Barbarba Rogan Said:

Well said and no kidding--it''s a major Catch 22. Although it's not quite true that literary agents only want clients with an offer in hand. They find their clients through referrals from other clients and from publishers, and through their own slush piles. But they certainly are looking for work that's flawless and ready to sell, and it's hard for writers to achieve that level without professional feedback, so there's your real Catch 22. And (with apologies for tooting my own horn, but now you've got me going) that's precisely the reason I offer the services and classes I do at www.nextlevelworkshop.com. The evaluation service is to let readers know what agents and editors are probably thinking as they read your work, the reasons they'd give for rejecting if they had time to finish reading (which they don't) and to explain (which they also don't.) And the "Revising fiction" class is meant to address the problem that I hear over and over from agent friends: that work they're seeing is just a revision or two short of acceptable. Most aspring writers, in my experience, don't really know how to go about revising their novels; they'll re-read it endlessly, change a word here or a line there, and that's it: no attention to the big-picture items like plot, pacing, characterization. It's become a bit of a mission for me. No one can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but there are plenty of mss. out there that could benefit greatly from a savvy eye and the writer's willingness to keep working long after he writes "The End."

Frances Jeanne Said:

Very similar to the "circus" that mechanics go through when unions won't let them be members unless they have a job and companies won't hire them unless they are union members. Basically it is a vested interest's selfish, "lazy" game of screening out those who are unknown. I'm sure the real economic threat that all businesses are currently experiencing is an added factor.

stinginthetail said:

I found literary agents won't touch me because i don't have a publisher interested, but publishers won't touch me because i don't have an agent, who won't touch me because... and so it goes round. It's the Catch-22 of publishing, lol.
March 30, 2009 9:10 PM

Multi-Agent Interest: Research Conclusion

After querying several knowledgeable resources it seems literary agents will not do a damn thing for you until they get you under contract! And this includes representing your work to publishers who are the ones that would bid for your work if interested.

Literary agents do not bid to "represent" you; they get a good project from an already signed client in front of several publishers who then bid on the work...(this is important because it will determine the size of your advance...and the agent's take!)

However, should several agents ever call you simultaneously and offer "representation"...pick the one you feel has the best track record and treated you the best on their phone contacts...After all when they were interviewing you over the phone...you were also interviewing them!

More on Multi-Agent Interest

The more-than-one-agent-calling-you scenario is further explored at the AgentQuery website: http://agentquery.com/writer_or.aspx with an actual agent input symposium at: http://www.agentquery.com/symposium_thecall.aspx ...which is linked off the first link page article above.

This scenario DOES happen and how to act and what questions to ask and NOT ask is important info to have when that first agent phone call arrives.

Read and digest...and good luck on your representation!

Frances Jeanne Scott Says:

Perhaps I am way too cynical, but I think such a scenario in today's economic panic is highly improbable - unless you have brought 8 babies into the world simultaneously and garnered media attention! Of course miracles can occur, and if it happens to you, John, Mazeltov!!! Were I in that situation, I'd hire an astute, reputable, literary lawyer to negotiate the best deal Such expertise is well worth the cost.

Multi-Agent Interest

Should you get into the enviable position of getting several literary agents wanting your work...how do you handle them?

The agents don't know how many other agents you have queried...so should you tell them you have others interested (I understand these "reject spewing" individuals have themselves a very thin skin) or not? How do you determine which agent would most probably get you the best deal?

I'm guessing you just go by track records and rep of the agency...But, would playing one against the other likely gain you any advantage?

I am researching the answers to the above questions and will publish my findings later...BUT, if any professional stumbles upon this blog and can answer the questions, I would appreciate!!