An agent's job is to sell their clients' book to a publisher. They can make recommendations on how to make a manuscript more likely to sell.

In almost every case, you should avoid agents who:

Charge a reading fee or any upfront fees. Agents make their living because they can sell books. They should have fees based on their actual performance, not their promises. This means that the reputable agents only work on a commission basis. It is not standard industry practice for an agent to ask for any money up front. They receive their fee when they sell a writer's work. It is reasonable for agents to bill the client for expenses incurred after the sale such as the cost of long distance phone calls, faxes, photo copies, and couriers. These costs are not paid up front, but a record is kept and the author is expected to pay after the sale of the work. Charging clients for what should be general overhead(manuscript preparation, marketing, office supplies, rent, etc) is not acceptable.

Charge fees above the industry norm. Agents who charge any more than 15% on domestic sales should be avoided.(some agents charge 20% for first book and 15% for every book after that) When the agent uses a sub agency it is acceptable to charge 20-25%. A sub agency is used when their is a need for outside expertise, such as selling a manuscript to a film company.

Fail to disclose their track record. A reputable agent should be willing to give you a list of books that they sold and a way to verify the truth in their claims. There are a lot of people claiming to be agents who have no skills or background in the field. If the agent fails to disclose books they have sold, claiming the information to be "confidental" it is likely that they are hiding something. It is not necessary to collect the names and phone numbers of every author the agent works with, but as stated above, the list of books sold is an integral piece of information.

Do not have a firm grasp on the English language. Reputable agents are professionals in the publishing field and therefore they are well versed in the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Any agent who lacks this knowledge should be avoided like the plague. Take a look at their written work and watch for excessive mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They cannot really evaluate your manuscript if they do not recognize mistakes in the areas mentioned above. No editor on earth would take them seriously, and it translates into a unsold book for the writer.

Play the role of the door of unending praise or the administrator of doom. A good agent has his or her feet planted firmly on the ground of reality. Excessive praise and outlandish promises should make a writer suspicious. Very few new writers can give Anne Rice or Stephen King a run for their money the first time out. Very few writers make the Bestseller lists with their first book. Unless the writer has plans to appear on Oprah, they should not expect miracles. Agents who promise them are not to be trusted. If an agent agrees to represent you, it is an indication that they are hopeful that your work will sell. The encouragement and claims they make should be moderate and not attempt to get your hopes up to unrealistically high levels.

On the other hand, agents who are extremely negative may be trying to disguise the fact that they have not sold any books, or have sold very little. They make excuses for not being successful. Like the agents who provide excessive praise, the bitter agents are not anywhere in the realm we call reality either.

Do not know the publishing industry. Any agent who uses the very basic methods of getting published, most especially, the very same methods you would use on your own, are probably not a good choice. If an agent submits query letters, offers form response cards, and the like, you should be very wary. After all, you could do these things on your own, why hire an agent to do them. Writers need something above and beyond what they can do themselves. A lot of reputable agents use the phone to query editors, an option not available to most writers. A good agent has many contacts in the publishing world, they do not sell a book using exactly the same procedure as a writer without an agent.

Offers editing services for a fee or refers you to a service for which you have to pay. Be very careful in this regard, it would be quite difficult to determine if your work needs further editing, or if the agent is just trying to make more money. Make sure that the agent you choose is not in fact an editor posing as an agent. While it is common for publishing house editors to become agents, or others in the publishing industry for that matter, it is not ethical for an agent to make money from editorial services. Their primary function is to sell your work. They may suggest that you find an editor, or they may offer you some editorial advice, both of these are acceptable if they are not charging fees for them.

Have no experience as an agent or are very new. There is nothing wrong with using an agent who is just starting their career. It can be a beneficial arrangement for both the new writer and the new agent. However, it is important to determine if the new agent has some kind of background in the publishing field. Career paths differ among agents, but some started as editors for publishing houses, or as freelance editors. Others may have been buyers for major bookstores, or worked in a publishing house in another capacity. Others still are writers or they teach writing. If the agent has no experience as an agent, look at their past employment and make sure they have a relevant background.

How do I find an agent?

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