Thread by @SwatiTheGeek

🚩 How to spot a schmagent (aka, a bad agent): an #amquerying 🧵 on literary agent red flags I’ve personally seen (feel free to add more in the replies!) (1/9)

#writingcommunity #querytip

🚩 Red flag 1: They charge upfront fees of any kind, including reading fees, before they sell your book to a publisher. This is NOT okay because money always flows to the author! Literary agents only get paid in the form of commission when you get paid! Schmagent. (2/9)

🚩 Red flag 2: They have their own literary agency despite having zero publishing experience or sales. Such agents often have good intentions--they love books & want to champion authors, etc., but good intentions won't sell your book. Schmagent. (3/9)

🚩 Red flag 3: The agent's agency (not just this individual agent) has no reputable sales--they've only sold to small presses that take unagented submissions, are digital-only, or don't pay advances. Schmagent. (4/9)

🚩 Red flag 4: This is specifically for fiction--the agent offers rep without reading your full book. Often happens if you already have serious publisher interest. This agent might just be gunning for the $$ and not you as an author. Schmagent. (5/9)

🚩 Red flag 5: The agent has zero diverse clients and/or has expressed no interest in championing marginalized author on their wishlist, website bio, social media, etc. Or they've parted ways with multiple unhappy diverse clients. Schmagent. (6/9)

🚩 Red flag 6: The agent is very new with no experience/sales and is signing way too many authors very quickly without mentorship from a senior agent who actually has reputable sales. An enthusiastic agent, yes, but still... Schmagent. (7/9)

🚩 Red flag 7: The agent has a history of dumping or parting ways with multiple clients who haven't made them $$$ right away. This agent will probably dump you too if your book doesn't sell fast enough. Schmagent. (8/9)

Hope this helped. Those were all the red flags that *I* know of for #amquerying authors. Drop any others you can think of below! And if you need more querying support, I offer query critiques & strategy calls for as low as $39. DM me, and best of luck querying 💛 (9/9)