The difference between BIG agencies and SMALL agencies?

Hm, I can't help you much, but you might think about asking in the Purgatory thread. Someone there might be able to help you.

Both have their perks, and both have their faults.

Big agencies tend to come with more combined experience, more sway with some houses, the prestige that comes with their name, larger support staff within in the agency (such as in-house co-agents for film/foreign rights). Big agencies also come with larger client lists, so as a new author, you're a tiny fish in a huge pond. Agents may be busier with said larger client lists, so response time could be slower.

I'm repped by a small, one-man agency, and I love it. His client list is small, but growing. I've never gone longer than a day waiting for an email response. He knows editors, he knows books, and he listens. So far, it's been a great match.

Consider also, the age of the agency. There is one large agency in London that was founded in 2008 - the result of a supernova in another large agency, I think. A young agency might not have the experience needed to do a good job for you.

euclid said:

Consider also, the age of the agency. There is one large agency in London that was founded in 2008 - the result of a supernova in another large agency, I think. A young agency might not have the experience needed to do a good job for you.

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A young agency with experienced agents, though, may. For example, Jenny Rappaport recently split with the L. Perkins Agency and formed her own boutique agency. The Rapport Agency may be only a few months old, but the founder has years of experience and contacts.

It also depends on the structure within the agency. For example, some of the large agencies work as a loose conglomeration of free agents. If one rejects you, you can query others. If one reps you, there's a chance none of the others will ever even know your name. Other agencies work very closely together. If one rejects you, they all reject you. The agents talk together on a regular basis, so if you get repped by one, you benefit from the expertise of all of them. And in some agencies, it's sort of a mix of the two styles. Experienced agents mentor newer agents, so you do benefit from the wisdom of the longer history.

And in some cases, a long history is not an advantage. The publishing world has changed a lot in the last two decades. The current economic climate isn't going to help matters any. So someone young, new, enthusiastic, hip to new technology, may be a better advocate, depending on your book.

Size.