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More Links

 2nd Draft Critique Service
Before you send out your work, have it edited by an established pro!
 Agency Gatekeeper
A literary agent shares secrets.
 Agent in the Middle
Agent Lori Perkins blogs and tells all
 Ashley Grayson Agent Blog
From the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency
 Ask the Agent
Literary agent Andy Ross in Oakland runs an agency blog.
 Association of Authors' Representatives
 Barbara Doyen's Articles Page
Agent Barbara Doyen shares her knowledge.
 Barry Goldblatt Literary
A blog from the whole agency.
 BookEnds Agent Blog
Agents from Bookends Literary blog
 Brenda Bowen
Agent Brenda Bowen's "Bunny Eat Bunny" kids writing blog.
 Cameron McClure
Cameron, with the Donald Maass Lit Agency, runs her "Book Cannibal" blog.
 Caren Johnson Literary Agency
The official CJLA blog
 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Blog
This blog, run by Alice Pope, is a must-read for anyone writing in the juvenile market
 Chip MacGregor's Agent Blog
A Christian agent speaks
 Chuck's conference speaking schedule
See where Chuck will be presenting and when!
 Colleen Lindsay's Agent Blog
A new agent at FinePrint Literary blogs
 DHS Literary Blog
David Hale Smith's "Literary Show and Tell" blog.
 Diana Fox's Agent Blog
A literary agent talks publishing
 Dystel & Goderich Agent Blog
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An agent from JABberwocky Literary blogs.
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A blog from the whole agency.
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Buy Guide to Literary Agents and a bunch of other great WD Books.
 FinePrint Literary Management Blog
A blog from the whole agency.
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All the agents chime in on this new blog
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An agency blog.
 Full Circle Literary's Blog
Agents from Full Circle Literary in California blog
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Agent Jamie Brenner of Artists & Artisans blogs.
 Greenhouse Literary Blog
Agent Sarah Davies shares her thoughts and wisdom
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A blog from the whole agency.
 Janet Reid
Agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary gives her two cents on anything and everything
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An agent with the Donald Maass Literary Agency blogs
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From the founder of The Bent Agency.
 Jill Corcoran
A kids agent at the Herman Agency blogs.
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JABberwocky Literary Agency
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Agent Kelly Mortimer's "Perils of Publishing" blog.
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The president of AEI, a script and literary management co., blogs.
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A blog by kids agent Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency
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A blog from the whole agency.
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Exactly what it sounds like
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Agent Jonathan Lyons blogs
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This new WD blog features Kate Monahan and all things about getting an MFA
 Michael Larsen's Blog
Agent Michael Larsen of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents blogs about publishing and nonfiction writing.
 Miss Snark
No longer active, but this blog by anonymous agent Miss Snark still has oodles of priceless info in its archives
 Nathan Bransford
A popular blog from an agent at Curtis Brown in San Francisco
 Nephele Tempest's Agent Blog
An agent with the Knight Agency blogs
 Poetic Asides
A poetry blog from the editor of Writer's Market
 Promptly (Prompts Blog)
WD's own blog of writing prompts, run by magazine staffer Zac Petit
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Janet Reid's blog where she dissects query letters
 Questions and Quandaries Blog
WD staffer Brian A. Klems answers questions of all kinds
 Rachelle Gardner
A blog by an agent who specializes in Christian Writing
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Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt blogs romance.
 Sara Crowe's Blog
An agent from Harvey Klinger blogs.
 Scott Eagan's Agent Blog
The great Greyhaus agent blogs away.
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A WD scriptwriting blog from Chad Gervich, TV producer
 Steve Laube's Agent Blog
A Christian agent and former editor talks the biz.
 Suzie Townsend
A new assistant agent at FinePrint Literary blogs.
 Terry Burns's Blog
An agent with Hartline Literary blogs.
 Terry Whalin's Blog
"The Writing Life," as told by a former editor and agent.
 The Buried Editor
A blog dedicated to juvenile writing (YA, middle grade, picture books) run by an editor at CBAY Books and Blooming Tree Press
 The Gail Ross Literary Agency
The agency blog.
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A Hollywood Executive Talks About Screenwriting
 The New Literary Agents
A few new literary agents share advice.
 The Rejecter (Anonymous Agent)
 The Shatzkin Files
 The Sound and the Furry
WD contributor Nancy Parish talks writing.
 There Are No Rules
Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest Books, talks about publishing trends and has interviews online
 Tracy Marchini
An agent from Curtis Brown, Ltd. blogs
 United States Copyright Office
 Upstart Crow Blog
A blog from the whole agency at Upstart Crow Literary.
 Waxman Literary Agency
A blog from the whole agency.
 Wendy Sherman Associates Blog
Multiple agents blog.
 Writer Beware
A site dedicated to protecting writers from scams of all kinds - including unscrupulous agents
 Writer Unboxed
Primarily devoted to genre fiction, this site features plenty of interviews with industry pros
 Writer's Digest magazine
This big hub has tons of online articles from past issues of WD. Check out the revamped new site!
 Writer's Digest University (Writers Online Workshops)
Online writing courses are taught by WD staffers and contributors
 Writer's Market
This pay site is our online database of listings (magazines, book publishers, agents, and everything else). It has more than 6,000 listings.
 Writing-World
A huge writing website and resource writers should check out.
 Wylie Merrick Agency's Blog
 Zack Company Blog
Agent Andrew Zack blogs.

# Monday, December 01, 2008
What AAR Means, and Chuck's Oversimplified Four Tiers of Agents
Posted by Chuck

In my mind, there are four tiers of agents in terms of how ethical and reputable they are.  Here is how I break it down to keep it simple.  It's over-simplified, but should help new writers understand how things work and what to watch out for.

First (Top) Tier:
       In this tier, I put all the agents that are part of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). 
       Consider this: There is no test to be a literary agent.  If you print up business cards that say you're a literary agent and create a Web site tomorrow, effectively, you're in business.  Applying to and being accepted into the AAR is the closest thing to an accreditation that an agent can get.  To be a member of the AAR, they have to follow a strict canon of ethics.  To see the full canon, see the AAR Web site here.
       If you're hooked up with an AAR agent, nothing is guaranteed, naturally, but more than likely you're in great hands.

Second Tier
       In this tier, I put all reputable agents that are excellent reps, but just not part of the AAR.  In reality, there is little difference between tier one and tier two, except for the three letters after the agent's name.  There are many agents who are excellent and ethical, but just not part of AAR for whatever reason - and they should not be ignored, by any means.
       In this tier, I would also include newer agents that have good intentions but have yet to really learn the system.  I'm talking about a fresh young face at an agency who hasn't made her first sale yet.  She is ethical and fair, yes, but she may not be that effective yet.  That will come in time.  You may not sell your book quickly, but you won't be out any dough.

Third Tier
       In this tier, I put agents that may very well have the ability to sell work, but also do shady things, such as charging fees or referrals to editing services.  The agents are probably quite capable, and they could definitely sell your work to a publisher or production company, but they're also bending the rules when they like to make money on the side.
       Slippery slope here.  There is a big fat line between the second and third tiers. 

Fourth (Bottom) Tier
       Scammers, baby!  I'm talking about the WL Literary Agency and the Writer Beware's legendary "20 Worst" literary agents.
       These are people who have absolutely no ability or intention to sell your work, and promise you success while picking your pocket.  Stay away from the fourth tier!  Stay away from the light, Carol Ann!



When I think of tiers, I
think of Connect Four. And
then I smile.

Scams
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Monday, December 01, 2008 11:21:31 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #  Comments [2]
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