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Do I Need an Agent?

February 28, 2014 By Jody Rein Leave a Comment

publishing questionsQ: Do I need an agent to get published by a traditional publishing house?

A: Depends on how you define “traditional publishing house.”

If you want to be published by a major publisher (the “Big Five” in New York: The Penguin/Random Group, Hachette, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins & Macmillan; or other large independent houses such as WW Norton, Perseus, Chronicle Books and more) yes, you must have an agent. A way to judge: go to your local bookstore (a real one, not a virtual one.) Most publishers with many books sold through bookstores required agented submissions. (Don’t look on the spines, by the way—look on the copyright page. Each of the publishers I mention above is a conglomeration of many “imprints” that each once were independently owned publishing companies. So you’ll see “Crown” or Knopf or Doubleday or Bantam or Viking on a spine—they’re all now Penguin/Random.)

But “traditional houses” include any company that is selective in its output and doesn’t expect money from you to publish your book (or doesn’t expect you to fund the publication in some other sneaky way, like contracting to purchase 500 copies.)

University presses, small literary presses, specialty publishers all would be considered “traditional,” but may be willing to review your unagented submission. How to tell? Don’t query blindly, check them out one-by-one on their websites. Submission policies are always listed at reputable places.

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Kudos to Jody! She provided the substance and valuable information we sought. Jody has such an open, upfront approach; it was perfect for our casual atmosphere. (more)
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Jody is the consummate professional; she’s creative, a pleasure to deal with and her knowledge of book publishing is profound. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough. (more)
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Jody strives for the best, sets the bar high, and encourages others to do the same. Her success in the world of book publishing reflects her high standards. She knows the business inside and out–and her clients benefit! (more)
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Jody gives thoughtful and thorough assessments, a value to me, and I appreciate it. I take her words to heart.  (more)
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Working editorially with Jody Rein and her team at Author Planet is like getting a graduate degree in writing… (more)
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