There are a lot of literary agents out there today; many have offered excellent advice within these pages! But a plethora of choices can be overwhelming: To which agents should you submit and, if you’re lucky enough to get multiple offers, which agent should you pick? My advice, when you’re submitting and once you receive a representation offer (or several), is to trust your gut. This is ideally a long-term professional relationship. There are many ways of being a successful literary agent. But what do you, specifically, as a writer, want out of that relationship? When you find the agent whose editorial vision and career strategy align with yours, who seems a good match for you, you’ll know. And if a strategy doesn’t sit right with you—an agent acting bullish when you asked for time, or dodging industry-specific questions, or if their vision for your career isn’t what you had in mind—trust that, too. As agents we know what’s best in the book market, but you know what’s best for you.
—Danielle Bukowski of Sterling Lord Literistic