Do I need a Literary Agents to get published?

[Must be a Looney TOON]

Does it make sense?
I am having trouble attracting them...so what do I do?
If no one is giving me information about what is wrong...how do i know? Plus I can't afford the conferences.

[faintspot233]

It helps a lot these days. The agents are kind of like a "filter" and they get rid of writers who they don't think are good enough to be published, and pass on the ones who have a good chance.

There are many reasons why you'd be rejected. Maybe your letter wasn't up to standard? Maybe your plot needs revision? Just review everything from the plot to the letter you sent and see if you went wrong anywhere.

[Devon]

If you want to be published by a big publisher, then yes, you need an agent.

Getting picked up by an agent is very rare, especially now. Aside from having a stellar book, a strong querie letter is probably the most important factor in finding an agent.


http://www.blightsinliterature.blogspot.com

[Amy Windshaw]

Unless you want to self-publish...

[Joss]

"I am having trouble attracting them...so what do I do?"

-- Consider that there is a flaw in your manuscript or your query letter needs to be rewritten so that it's more enticing. Also, consider that you're querying your manuscript too early; many writers do this and they're going to be met with rejection. Querying too early can be that you didn't edit/polish your manuscript enough, or it could mean that you need to take more time to hone your writing before you start querying anything. One thing you have to remember is that everything you write won't be good enough to publish. You need to be objective about your own work and writing skill. Many writers are delusional about how great of a writer they are. Unfortunately, bad writing is the top reason for rejection. Querying the wrong agents and an unoriginal story are the other two top reasons for rejections.

"If no one is giving me information about what is wrong...how do i know?"
-- Look, it's not an editor's or literary agent's job to tell you what you're doing wrong. An editor's job is to find manuscripts that the publisher will be interested in. An agent's job is to sell manuscripts for publishers. If you want feedback on your work then you'll need to join a critique group and get feedback from writers who are better than you. If you haven't gotten feedback for your manuscript or query letter than you have no business submitting it to anyone because chances are it's not ready. It's a rare unpublished writer who can get published without getting any feedback on their work. In fact, the only person I've heard of doing this said she was able to do it because she's been critiquing other writer's work for years and knows what to look for in her own work to make it work. Most writers aren't that lucky.

So... If you're not attracting agents then it's your query letter or manuscript that needs revising. Sometimes your query letter and writing might be perfect but your actual story is unoriginal, in which case, scrap it and start something new that will get you published. Don't be delusional about your own work and skill as a writer. That's a death knell for an career, because if you can't realize when your writing sucks then you'll never be able to get better. And, if you're unable to get better then you'll never become a good writer. And, if you're not a good writer then you're never going to be published (unless you self-publish).

Lastly, no, you dont need an agent to get published. But, realize this: If all these agents are rejecting your work then you had better believe that editors are going to reject it for the same reasons. The solution to your problem isnt' to find a loophole. The resolution is to figure out why you're being rejected, because in publishing, when you're being rejected there isn't a real loophole. The only way to do this is to start getting feedback on your manuscript and query letter. Get beta readers to read your whole manuscript. Follow literary agent and editor blogs and twitter accounts. They give out great advice about why they reject manuscripts. Make sure you're following the market for the genre you write. It could very well be that your genre isn't selling well and that's making it very hard to break into it unless you have something extraordinary on your hands...and since you're getting rejected, I doubt if what you have is extraordinary. Harsh, but realistic. Go back to your list of literary agents and see if they have twitter, facebook, and blogs. Follow them. Read through their previous blog post. Once you find one, you'll find many others since they link to each other.

And, lastly, start your next novel. Realize that this book might never get published. If you want to be a published author then you can't put all your eggs in one basket. Start a different novel. Make it better than this one. If all your hopes are on this one novel then you're going to disappoint yourself if nothing ever comes of it.