Agent, or not?

TravelJunkie

Genre is womens fiction, the book is nearly finished.

Is it best to find an agent? Or approach publishers directly?

If agent it is, then who is a good one?

seahorse

Get youself a copy of 'The Writers Handbook 2008'. There are listings of publishers and agents in there.

Personally I would recommend finding an agent; they will fastrack your work past the slushpile that arrives into publishers daily. Of course there's a commision (generally around 15/20%) but an agents job is to get you the best possible deal, so that percentage would most likely be covered by the harder bargain they would drive with the publisher on your behalf; in other words, an agent generally pays for him or herself.

Good luck!

pookie82

Absolutely yes. Most publishers won't even consider your work without the recommendation of a good agent, and there's no way you'll get the best deal possible without someone experienced who knows what you should be demanding. Like the previous poster said, the cost of an agent will be cancelled out by the profit they will earn for you, as whatever deal they negotiate for you will more than likely be significantly larger than you would have gotten for yourself, therefore earning you more cash. Agents let you get on with your writing while they worry about the business aspect of things, which is very important if you intend to make a career out of writing.