agents | Walttriznastories's Blog

WRITER’S FORUM: AGENTQUERY

WRITER’S FORUM

AGENT QUERY

AgentQuery provides a wealth of information about agents and publishers. Information is provided as to where to find agents, organize and track queries and look at agents’ data. Publishers’ info is also available.

If you do find an agent or publisher that fits your needs; do some research before you make any commitments. Using this website is free.

In future posts I will introduce you to the websites which can provide information on how reputable agents and publishers are. These sites include Duotrope for which information has already been posted. Other sites in upcoming posts which will also be helpful are Predators and Editors and also Absolute Water Cooler.

AgentQuery :: Find the Agent Who Will Find You a Publisher

WARNING

As I’m sure you know in our current society very little is free. When you use a site indicating that it is free your email address or telephone number is probably being added to a list which will be sold. So when using any website consider the value of the site to you and if it is worth the occasion annoying ad.

May 3, 2024 at 7:03 pm Leave a comment

WRITER’S FORUM: LITERARY AGENTS

WRITER’S FORUM

LITERARY AGENTS

ASSOCIATION OF WRITER’S REPRESENTATIVES

For a writer there is no certain way which will enable you to find a valid publisher for your work. But there is one avenue which will help a great deal: Obtaining a literary agent.

The ability in obtaining a literary agent depends on the quality of your work. A reputable agent will not take you on as a client unless they feel that your work is publishable. The fact that you have an agent will gain you access to publishers you would otherwise not be able to approach. You see, an agent, a reputable agent, does not make a dime unless they can find a publisher for you. Of course, publishers know this so the fact that you have an agent tells them that perhaps they should take a look at your work.

The purpose of this post is to provide a word of caution and how to protect you from dishonest actors. Yes, as in all professions, there is a sleaze element.

A valid agent should not charge you anything to take you on as a client. Even if the agent appears to be honest, there is another scam. The agent will say they will take you on as a client, but your work needs editing. That’s when the money starts flowing out of your pocket. Run, don’t walk away from this agent.

I also want to mention that if you find a publisher for your book on your own you should not have to pay them anything to publish your work.

Back to literary agents.

There is a highly respected organization, Association of Writer’s Representatives, made up of reputable and honest literary agents. To become a member of this organization they must agree not to charge the writer and only earn their commission from the sale of your book. This database has a huge number of agents which can be searched according to the genre of your work.

And it is free.

USA Literary Agent Directory and Database 2023-24 – Free Access (literary-agents.com)

April 30, 2024 at 2:47 pm Leave a comment

STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: MARKETS AND AGENTS

This piece is a sample of upcoming posts to this blog.

The following is a list of websites to help writers find markets and agents. In the future I will discuss each site in more detail, but I thought I would offer this piece for writers to explore these sites, if they want, on their own.

First, I am sad to say that one of my favorite sites to explore the validity of markets and agents no longer exists. The site is Preditors & Editors, a site I have looked to over the years for their opinion about markets and agents. They will be sorely missed.

Now let’s deal with markets.

To my mind, Duotrope is the go-to site for seeking markets for fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Once free, it now charges 50$ a year to use it. Although there are some that argue about the fee, I think, for the service they provide, it is well worth the cost. This site is a fantastic search-engine to find markets specific to your work.

Here is the site:

https://duotrope.com/index.aspx?bp=search

Here is a site to find markets for science fiction and more. I have yet to become acquainted with it, but I will before I report on it.

http://www.ralan.com/index.htm

Now for agents.

In my opinion, this is the site to first visit when seeking an agent. The site is for the Association of Writers Representative. You can search the site for your specific genre and be connected to the agent’s site. You should never have to pay an agent to read your work. With the agents associated with this site, you never will. They have taken a pledge of honesty.

Here is the site:

http://www.aaronline.org/Find

Next is a site devoted to the writer to query other writers about their experience with publishers and

agents. Great place to check on honesty.

Here is the site:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/activity.php

Finally, here is a site to use to see an agents background. I will discuss this site in greater detail in a later post.

Here is the site:

http://www.agwentquery.com/default.aspx

I hope this helps my fellow writers on their journey to publication. As promised, a more extensive look at each site will follow. I want to help my fellow writers to be where they want to be.

October 19, 2016 at 8:55 pm Leave a comment

STRUGGLING TO GET IT PUBLISHED: ABSOLUTE WRITE

Previously, I introduced you to the helpful site for writers, Preditors & Editors, where you can go to investigate the reputation of agents and publishers. This site provides the chance for writers to avoid making poor decisions while attempting to get their work published. This present post concerns another extremely helpful site with the same purpose, Absolute Write.

Absolute Write is a popular and important site to use when approaching the publishing industry. Many times, when you search the internet for a specific agent or publisher, a reference made on Absolute Write will be one of the first hits. This site deals exclusively with opinions of writers telling of their experience using agents and publisher. You can follow a thread of conversations about agents or publisher you may be interested in contacting and see how other writers felt about their interaction with these individuals or businesses. Anyone can read, but to make a comment you must join, which I highly recommend and which is free.

Here’s a link to the site:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/

Here are some links where you may purchase my work.

Melange Books

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html

Barnes & Noble. Com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna

November 13, 2014 at 8:11 pm Leave a comment