Agents, schmagents….
Agents, Schmagents…
Have you heard of schmagents? I had not until recently, when Brooks Sherman of Fine Print Literary mentioned them in an excellent Writer’s Digest webinair on writing queries for middle-grade manuscripts. Schmucky agents: In gentler terms, agents who act unethically. They charge fees to read manuscripts or take on clients (a reputable agent does not do this), steer your work to vanity publishers or pressure writers to buy editing services. Then there are agents who just don’t know what they are doing and can’t sell a book to save their lives. Morale: Do your research! Writer Beware (www.sfwa.org), the website of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Committee on Writing Scams, has got lots of useful and updated information.
alexandra alger 