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Q: In your opinion, when looking for an agent, is it best to go for a small, up and coming company or the prestige of a large, established one? -Lucy

A: It depends on where you are in your career. If you’re just starting out, it may be easier to get the attention of a newer agent whose client list isn’t too extensive yet. They won’t be as well-connected as more established, prestigious agencies, but it won’t be as difficult to get consideration for your work.

Do be aware, as I mentioned to Matthew (see above), established agents are just as interested in finding good new authors as the up-and-comers. For last year’s Guide to Literary Agents, I interviewed first-time author Patricia Elam, whose novel Breathing Room (Simon & Schuster) was picked up by heavy-hitter Molly Friedrich, of the Aaron Priest Literary Agency, on the basis of a personal contact. Patricia attended a writing workshop conducted by one of Molly’s clients, and on the strength of that connection got a reading and a sale for her novel.

That’s a bit of a dream-come-true story, but it can happen. And of course working with an established agency is to your advantage because agencies like Aaron Priest and Wylie Agency Inc., for example, get an editor’s attention faster with the cache of their successful track records.

Anne Bowling
Editor of 2001-2005 Novel & Short Story Writer's Markets
Writer's Digest Books