How do I check if a literary agent is legitimate?
- A legitimate agent has a verifiable record of sales to real publishers.
- Reputable agents never charge reading, submission, or upfront fees.
- Industry databases (Publishers Marketplace, QueryTracker, Writer Beware) help vet agents.
- Agents earn a standard commission (typically 15%) from sales, not from you.
- Vague client lists and pressure to pay are red flags.
Check three things before submitting. First, sales: a legitimate agent has a verifiable record of deals with real publishers, searchable on industry databases. Second, fees: reputable agents never charge reading, submission, or editing fees — they earn a commission (typically 15%) only when they sell your book. Third, reputation: cross-check them on Publishers Marketplace, QueryTracker, and Writer Beware. Pressure to pay anything upfront is a disqualifying red flag.
Chapter i·Why it matters
The querying author is a target for scams precisely because they are hopeful and unfamiliar with the business. A fake agent can cost you money, rights, and months of time, and a well-built scam site looks indistinguishable from a real agency to a newcomer. The legitimate-agent test is simple and consistent — real sales, no fees, verifiable reputation — and applying it before you submit protects you from the entire category of predatory operators.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A search for the agent's actual book sales and deals.
- A confirmation that no fees of any kind are charged.
- A cross-check against Publishers Marketplace and QueryTracker.
- A look at Writer Beware and similar watchdog resources.
- A check that the commission model is standard (~15%).
- A red-flag scan: vague clients, upfront payment, pressure.
Chapter iii·Example
An author gets an enthusiastic offer from an "agency" she has not heard of. She searches for its sales and finds none, notices a $295 "submission processing fee," and finds a warning on Writer Beware. She declines. A second agent she vets checks out — real recent deals, no fees, listed on Publishers Marketplace — and she submits with confidence.
WriteLoom's Pitch studio keeps your vetting notes beside each agent record, so you only ever submit to the ones who check out.
See the Pitch studio