Jennifer Brown

Every so often you hear seasoned writers talk about whether or not it's really necessary for a new writer to have an agent. They like to tell you that you shouldn't have to share your hard-earned money with an unnecessary third party and that, really, a much-cheaper attorney can look over what will likely be a boilerplate contract in a couple hours and tell you everything's okay to sign.

So it makes sense that a lot of newbie writers who contact me with questions want to know not how to get an agent, but whether or not they should even waste their time trying. It can be as hard, after all, landing an agent as it is landing an editor.

True, you can make contact with editors through conferences or writer references (actually, it's a pretty good way to make a connection with an editor), and true even those houses that claim they "don't take unsolicited submissions" actually will read through that slush pile (at least that's the admission I've heard from many editors at writer's conferences).

So what good is an agent?

For me, it was never a question. I wanted an agent. I worked for years (three novels, in fact) to finally land one. During those years, I never even tried to get an editor's attention. I wanted an agent.

Would I have sold HATE LIST without Cori's help? Maybe. Probably.

But I know -- KNOW! -- that I wouldn't have gotten multiple major publishers making offers on it within a few days of submitting it. And I probably would have snapped up the first offer that came in, which would have been great, but I wouldn't have gotten the best offer, and would have missed out on working with Little, Brown, and my fabulous editor, T.S. Cori didn't just sell a book for me; she worked a deal that I, nor any attorney, would have been able to pull off.

But here's the thing. It's not just about selling books.

Cori is terrific on so many levels. First, she believes in me. In fact, she often believes in me more than I believe in myself. And sometimes that's really REALLY important, having someone out there who believes in you and your work so much so that you still go to the keyboard even on the Days When You Suck and Will Never Not Suck.

She's good for running ideas past. She'll tell me when something isn't working, without obliterating my confidence.

But never have I been happier to have my agent than I was last week, when my Great Email Fiasco had me sobbing on my keyboard. In desperation, I reached out to Cori, hoping she still had a copy of the notes I needed to finish up my Nothing Personal submission. Guess what? She had them all. EVERYTHING! Every email that's ever passed between author and editor, she had a copy of. Crisis averted.

So, yes, I say an agent is worth far more than the commission she takes. I don't know about you, but I'd be sunk without mine.