Do you need a literary agent? Not
necessarily, but I’m a big fan of them and here’s why.
An agent:
would probably negotiate a much better
deal than either you or I ever could, so that even after paying them
their 15% (the going rate is 15% of everything our books earn) we’d
still be making lots more money that we would have on our own
would eliminate the need to search for and hire a
literary lawyer to check the publisher’s contract. The lawyers fee
would likely be as much as the agent’s 15% anyway
has “connections” with publishers. Most
publishers will not even look at unsolicited manuscripts. They just
toss them into what they call "the slush pile” to be read sometime by
an intern. So even if you have a publisher interested in your
manuscript, a good agent will probably show it to other publishers and
have them bid against each other. The result of this kind of bidding
is usually a higher advance and a better “deal”
might place chapters of your book in
magazines before it is released
might include special considerations in
your contract that you would not have thought to do. For example,
because I’m a speaker and sell books in the back of the room, I can
buy my books from the publisher at a 70% discount. (It started at a
50% discount, then when they saw how successful I was at promoting my
books, my agent spoke to the publisher about it and obtained a “deeper
discount” for me)
offers advice, guidance, and coaching that
is priceless
I am convinced that even if you have a
publisher asking you to write a book, you are better off with an
agent.
Rita Emmett, author of The Procrastinator’s Handbook
and The Clutter-Busting Handbook, is a professional speaker who
presents Keynotes and Seminars nationwide. She can be reached at
847-699-9950 and email is
Rita@RitaEmmett.com
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