an agent. He was unable to sell my first novel, but put in a lot of work to try to sell it for which he is not currently getting paid.

amlptj said:

I'm kind of new with trying to get published and i was wondering is an agent really worth it and or needed? Thanks for any advice you can give

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There is a lot of great advice on AW regarding trying to get published and about finding an agent. Spend some time looking around and you will find a whole bunch of helpful threads. Here are some to get you started:

The main page for the Newbie and FAQ forums may have helpful threads on the publishing process and agents and editors.

The main page for the Beware & Background Cheks forum has tips on publishers and avoiding scam agents and scam publishers.

You might want to start with this thread where people are discussing the benefits of finding an agent versus submitting your work to publishers directly:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149943&highlight=directly

And in Share Your Work there is a subforum called Query letter Hell that has lots of information on the process of finding an agent.

And are they expensive?

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The simple answer is a reputable agent will not charge you any money out of your pockt to represent you. The agent instead gets a percentage of whatever you earn for works covered by your contract with the agent - typically 15-20% of your advances and royalties, plus some costs that will also come out of your advances and royalties.

Is it possible to just send the manuscript to a publisher and if so how would i go about it and is that smart to do?

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It is possible to submit your work to some publishers directly, depending on what genre you write and what market you are looking to be published in. And there are a number of threads on AW about submitting your work to publishers - especially if you are writing non-ficition, picture books or are looking to publish with a smaller press.

But if you are writing novel-length fiction, depending on your genre, you may find that there are significant numbers of publishing houses that will not look at unagented submissions.

So, read the thread on whether an agent is needed/desireable. And look around in the subforum for the genre you write and the subforums named above. And maybe scroll through a bunch of the threads in this subforum to see what others have to say on related topics.

good luck.

~suki