Types of things to watch out for with agents:
Charging the author a fee up front, to be accepted as a client. You might be presented this fee under the terms of reading fee, or monthly office expense. The best agents, and most successful ones, only charge a percentage fee of royalties the author earns, typically 15%. Suppose a realtor charged you a fee to come over and tour your house before getting the listing? That realtor would probably be ditched very quickly.
Charging back unusually large "postage and copying fees" to send out an authors' work. A known not-so-reputable agency accepts all manuscripts sent to them, and then charges its clients $10 for each submission to publishers. Generally speaking, a letter and a sample chapter do not cost $10 to send. This company makes a fortune from these fees whether or not they actually successfully market any of their clients work.
If an agent sends you to a book doctor, run! Unfortunately, it is a problem when the agent knows the editor they are referring their client to. Some agents get referral fees from editing services.
There can be a great variety of terms in agency contracts, and they are hardly ever alike. Don't omit reading the whole contract. None of the clauses are standard.
The agent does not have good contacts with publishers. The agent's value to you is in the relationships they have with publishers, so that if the publisher hears from them, they know the book is worth taking a look at. You can ask the agent to provide some rejection letters he or she has received from publishers. If what you see is something that looks more like form rejection letters than letters sent to the agent by someone they know, it is very possible that the agent is only submitting to publisher he has picked out randomly, without having a previous relationship with them.
Puts forth a weak effort or gives up on the client's project after a few months. You have a right to ask how active the agent is going to be. Ask them which publishers they plan on submitting to, and how they plan on following up. They should also be able to report to you and let you know who they have submitted to, and what results they have had. You must determine how much time and attention they are really going to give you.
There is another important reason why you should make sure your agent is someone you can trust - after selling your work to a publisher, the publisher sends the money to the agent who, after deducting their own percentage, sends it to you. It would be awful to entrust someone with a poor reputation with something you have worked so hard for.
Charging the author a fee up front, to be accepted as a client. You might be presented this fee under the terms of reading fee, or monthly office expense. The best agents, and most successful ones, only charge a percentage fee of royalties the author earns, typically 15%. Suppose a realtor charged you a fee to come over and tour your house before getting the listing? That realtor would probably be ditched very quickly.
Charging back unusually large "postage and copying fees" to send out an authors' work. A known not-so-reputable agency accepts all manuscripts sent to them, and then charges its clients $10 for each submission to publishers. Generally speaking, a letter and a sample chapter do not cost $10 to send. This company makes a fortune from these fees whether or not they actually successfully market any of their clients work.
If an agent sends you to a book doctor, run! Unfortunately, it is a problem when the agent knows the editor they are referring their client to. Some agents get referral fees from editing services.
There can be a great variety of terms in agency contracts, and they are hardly ever alike. Don't omit reading the whole contract. None of the clauses are standard.
The agent does not have good contacts with publishers. The agent's value to you is in the relationships they have with publishers, so that if the publisher hears from them, they know the book is worth taking a look at. You can ask the agent to provide some rejection letters he or she has received from publishers. If what you see is something that looks more like form rejection letters than letters sent to the agent by someone they know, it is very possible that the agent is only submitting to publisher he has picked out randomly, without having a previous relationship with them.
Puts forth a weak effort or gives up on the client's project after a few months. You have a right to ask how active the agent is going to be. Ask them which publishers they plan on submitting to, and how they plan on following up. They should also be able to report to you and let you know who they have submitted to, and what results they have had. You must determine how much time and attention they are really going to give you.
There is another important reason why you should make sure your agent is someone you can trust - after selling your work to a publisher, the publisher sends the money to the agent who, after deducting their own percentage, sends it to you. It would be awful to entrust someone with a poor reputation with something you have worked so hard for.
About the Author:
Follow these healthy living tips and enjoy a feel-good lifestyle. Check this food calorie chart for a list of healthy foods with maximum nutrition and minimum calories.
No comments:
Post a Comment