#SEAsianPit is an annual pitch event for self-identifying Southeast Asian writers & illustrators everywhere.
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ALT SCHMAGENT RED FLAGS TO LOOK OUT FOR by Lilly Lu and Solar Hoàng
ALT 01. CHARGING FOR EDITORIAL SERVICES An agency will never charge you money! Editorial services on top of rep is also a conflict of interest and is the classic sign of a schmagency. This applies to agents plugging their external editorial service as well.
ALT 02. FOUNDER HAS NO AGENCY EXPERIENCE Agenting is an apprenticeship -based profession. Many agents go through YEARS of training and networking under a mentor before taking on their own clients, let alone founding their own agency. Without years of experience, they would not have industry connections to submit your manuscript(s) to.
ALT 03. A YAPPY AND ONLINE TWITTER AGENT It’s not bad if an agent is active on social media, but it might be a red flag if they do not many sales or no sales to major publishers in combination with no mentorship. Another MAJOR point: if they're always weighing in on dramas just to get engagement. Publishers pay attention to socmed!
ALT SCHMAGENT RED FLAGS TO LOOK OUT FOR by Lilly Lu and Solar Hoàng
ALT 01. CHARGING FOR EDITORIAL SERVICES An agency will never charge you money! Editorial services on top of rep is also a conflict of interest and is the classic sign of a schmagency. This applies to agents plugging their external editorial service as well.
ALT 02. FOUNDER HAS NO AGENCY EXPERIENCE Agenting is an apprenticeship -based profession. Many agents go through YEARS of training and networking under a mentor before taking on their own clients, let alone founding their own agency. Without years of experience, they would not have industry connections to submit your manuscript(s) to.
ALT 03. A YAPPY AND ONLINE TWITTER AGENT It’s not bad if an agent is active on social media, but it might be a red flag if they do not many sales or no sales to major publishers in combination with no mentorship. Another MAJOR point: if they're always weighing in on dramas just to get engagement. Publishers pay attention to socmed!
ALT 04. NO OFFICIAL AGENCY EMAIL ADDRESS Of course, there are older agencies that are not very tech savvy (and that’s totally ok!), but the rule of thumb is that if you see @gmail.com, they’re likely not a real agent.
ALT 05. UNWILLING TO SHARE CLIENT REFERENCES An agent should be willing to share with you the email of some of their clients (and you should talk to them!). If they ever say no to giving you the reference, that’s a sign of a dishonest agent.
ALT 06. RELUCTANCE TO GIVE TWO-WEEK WAIT This should go without saying, but an offering agent should always give you two weeks to nudge and consider all your offers. It is also a red flag if they rescind their offer once they know another agent offers you.
ALT VET YOUR AGENT LIST Please always vet your agents by researching them (via WriterBeware, reddits, etc) or simply reaching out to the writing community! A lot of things get buried quickly on the internet and a lot of schmagents rebrand themselves to prey on new writers. Be mindful when querying. Remember, HAVING NO AGENT IS BETTER THAN HAVING A BAD AGENT.
