Do You Need a Literary Agent?

Personally I didn't want to use an agent. I suppose I have an aversion to what I would deem a middle man making a profit off someone else's back. This is the reason, primarily, that I went down the self publishing route. However The Writers & Artists Yearbook and other sources on the internet strongly suggest that using an agent is beneficial to a budding author. I will list some of the reasons they have given.
. An agent will work on your behalf and send your manuscript to the most likely publishers because the agent has more knowledge about who's who in the publishing world and what genre particular publishers may be looking for.


. Publishers also work with certain agents as they know what genre a particular agent is dealing with, a two way street, so to speak.


. Agents have a better understanding of the publishing market.


.They know the best editors who work for publishers as well.


. Agents are fully conversant with the fast moving and expanding world of digital publishing.


. They are experienced in negotiating the best commercial deal and contracts on your behalf.


. They have knowledge of other opportunities for your work beyond publishing and can use it to your  advantage.


. You can build a good rapport and working relationship with an agent and they will do all the selling for you if this is not your strong point, leaving you to get on with the hard work of creating.

. A good agent will be the middle man between you and the publisher, ie getting extended deadlines,   better dates for your book tour and improved deals.

. They will have knowledge of high volume discounts, territorial rights and electronic rights.

After reading why it's beneficial to have an agent I am still not convinced that you need one. If you can write a book then you also have the ability to read and research the publishing market with all it's pitfalls. You can learn about topics such as high volume discounts, digital and territorial rights. You can also research and approach publishers directly,( those that accept unsolicited manuscripts directly from an author), and you can research which genre they deal with and what their submission criteria is. If you are lucky enough to be accepted by a publisher whom you have approached as an individual author I am sure that you will have enough sense to read through a contract with a fine tooth comb before signing anything.  Terms and conditions can be negotiated.

Personally I would not want to be in the "I scratch your back and you scratch mine" world of publisher and agent acting as a buffer.