Agents
From
another thread:
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What agents do:
You're hiring an agent for his/her expertise.
An agent:
a) Knows which editors are looking for what properties. The agent is better able to fit a given manuscript with the house most likely to offer on it,
b) Is able to negotiate a more advantageous contract, knows what's a good deal from a particular house,
c) Keeps track of money coming in, contract terms, reversions, and so on,
d) acts as a guarantor to the editor that the manuscript is worth reading, and is appropriate to the house; this moves the manuscript to a higher position in the to-read pile,
e) can arrange "auctions," which are a formalized form of simultaneous submission,
f) can make suggestions to improve your manuscript before submission.
The agent is a go-between, to handle the business end, so you and the editor can pretend that all you're interested in is art.
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Note: The best agent in the world can't sell a bad manuscript.
More important: The best agent in the world won't even
try to sell a bad manuscript. Editors know this. That's what makes the guy the best agent in the world.