I'm often asked how to find a good agent, but since I have one I really like, I don't research that side of the biz anymore. However, an article recently came out in suite101.com by Brenda Sturgis: "Top 20 Picture Book Agents in Publishers Marketplace August 2010." The rankings are based on recent sales and I have to say most of the names on the list have been around for a while as top respected agents. In other words, this is a great list. Go check it out!Thanks to Anastasia Suen for the heads up!
From what I can tell online, I respect the woman who wrote this article, so I hate saying this, but this list is fundamentally flawed because it only list those who report to PM. The title does admit it's only PM people, but the text underneath calls them the top 20 dealmakers and that's not true.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure one couldn't go wrong with any of these agents, but it doesn't include equally fabulous agents who don't report.
Hi Tandy,
ReplyDeleteThere are a ton of really great agents out there - mine isn't on this list (although the firm is) and I love her. But many people don't know where to start when looking for an agent, and no matter how accurate or inaccurate the claim of "top 20 dealmakers" that went into this list's creation, I've followed many of these names for years and know them to be some fine agents indeed.
That said, no search for a good agent should start and end here. And certainly, those with top sales may be harder to get. It all comes down to doing your research.
:)
e
This is exactly what I needed to see! Thanks so much, Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteJust curious about what constitutes a "Deal" on this list. Because if a deal is selling a book as I assume it is, is it true that only the top 9 have sold more than 4 books (okay some of them are probably multiple book contracts but still) in the last 12 months? How many authors do these agents represent I wonder? Don't those numbers seem awfully and depressingly low?
ReplyDeleteI would guess a 'deal' means a signed contract. And yes, the number seems low, but there are a lot more agents out there than these 20. Even so, it's harder than ever to break into this market these days. e
ReplyDeleteAhh...the article seems to be gone now. Or am I looking in the wrong place. The link takes me to the home page rather than the specific article and when I search the site and the author it doesn't come up. I did find a link on the web page but it takes me back to the home page as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth for providing this great resource! There are a few articles that I am quite interested in checking out! Thanks!
Oh - I'm sorry it's gone! I didn't copy it. *sigh*
ReplyDeletee