Best Agent - Agency
At the end of this post I'll give you my opinion on some good agents but you have to keep in mind that not all agents / agencies work well for all genres and writers. You also have to consider whether your book might cross over into the ABA (does the agent you have in mind work in both the CBA and ABA?), what genre you write in, is your fiction or nonficiton and how savey are you in the industry (and how savey does your agent need to be). Then there are GREAT agencies who have lesser known agents and well-known agents. Are you willing to take a lesser known agent so you can sign with a big agency? Or do you want the personal touch of an agent just getting started who will work his or her buns off for YOU because they don't have that many clients yet? Lots to consider
My suggestion is for you to do your homework. Check out the websites of agencies thar are recommended in Sally Stuart's Market Guide. Then check each agency with the Preditors and Editors website (
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm). NEVER simply believe what is on an unknown agent's website because a scam artist can tell you anything they want. Ask to talk to clients they've worked with and check to make sure that the client actually has some decent books out there. Make sure that the agent you are considering is not only reputable but that they are a good match for what you write. After all that, you can find out what writers conferences they are working at during the coming year. Attend that conference and book a fifteen minute timeslot with the agent of your choice. This is the most realistic way to get your foot in their door.
Last but not least - it is better to have NO agent than it is to have a BAD agent. Once you sign a contract you are bound to it -- at least for a period of time.
Christian Agents / Agencies
Books and Such Literary Agency (
http://www.booksandsuch.biz/)
Agents:
Janet Koboble Grant and Wendy Lawton
I could not say enough about Janet and Wendy. Both work their you-know-whats off for their clients. Janet is my agent
and knows the business from an author's standpoint (she is published herself), from an editor's standpoint (did that for a number of years) and from an agent's point-of-view. She is industry-savey and that means a great deal in this business. She does take on some new clients -- mostly from writers conferences.
Alive Communications (
http://www.alivecom.com/)
Agents Include : Chip MacGregor & Lee Hough among others
This is one of the largest agencies and doesn't usually deal with new authors.
The Steve Laube Agency (
http://www.stevelaube.com)
Agent: Steve Laube - Steve has worked in the industry from all sides. He was most recently the senior acquisitions fiction editor for Bethany House (he likes good sci-fi
)and his list of credits just goes on and on.
Hartline Literary Agency (
http://www.hartlineliterary.com/)
CEO: Joyce Hart
Especially good agency for romance and chic-lit fiction but they do lots of other stuff too
The Knight Agency Inc (
http://www.knightagency.net/index.php)
Agents: Numerous - primary agent and owner, Deidre Knight
Deidre is one of the best in the business
. This agency doesn't take too many new authors -- unless recommended by one of their current authors. Deidre is the agent for Cecil Murphey (recent NYTimes bestseller - 90 Minutes in Heaven). This agency can easily do cross-over books.