Liberty University Press

Liberty University Press FAQs:
7. Do I need an agent?
No. Your chances of selling a book are as good without an agent as with one. Good book proposals get sold no matter who does the selling.

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Erm ... agents sell books to publishers who pay authors for the rights. Given that Liberty's model is the author paying them to be published, of course you don't need an agent.

Liberty University Press FAQs:
8. How much do agents charge?
This varies from agent to agent. Typically, agents receive a 15 percent commission on the books they sell and everything relating to that book, such as excerpted magazine articles, audio tapes and films (but not speeches and personal appearances). A small number of agents charge a reading fee just for looking at your work. Many literary agencies charge for long-distance phone calls, photocopying, messenger services and other incidental expenses made on the author's behalf. Ask about these fees before you work with an agent. Sometimes agents bill authors directly for these expenses, and sometimes these charges are deducted from the author’s royalties. Other agents don't always charge a commission. Instead, they review and market your proposal on an hourly fee basis, charging you regardless of whether they sell your proposal or not. Most literary agencies also receive a 20 percent commission on foreign sales because they have to give a portion of the commission to the overseas agent. Some agents are also “book packagers,” agents who develop book ideas and put the idea (in the form of a proposal) together with a writer and publisher. For this, these agents can receive up to a 50 percent commission.

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Firstly (and to repeat), agents only get commission on rights that they sell and they sell to people who pay for them. This is not a fee or a charge - it is a commission based on making a sale.

Secondly, any agent who charges you to read your work is an agent who you need to avoid.

Thirdly, almost all legitimate agencies will take photocopying etc out of their own commission and not levy an additional charge. (Certainly this is the case with my former agency and my current agent).

Fourthly, the commission applies to the advance as well as the royalties. I mention this only because Loyalty University's FAQ makes it sound as though authors only get royalties and this is not true.

Fifthly, I have never heard of a legitimate agent who charges on an hourly basis. Any such agent should be avoided because, as Loyalty University scaremongers, I mean, says, those agents aren't incentivised to sell your work.

Sixthly, 20% commission on foreign sales varies from agency to agency and does not necessarily include commission to foreign agents. The point to make again though is that the commission comes from the advance that they've brought in for the author.

Seventhly, I've never heard of 'book packager' agents (although I have heard of book packager publishers, which is slightly different). My agent will work with me to develop ideas and proposals for future unwritten books for the same commission she earns for selling existing manuscripts.

Liberty University Press

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You will receive all the royalties of your book until you have sold the amount of books that will be equal to the $2,995.00 you paid as the base price. After that the royalties are split 50/50 with Liberty University Press.

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I don't understand this. Royalties are a percentage of the cover price - the author gets a percentage and the publisher gets a percentage and they should be calculated by reference to the cover price (or a net price, which should be defined). There's no information there on how royalties are calculated so does this mean that you pay $2,995 and then you're given the cover price of each book that they sell up to that $2,995 figure?

MM