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The Twenty Worst Literary Agents in America

Below is a list of the 20 literary agencies about which Writer Beware has received the greatest number of advisories/complaints over the past several years.

None of these agencies has a significant track record of sales to commercial (advance-paying) publishers, and most have virtually no documented and verified sales at all (book placements claimed by some of these agencies turn out to be "sales" to vanity publishers). All charge clients before a sale is made--whether directly, by levying fees such as reading or administrative fees, or indirectly, for editing or other adjunct services.

Writer Beware recommends that writers avoid questionable literary agencies, and instead query agencies that have verifiable track records of sales to commercial publishing houses.

Note that while the 20 agencies listed here account for the bulk of the complaints we receive, they're just the tip of the iceberg. Writer Beware has files on nearly 400 questionable agencies, and we learn about a new one every few weeks.

• The Abacus Group Literary Agency
• Allred and Allred Literary Agents (refers clients to "book doctor" Victor West of Pacific Literary Services)
• Barbara Bauer Literary Agency
• Benedict Associates (also d/b/a B.A. Literary Agency)
• Capital Literary Agency (formerly American Literary Agents of Washington, Inc.)
• Desert Rose Literary Agency
• Arthur Fleming Associates
• Elite Finesse Literary Agency formerly Finesse Literary Agency (Karen Carr)
• Brock Gannon Literary Agency
• Harris Literary Agency
• The Literary Agency Group, which includes the following:
• Children's Literary Agency
• Christian Literary Agency
• New York Literary Agency
• Poets Literary Agency
• The Screenplay Agency
• Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency, formerly Sydra-Techniques)
• Writers Literary & Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of the above-mentioned agencies)
• Martin-McLean Literary Associates
• Mocknick Productions Literary Agency, Inc.
• B.K. Nelson, Inc.
• The Robins Agency (Cris Robins)
• Michele Rooney Literary Agency (also d/b/a Creative Literary Agency, Simply Nonfiction, and Michele Glance Rooney Literary Agency)
• Southeast Literary Agency
• Stillwater Literary Agency (formerly Sherwood Broome, Inc.)
• Mark Sullivan Associates
• West Coast Literary Associates (also d/b/a California Literary Services)

Note: in February 2007 The Literary Agency Group renamed itself to Writers Literary Agency & Marketing Company

• WL Childrens Agency (The Writers Literary Agency - Children's Division) www.wlchildrensagency.com/
• WL Poets Literary Agency www.wlpoetsagency.com/
• WL Screenplay Agency & Mgt. Co. www.wlscreenplayagency.com

With perhaps more to come

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