Article by Chuck Rothman on (almost) everything you need to know about agents, including how to avoid scams.

Yesterday, PW reported on the launch of AgentInbox, a new service from collaborative writing website WEbook.

“AgentInbox is a service that connects publication-ready authors with reputable, vetted literary agents,” says the service’s FAQ for writers. Writers enter their book’s “vital stats,” including title, genre, query letter, and all or part of the manuscript (there are several tutorials to help with the polishing process). They can then check AgentInbox’s roster of participating agents and choose which ones they’d like their submission to go to. WEbook staff pre-screens submissions, then forwards them on to the agents chosen.

An Opinion by Victoria Strauss There’s conflicting wisdom on the subject of whether or not a writer needs a literary agent for first-time publication.  Many professional writers (and some how-to-get-published books) will tell you that you should make your first sale yourself, and only then, contract in hand, go looking for an agent to close […]

A Brief History of Fees Fees in Their Infinite Variety If you’ve queried literary agents based on listings in various popular market guides, or on information you found online, you may have had the experience of hearing from an agency that describes itself as non-fee-charging, but somehow wants you to give it money anyway. What’s […]

First off, definition: an exclusive means just what it sounds like. You are giving an agent the opportunity to consider your work exclusively and you are agreeing that you will not submit to another agent until you’ve heard “yea” or “nay” from that agent. Sometimes exclusives are open-ended, sometimes there’s a time period attached.

This contract was written under the direction of the SFWA® Contracts Committee. The model or sample contracts have been written as a guide to writers in understanding common publishing contracts and to help them negotiate better contracts. They are not intended to be used as boilerplate contracts by publishers, writers, or agents, nor should such […]

Author John E. Stith describes the process by which an author might acquire an agent.

Locus magazine has a long history in our field; from a one-page zine founded to support a Worldcon bid, it has grown to become the premier industry magazine for science fiction and fantasy publishing. For decades, they’ve covered the news from authors signing with agents to sales of books to multi-page spreads for award ceremonies. […]

by William C. Tracy Editorial note: This is the first in a two-part series from William C. Tracy. Part 1 will focus on publishing and release costs, comparing traditional and indie publishing. Part 2 will present marketing resources, including a Google Sheets template, to help authors calculate their book costs. How much do you make […]

by Jeremy Zentner  In the ever-changing age of technology, the opportunities for publication are as daunting as they are diverse. I don’t think anyone can argue that it’s easy to find success as a writer. However, as a writer, it is prudent to remember that even the legends employed their own cunning to find publication […]