Thread by @LZats

I'm making the curry from That Episode of @printrunpodcast today and in honor of that, let me do a quick thread on agents and their biggest red flags!

An agent/agency should NEVER ask an author for money. Not for reading. Not for submission. Not for marketing.

If you're signing with an agent, you should LITERALLY SIGN A CONTRACT. A good contract will lay out what books of yours they'll represent, what happens to the money, and what happens if either party wants to end the relationship

I do know of agents with good reputations who don't? use? contracts? but that way lies a LOT of potential for exploitation and imma be honest, I don't trust anyone that much with my money or my career, so you shouldn't either.

If you can't find an agency (or a non-brand-new agent) on places like QueryTracker or forums, that's super sketch! They might have a TERRIBLE rep and be doing bad things and bullying those sites into taking evidence down *ahem*

An agent doesn't have to be a member of the AAR or another pro organization to be legit, but if they're not (we're not, for good reason!), you can ask why! Also, it takes a LOT to be kicked out of the AAR so watch out for that...

This seems so simple as to not need to be mentioned, but, uh, make sure an offering agent actually read your book! And works in your genre! And knows what genre it is!

If an agent offers rep and pressures you for an answer immediately, without giving you time to think about it and to talk to other agents, THIS IS A HUGE RED FLAG!

If an agent offers rep and refuses to show you their contract or to let you talk to their other clients, RED FLAG RED FLAG

(an agent needing a day to get permission to share contact info for said authors is actually good though!)

If your agent only wants to sub your book to places you could sub it yourself (and has no contacts or experience with big 5 or midsize pubs), RUN AWAY!

If an agent makes you feel shitty about your book (or yourself) in anyway during The Call THIS IS A RED FLAG

If an agent wants you to immediately spend money on an editor they recommend (that you'll pay for) instead of giving you notes themselves, that's a--you guessed it--A RED FLAG

If an agent offering rep is just someone who decided to be an agent one day (and does not have sales, industry experience, or a reputable agency teaching and supporting them) then 🚩🚩🚩

If an agent is going on a huge signing spree and taking on huge numbers of authors in a short time span (and simultaneously telling said authors they don't get to be subbed till next year), RED FLAG, BABY

If an agency mysteriously had most if not all of their employees leave in a short time span? It's a flag, and it's red.

If an agent starts threatening (or actually does) send other publishing people C&Ds for criticizing them? 🚩🚩🚩

If an agent is knows as an active poacher of clients (or is trying to poach you!) this is a red flag!

(note: this does not apply to agents who just chat with repped authors because we're Fans, or agents who are interested in repping a previously repped author)

If an agent demonstrates a general disdain for unpublished authors and the querying process? Or they try and make you think you're lucky to be working with them, rather than the other way around? Red flagged.

I'll probably add to this more throughout the day as I think of things, but if you're still wondering what curry has to do with bad actor agents, check out this episode of @printrunpodcast: soundcloud.com/printrunpodcas…

followed by this one: soundcloud.com/printrunpodcas…

@printrunpodcast I do regret to inform everyone that being slow to answer queries is not a red flag. However, it is an albatross around all agents' necks and we all feel bad about it.

Also, there are plenty of agents who might be a bad fit for you but are also still good agents! This thread is for the bad actors no one should work with. Consider your own needs and preferences to determine fit once someone passes this very, very low bar