Maprilynne said:
okay, there are three postings on this agency but not a ton of info in them. I am definitely leaning away from this agency because they charge some kind of a fee. What I am curious about is its listing on P&E (so I guess this question leans a bit toward Victoria and Dave.) It says
"Gislason Agency: A literary agency.
Charges fees held in a state-monitored trust account."
But that doesn't make it "not recommended." I just am wondering what this means? Also, I am wondering about their sales records; do they have any? They sound pretty bogus to me, but I want there to be information in the index for them and right now there is not much.
Thanks!
Maprilynne
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Dear Scott Saylors ,
Thank you for contacting us. You have asked about an agent/agency not listed in the various groups of experienced literary agents on our web site, nor among the fifty or so new agents whose names would have generated a positive response.
We have never found in the public record sources in the US, UK and Canada that we have been tracking since 1980 independent evidence of a sale made by this agent/agency.
You should also know that better than 90% of the sales of books and the subsidiary rights to books made in the US, the UK and Canada are made by the agents WHO ARE listed on the AR&E site. Second, we are the only website supplying this kind of information where someone actually checks on the agents listed. We do not allow agents to enter their own data, nor do we use client lists supplied by the agent without third party verification. AR&E works for writers and we look at everything from the writer's point of view. If we show no sales the agent should be approached with caution.
We have found that almost always request for agents without records in our database turn out to be agents the writer has found in one of the "agent books" that are out there. These, unfortunately, have a great many more pseudo agents than real ones listed. (Reality check - take a look at the list of agents in
Dead Reckoning on our site and compare these names of the undisputed top agents in the business to those who are in the books. You will find very few in both places.) The books get their agent names from questionnaires they send out. At AR&E we insist upon third party verification and probe for specifics.
Agent sites proliferating on the Internet also lack hard sales data. Sold to whom? Published when? How much was the advance? Any sub-rights sales? For claims of representation to be meaningful, at least some of this information should be included. Real agents tell you this stuff all the time. They can't wait to tell you. Hypi ng their clients and sales is part of their job.
Just putting up a web page on your own site or someone else's and making general (unchecked) claims about authors represented or other accomplishments is not good enough for you the writer. Hard facts are required. Attendance at a writers' conference is not enough to attest to real sales made in the real marketplace. Neither is a listing in Literary MarketPlace, or even membership in one or another professional organization. Writers have the right to know what the agent is selling and to whom, and to make judgments about representation based on those facts.
There are dozens if not hundreds of scammers out there making their money from upfront charges, not the sale of books. If the agent is asking for any amount of money before a sale is made, we strongly suggest you get a great deal of detailed and verifiable information about recent sales to major publishers or walk away. Real agents make their living from the sale of manuscripts and the sub-rights sales that follow. If you can write you can get a real agent.
To learn more about agents read the free articles from our newsletter
Talking Agents. You may even consider subscribing. You'll get a great deal of solid information about many legitimate and effective agents.
Take a close look at our
New Agent List as a way to acquaint yourself with forty plus legitimate agents, including objective reports about three or more of their deals - what book, sold to whom, often for how much, and what sub-rights sales. Knowing something about the agent's track record means you've got an idea of whether they have a proven record of responding to work that is like yours, and selling it to a legit publisher.
Examine the possibility of using our
Customized Fingerprint to specifically target real agents who are handling the kind of thing you're working on right now. Another possibility is the
Standard Fingerprint.
Good luck with whatever you decide. We have added your name to our mailing list, but don't hesitate to ask for further agent verifications.
Bill Martin
http://www.agentresearch.com