by Karinya Funsett-Topping

Your manuscript is finally finished. It’s been revised, agonized over, critiqued, and revised again. It’s ready to take the next step. It’s ready for an agent. And because you want nothing but the best for your manuscript, you know you’ve got to find the best agent possible. The biggest name, the top seller, the power player. Right?

Well, not necessarily. Many superstar agents are great at what they do – that’s how they became superstars, after all – but they’re not the right agents for every project. Sometimes the right agent is one you just haven’t heard of yet.

 -Be the big fish. A big, well-established agent will have lots of contacts, yes. But he or she will also already have lots of clients who need attention, and you, as a first-time author and new client – may not always be at the top of the priority list. New agents often don’t have as many pre-existing commitments, and can often give your work more time and attention.

-“New” doesn’t mean inexperienced.  Just because someone has only been working as an agent for a short period of time doesn’t mean they’re new to the industry. Many agents earn their stripes by working for years as assistants to established agents, or they’ve handled things like foreign rights for an agency. Others have recently transferred from other arenas of the publishing field, and have experience working as editors or publicists, for indie presses or big NY publishing conglomerates, or for literary magazines or film companies. And even if their publishing resume is short, most young people who enter the field today come in extremely well educated – a large percentage have advanced degrees in business or creative writing, and some have a law degree on top of that.

- They’re hungry. Agenting is a tough business and agents who are just starting out are serious about making the deals that will establish them as an agent – and pay the bills.  New agents are often willing to take on more difficult, challenging projects if the book is something they really love. Not only do they have the time and energy to devote to it, but they may also be eager to develop their reputation as someone who represents fresh, unique material, and to prove that they can close even the tough deals.

-They’re open-minded. Not that established literary agents are a bunch of sticks in the mud, but new agents are more likely to experiment with and embrace new ideas, from submissions systems to publicity techniques to networking methods. Sometimes the old ways are the best. But not always, and new agents are less likely to get stuck in that this is just how it’s done rut.

-They’ll be there for you. Nothing can be guaranteed, of course, but if you’re an author just getting started on a long writing career, it’s nice to have an agent who will likely be in business for a while. It’s also nice to have a legendary agent, but if that legendary agent retires in a year or two… you may be back to square one. Getting in on the ground floor with an agent ups the odds that the two of you will be able to share a long, productive working relationship.

It’s up to you, as the author, to evaluate what qualities you value the most in an agent, but don’t be scared to take a chance on a new or young one. With some simple research you’ll be able to find information about the agent’s education, experience, and tastes, and you may find one that’s the right match for you.

Open to the idea of working with a new agent, but worried that it might be risky? You can greatly reduce that risk by doing a little bit of homework first. Below you’ll find a few valuable resources to help you determine if the agent you’re interested in is a smart pick with industry experience, sales (either on their own or sales made as a co-agent or foreign rights agent), and the support of more veteran agents; or if that person is “new to agenting” because they saw it as an easy way to prey on desperate authors and make a quick buck.

Reccomended Agent Resources

• Publishers Marketplace: Anyone can view agent and agency profiles on the Publishers Marketplace website. Members of the site ($20/month) have access to the deals database, where agents report their sales and you can see who-represents-who. Not all agents report their deals here, but the majority do, and it’s a good way to verify sales and see what kind of projects the agent has had success with.

• Preditors and Editors: This website is another way to see if a particular agent has verified sales, and to do a quick background check for red flags.

• Writer Beware: A publishing industry watchdog group sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the WB website is a great place to acquaint yourself with what you should be looking out for (agents who charge fees, have out-of-the-ordinary contract requirements, no verifiable track record, etc.) and what agencies to avoid. The Writer Beware Blog, run by author Victoria Strauss and friends, is frequently updated with information about questionable agents and publishing scams.

• Compare Notes: message boards like the Absolute Write Water Cooler can be great for seeing what experiences other authors have had with a particular agent. I would caution against using something like this as your only means of research, as message board comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but it can be a helpful way to round out your agent research.

