Literary Agents

I don't have a literary agent because I write short pieces. Generally, agents deal with book-length work. Most legitimate agents earn their money by deducting commissions from the manuscripts they sell. Most legitimate agents do not take any money from the writers up front. They depend on the the actual sales of the books.

Writing is hard work, and many writers, although their hearts and souls are in it, will not get published. There are shadowy agents who demand fees from the writer every step of the way. If I ever get the ambition to write a book, I would never go to this kind of agent. Of course they'll say your book is great; their money is made from the uninformed writer, even if the writer never sells a single copy.