Writer's Digest Presents: Working With Literary Agents (Podcast, Episode 8)

In this eighth episode of the Writer's Digest Presents podcast, Amy, Robert, Moriah, and Michael discuss the topic of literary agents. What is a literary agent, and how do you find the right one for you? Then, Moriah sits down for a conversation with Paper Over Board's literary agent Margaret Danko.

(Should We Write About the Pandemic in Fiction?)

Thoughts on Literary Agents From the WD Editors:

“I’ve always thought, ‘I want the well-established literary agent who represents some of my favorite writers,’ They’ve got the experience, they’ve got the track record. It would be a lofty goal. On the one hand, there is the benefit of having a very well-established agent who has the experience and track record and reputation. On the other hand, with a newer agent who hasn’t development their full list, one of the benefits of that is you get their full attention.”—Amy Jones
“Communication is the key thing. I’ve communicated with so many authors over the years who talk about how great their agents are and how sometimes their agent is the one person who can help them see that they’re going down the wrong path on a project.”—Robert Lee Brewer
“If [the agent’s] not established, if they haven’t proven themselves, what about the people that they work with? What is their agency like as a whole? Because what I do know about these agencies is that they are a wider support system generally. So, even if they’re a novice agent, the other more senior agents at the agency will be helping them along. So, you want to make sure that you’re doing your due diligence in that way, but you don’t want to completely write somebody off just because they don’t have a giant client list at the moment.”—Moriah Richard
“It’s like finding the right therapist. If it’s not working out, no bad feelings. You want to find the right person who has the same desires for your manuscript as you do, otherwise you’re going to be pretty unhappy.”—Michael Woodson

Conversation With Literary Agent Margaret Danko:

“Agents can’t do their jobs without writers. We can’t do this without you. So, it is in our best interest to make sure you’re taken care of.”—Margaret Danko