How do I compare two literary agents?
- Compare on vision, communication, sales, rights, and contract terms.
- A strong sales record in your genre matters more than overall fame.
- Communication style and editorial vision shape the day-to-day relationship.
- Rights handling (foreign, film, audio) affects long-term income.
- Agency reputation is a factor but not the deciding one.
Compare two agents across five dimensions: editorial vision (do they get your book and where it should go), communication style (how and how often they update clients), sales record in your specific genre, rights handling (foreign, film, audio, and subsidiary rights), and the agency agreement's contract terms. Prestige is a weak proxy; an agent with recent sales in your category and a working style you trust usually beats a bigger name who is a poor fit.
Chapter i·Why it matters
An agent relationship can last a whole career, and the wrong fit is expensive to unwind — you may have to leave and re-query. The factors that predict a good partnership are concrete and checkable: have they sold books like yours recently, do they communicate the way you need, how do they handle the rights that drive long-term income, and what does the agreement actually say. Comparing on those beats choosing on the name with the most buzz.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Editorial vision: their read on the book and its revisions.
- Communication: frequency, channel, and responsiveness.
- Sales record: recent deals in your genre, not just any genre.
- Rights handling: foreign, film/TV, audio, and subsidiary rights.
- Contract terms: commission, term, termination, and expenses.
- Client references — ask to speak with current or former clients.
Chapter iii·Example
Offered representation by two agents, a writer builds a five-column comparison. Agent A is at a famous agency but has no recent sales in her genre and is slow to reply. Agent B is at a smaller shop, has sold three comparable books in two years, answers within a day, and has a strong foreign-rights co-agent. She signs with B — the fit and the genre track record outweigh A's logo.
WriteLoom's research tools track each agent's sales, genres, and clients side by side, so an offer decision is a comparison, not a guess.
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