Finally, never be intimidated or afraid to ask the agent directly, “What sales have you made?” or, “May I speak to one of your clients?” A new agent who is serious about their career will be happy to speak candidly to you about his or her experience and sales.  There is always a small risk inherent in any business relationship, but by doing a little bit of homework you can increase the odds that the partnership will be a successful one.

Newer Literary Agents to Watch

• Lukas Ortiz with the Philip Spitzer Agency: Lukas has earned his stripes by working with and handling foreign rights deals for Philip Spitzer, a veteran agent with 40 years of experience. Mr. Ortiz has impressed us all here at The Editorial Department by making a good number of foreign rights sales on TED client Scott Pratt’s An Innocent Client, even before the project found a US publisher. He is now taking on his own clients, and is looking for projects with intriguing characters, meaningful stories, and an energetic or youthful feeling.

• Elizabeth Evans with Reece Halsey New York. Ms. Evans began working as an intern for the venerable Reece Halsey North agency in California, and developed her agenting sensibilities working as an associate agent alongside superagent Kimberley Cameron. In January of 2009 Ms. Evans moved to New York to open the agency’s east coast branch, Reece Halsey New York. Her sales are impressive, and include debut authors and hard-to-sell literary fiction.

 • Rachel Dowen with Talcott Notch. Rachel is an associate agent who works alongside 20 year veteran Gina Panettieri. She’s actively building her own client list now, looking for YA authors, sci-fi and fantasy, and mystery. She already has a reputation as a very thorough and thoughtful agent, giving in-depth consideration to the projects that come across her desk.

 • Amberly Finarelli with the Andrea Hurst Literary Agency. Ms. Finarelli worked in publishing and freelance writing for five years before she joined the Andrea Hurst Literary Agency in 2008.  She recently made a nice three book deal for a new mystery series, and the fact that she made it in what is an overcrowded and tough mystery market makes the sale even more impressive. She is interested in more mystery, YA novels, literary fiction, and a variety of nonfiction.

 • Vivian Chum with the Prospect Literary Agency. Ms. Chum is a member of the NY Bar Association who holds a JD from Harvard Law School. While she’s only been an agent with Prospect from 2008, she has experience working in Jones McLure Publishing’s production department. She’s looking for a variety of nonfiction, along with romance, science fiction, and children’s projects.

 • Joanna Stampfel-Volpe with Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation. Joanna started out as an intern with Fineprint Literary Management, worked her way up to their full-time office manager, and eventually stated taking on clients of her own in 2008. Now she’s an agent with Nancy Coffey, and making lots of exciting sales. She represents a wide variety of genres, and has a reputation for responding quickly to queries and submissions.

For more information on avoiding unscrupulous agents and publishing scams, read The Editorial Department’s article, “The Dark Side of Publishing.”

Agent Blogs

One of the best ways to get to know agents, and the nuances of the publshing world, is through their blogs. Here are a few popular ones to get you started.

Miss Snark is perhaps one of the best known agent blogs. She is no longer writing new content, but the archives are full of fantastic (and yes, snarky) information on how to, and how not to, pursue publication.
Rants & Ramblings is the home of agent Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary. Her blog is a wealth of advice, humor, and inspiration for working writers. kt literary, an agency with a focus on YA fiction, has a fun blog featuring "Shoe-obsessed superagent Daphne Unfeasible" It's a lively mix of industry news and Q&A with aspiring authors. Pub Rants is the blog of agent Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency, an agency specializing in Romance, SF, and Children's books. The blog covers everything from queries to author news. Nephele Tempest of the Knight Agency blogs on livejournal. Her blog is heavy on links to thought-provoking articles about the writing process from idea to publication, and also features frequent book giveaways. Nathan Bransford of the Curtis Brown Limited agency blogs about life as an agent, and has a great weekly publishing industry round-up.