AmSAW - Featured Literary Agents

Why an Agent?

An agent does many things for the 15% he collects from sales of your work. Among them is getting your writing before an editor in the first place. More and more often, publishers are adopting a policy of reading "only agent-represented authors." An agent gives your work a much better chance of escaping the slush piles that threaten to overwhelm the office space of all successful publishers. Your job, which isn't easy, is to produce writing that an agent can believe in and can sell.

One more thing: A reputable agent does not charge a reading fee in advance of publication (or any other type of fee, for that matter). Any charge made to the author that is payable prior to the sale of the manuscript to a publisher, however characterized by the agent, is a "fee" and represents inappropriate conduct that is not in the author's best interest, according to the dictates of the Association of Authors Representatives (AAR), the governing body for literary agencies.

Of the following literary agencies, some are actively seeking new clients; others are buried in work and can't take on anyone else. Before signing with a new agent, make sure you investigate that agent fully and have all of the details of your relationship spelled out in a written contract or agreement.

Please note: The newest entries are marked with a "New!" or "Updated!" designation.

Featured Agents

New! Peter Fleming Agency, P.O. Box 458, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, (310) 454-1373. Since 1962. This agency specializes in "nonfiction books: innovative, helpful, contrarian, individualistic, free market... with bestseller potential." Currently seeking 100% nonfiction books. Looking for writers with a different, one-of-a-kind idea for a book usually backed by the writer's experience in that area of expertise. Terms: 15% domestic sales, 25% foreign sales. Charges clients "only those fees agreed to in writing, i.e., NY-ABA expenses shared. We may ask for a TV contract, too." Recent sales include Rulers of Evil, by F. Tupper Saussy (HarperCollins), Why is it Always About You-Saving Yourself from the Narcissists in Your Life, by Sandy Hotchkiss (Free Press). Offers agency contract. Contact: Query with SASE.

New! McHugh Literary Agency, 1033 Lyon Rd, Moscow, ID 83843-9167, (208) 882-0107, Fax (847) 628-0146, elisabetmch@turbonet.com. Contact: Elisabet McHugh. Since 1994. Presently representing 61 clients, 30% are new or unpublished writers. Currently handles: 40% nonfiction, 60% fiction. Nonfiction: Open to all subjects. Fiction: Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Psychological thrillers, Historical, Mainstream, Inspirational. Contact: Query first by e-mail. Do NOT send material unless asked for. No children's books, poetry, SF, horror, or fantasy. Terms: 15% domestic sales, 20% foreign sales. Offers agency contract. Client must provide all copies needed for submissions. Recent Sales: Forever Yours (Harlequin); Jungle Ace: The Story of One of the Usaaf's Great Fighter Pilots (Brassey's); Clark Gable (McFarland & Co); Murder Matters (Bantam); A Matter of Honor (Pocket Books). Tip: Be professional.

New! Zebra Agency. "We are a young [UK-based] agency specialising in commercial fiction, and we are always on the look-out for authors and script writers who can write a gripping story from the first page to the last. We do not offer any easy road to success, only a fair assessment of what crosses our desk and our enthusiasm/experience to generate sales and marketing when we feel we can really get behind a new book, a new screen script, and new authors. During a year we receive over 1,000 manuscripts and reject approximately 995. The standards are high, and the funny thing is, we never hear again from the rejects. So our advice is keep on writing no matter how many rejections come your way. Learn from them. Here are a few tips."

Tip 1 - Place your manuscript in a drawer and lock it away out of your reach for six months. After this period, read your work and you will see what we saw.
Tip 2 - When writing, think of actors as your characters, say Robert Powell, Jonathan Price or Charles Dance etc. Write what they see, hear, smell, touch or think and how they would react. This will enhance your work.
Tip 3 - Imagine you are about to take a long journey and you are standing in an airport or a railway station, and you need to buy a book to read on your journey. Set aside the cover or the writer's name, what do you do? Well, you will read the first sentence, the first paragraph and perhaps the first page. If the first sentence does not capture your interest you will probably pick up another book. Many writers write a gripping story from the second page, or second chapter to the last, and they wonder why their novel never becomes a Best Seller, or even get published.

Send preliminary letter giving publishing history and brief cv, with synopsis and first three chapters or ten pages of script (plus S.A.S.E.) and your E-mail address. Or contact the agency at admin@zebraagency.co.uk.

Revised! Swetky Agency, The (AmSAW member). "We are looking for good, writers dedicated to their craft. If you're one, we want you. We're not taking on a large number of clients, only a select few; so, we're looking for people who are willing to work hard, take marketing direction seriously, and approach their writing as the proven professionals we understand them to be." In non-fiction, we are currently seeking military history, Western Americana (through the immediate post-Civil War years), and media-related (film, television, etc.). In fiction, we're looking for Romance, Erotica, Coming-of-Age, Literary, Mystery, Detective, Suspense, and Western. "Our work load demands that certain submission requirements be followed. Please check out our new state-of-the-art Web site (includes a one-page, click-and-submit contact form) at this URL: http://amsaw.org/swetkyagency/index.html. We respond to all e-mail queries as quickly as possible. Our terms include six-month exclusive representation of your book-length works (we don't handle short fiction except in anthologies, nor do we accept children's books, poetry, or articles), automatically extended until either party cancels. Our standard agency rates are 15% for all U.S. publication sales, 20% for all subsidiary and foreign sales, and 20% for all film sales. Upon mutual agreement, we will send a written agency contract (see sample contract) for your signature." The Swetky Agency and Associates includes a public-relations firm, and literary agency representation entitles the author to promotional services at no extra charge. For further information, e-mail fayeswetky@amsaw.org.