How to Evaluate a Literary Agent

You've been sitting by the phone, checking your mail six times a day, and finally the fated letter arrives. A literary agent wants to represent your novel! For most writers, this is the most exciting day of their careers - except, of course, for the day that their first royalty check arrives. But before you jump on the wagon with both feet, take a few days to evaluate the literary agent.

In order for your literary agent to represent you, a contract will have to be signed. Not only that, but you can't let another literary agent represent your book until your current contract expires, which means that you need to be absolutely sure. Just because you have a literary agent doesn't mean your book will sell, and you want to give your manuscript the best possible opportunity to succeed.

Ask for Sales Records

Although some literary agents keep their sales records a secret, most will be willing to send you a list of the books they have sold. This allows you to evaluate their success rate and to compare your book to other manuscripts they've successfully marketed.

A new literary agency might not have many book sales under their belt, but if they've been in business for more than five or six years, a substantial number of sales should be on the list.

Contact Publishers

To verify that the literary agent in question has actually sold the books on their list, place a quick call to the publishers just to make sure the information is accurate. Some unscrupulous literary agents will "pad" their sales list to make them seem more successful, which is something you want to avoid.

If possible, you can also contact the writers whose books your literary agent has sold. This is beneficial for two reasons: First, you can verify that the literary agent actually represented them; Second, you can ask the writer whether or not they had a positive experience with the literary agent.

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