I dunno. That website seems to be aimed squarely at writers who don't know what they're doing. I can't imagine it attracting good agents.
LitFactor works on two levels: to help literary agents discover new writers at the click of a button, and for authors to submit their work to the right agent in the right way, also at the click of a button.
That would be the "send" button on my email account. And if I'm not competent or patient enough to follow an agent's submission guidelines, how likely is it I've written a publishable book?
Also, if they're trying to do away with the current query system, certain writers have been wailing for an eternity in internet time for that--and agents have been steadfastly saying, "No. We
like the current query system."
And it’s free. Totally free. So you don’t need to buy those old books with agents’ details that are outdated the day they’re printed.
I wasn't doing that anyway. I was checking AgentQuery and the agent's own websites. For free. And back in the dark ages when I did get the books, it was from the library. Totally free.
This is part of why I think they're aiming for people who don't know what they're doing.
Browse agents and agencies.
I do that already on other, better-established websites.
Track and follow your favourite agents – when they update their wishlist, you’ll be the first to know.
Do they update it on the LitFactor website or on their OWN website first? I'm betting the latter. And thanks to Twitter, I generally don't need a middle-man to stay current on what the agents I'm interested in are looking for.
Learn from us and from each another – as part of the community, you can get help on drafting your cover letter or amending your synopsis.
I can get that here at AW and a lot of other, better-established websites.
Access articles and advice from leading agents, bestselling authors, publishers and other industry insiders.
Again, it's not hard to find this information in other places.
Join us at amazing live events: meet agents, bring your manuscript.
Where--in New York? I can go to writing conferences if I really want to meet agents face-to-face, but I'm actually happier with sending query letters. An agent can't tell from the sound of my voice whether I can write well, but she or he can from a letter and sample pages.
Join in online tweet-chats and Q&As with agents.
Again, I don't need a middle-man for this.
Submit directly to your dream agent: no more getting lost or overlooked.
Except I can do this already, without help.
This is another of the things that makes me really think they're aiming at the clueless. Queries don't generally get lost or overlooked--they get turned down.
Get free weekly updates on what’s happening in the agent and publishing world.
There are better websites for that. Some of them you do have to pay for.
From the FAQ page:
LitFactor is here to connect authors and agents. We do not recommend agents, nor do we advise authors individually on how to query. We want to offer a platform on which authors can better search and access agents and create queries that are better targeted to agents who represent the type of work they create.
So it sounds like they don't screen agents to get rid of the scammers, and they don't offer you any sure-fire ways to impress a specific agent. It also sounds like they don't offer a way to connect writers and agents electronically, which isn't what they were claiming on their "What is LitFactor?" page.
It seems they're offering less-valuable versions of services that other websites already offer. It's not necessarily a bad site--they're not overtly asking for money--but I don't see that they're offering anything of value either. That and the fact they seem to be trying to lure in naive writers, in particular, makes me nervous.
