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To many people, writing is a realm of myth and mystery: a fantasy world, if you will. Legends abound about
manuscripts being plucked from the ether of the slush pile and rising to the highest peaks of the NYT
Bestsellers List. Visions of the writer in the garret, slaving away on his masterpiece war with notions of the
magic key to happiness locked away in an ivory tower and guarded by the black dragon that is big publishing,
trying to keep all but the lucky few far from the golden doorway.

A central figure in this writer's wonderland is the agent. The agent is seen by some as the white knight who
charges in on the writers' behalf and brings that dragon to his knees and viewed by others as the cackling troll
under the bridge eager to demand himself a crossing toll. Adding to the agent's mystique is the staggering
amount of agent information available online (a Google search for the words "literary agent" yielded 1,410,000
results).

Some of the questions I hear most often on my writer's loops are these: What does an agent do? How much
does an agent cost? Do I really need an agent? How do I get an agent? Will an agent guarantee me the sale of
my book? What if I get an agent and the book still doesn't sell? How do I know if an agent is the right one for
me?

An agent is somebody who approaches and negotiates with editors and publishers on your behalf to sell them
your book. That's it. No magic wand, no mighty sword, no epic showdown. Just good, old fashioned
business. In exchange, the agent gets a portion of the money you make--usually fifteen percent for domestic
sales--from the sale of the book (this includes both your future royalties and the advance you get paid). The
key here, the trap some writers have fallen into and the tidbit of information most scam agents are counting
on newbie writers not to know, is this: a real agent doesn't get paid until you do.

With the exception of a small amount of money for copying and postage costs (and many agencies wait until
after you make a sale to recoup these monies), a real agent does not charge you for representation. If an agent
asks you for money in exchange for representation, run.

Some agents charge what they call "reading fees." What's a reading fee? Good question. Depends on who
you ask. Some agents claim the fee is to compensate them for the trouble of reading your query letter. Others
offer you a critique for X amount of money. Or they'll offer to refer you to an editing service for X dollars
more. These people have no impetus to sell your book because they're making all their money feeing you to
death. Bottom line: The Association of Author's Representatives (AAR) doesn't recognize any agent who
charges a reading fee or who recommends this kind of in-house or pay-to-play editing. There are plenty of
legitimate agents who aren't members of AAR, but not so many who charge reading fees. I'm like Rod
Tidwell in Jerry Maguire. I want an agent to show me the money, not the other way around.

Do you really need an agent? That depends on your goals. I write in several different genres. For my niche
writing I've chosen to go the small press/e-publishing route. The amount of money involved plus the easy
accessibility of the publishers in my chosen niche make an agent unnecessary/unlikely in that case. However,
I also write mainstream romance and YA fiction. For those manuscripts I will pursue an agent. The next
question I hear is "How do I get one of those jokers?"

Again, there aren't any magic words, no spell that's going to have a throng of agents coalescing on your
doorstep. It takes a polished manuscript, research, and a whole lot of querying to land an agent. The best
way to find an agent who's right for you is to study the market guides, look for an agent who represents your
genre, and then study that agent. What books has he represented in the last two years? How do they compare
to yours? Does he have a website and if so, what are his guidelines? Also, check out the acknowledgments
pages of writers whose books are similar to yours. Often they'll give their agents a shout out.

When you do find an agent who utters the holy "yes," will that guarantee your book will be published? Nope.
Then again, getting a chicken pox vaccine doesn't guarantee you won't get the chicken pox, either, but it sure
can't hurt. An agent (a good agent, one who's well connected in the New York publishing scene) knows
people you don't. They have access to editors at the big houses and they know what these editors like--and
what they don't. A good agent also knows what's hot, what's not, and where your book fits. Your book may
sell and it may not, but an agent gives you better, faster odds with the big houses than if you go it alone.

If your book doesn't sell and you've established a good rapport with your agent, my best advice to you is to
keep writing and ask the agent if he's interested in your next book. Dollars to donuts are he will be. Writing is
like a horse race: always a gamble, but for the guy on the back of the horse it's one hell of a ride.