Hey, all I really want to know is, who is the right agent, how do I know if he/she is right or not? What do they do so I know they are reliable etc...
Thankyou especially to Myrisha who has gave me some excellent answers from my past questions, and you say the same thing every time- read the advice section. But now I have read what is in it on this website and it is a great help but I wanted to know from a writers prospective and get actual answers from a writers pointer view. Thanks :)
Thanks guys big help :)
The right agent depends on what you want.
Astonishingly (and I can only assume it's due to some oversight within the industry), agents are human beings. They all conduct their business in a slightly different way: some are very hands on, some do lots of editing before pitching, some are big fans of social media, some hate superfluous sex scenes, some make appalling lightbulb jokes on Twitter.
The "right" agent is the right agent for you. So, when you get an offer, that's a good time to find out about how they work, what they expect from you, what you expect from them. Are you compatible, basically. For instance, do you only talk when projects are complete, or would you have regular progress report emails bobbing back and forth? Do they answer emails quickly or do they tend to only respond when action is needed? Will they keep you in the loop about what they are doing or will they only get in touch when there's something to report? What do they regard their job as?
Plus, would you get on as human beings? Is it even important to you? There are a few agents who are excellent at their jobs and rep some amazing writers, but, to be honest, going on their Twitter streams etc, I don't think we'd get on. We're just different people. Then, there are others whom I am filled with admiration for - Juliet Pickering springs to mind for a recent(ish) interview she did where she demonstrated awareness and compassion for the trails of the submitting writer.
So, think about what you want and don't be afraid to ask questions.
The right agent is the one that instantly recognises your genius, makes you lots of money and doesn't charge for their efforts. :-)
Failing that - you could try getting something called "The Writers and artists Year Book" and doing some practical research via that...
Personally I have gone through mine crossing out all the agents that don't cover my genre, only do children's books and any other thing that disqualifies them from my interest... It's really useful to reduce the pile to a manageable number.
:-)