How Agents Help Authors Almost every first-time author asks this question: Do I really need a literary agent to help me sell my book?
Yes and no. You dont have to have an agent. Some authors have found a way to get publishers to notice them and their books without an agent. And perhaps they feel comfortable dealing with contracts and other legal details, possibly because they have a background in law or have done that kind of work in their professional lives. Some authors just want to handle everything themselves, and theyre willing to put in the time it takes to do that. But there is a real advantage to having a literary agent: They make the process of selling your book a whole lot easier, and put you on a level playing field with editors. The Agent Advantage When you hire an agent to represent you, you are hiring someone who knows the whole business who the players are, which companies have been bought by which conglomerates, which are up for sale, whats going on with publishers lists (shrinking or growing, pulling back from some categories, expanding into others), which editors might be most partial to your topic,
