I just received a phone call from a movie producer that they are mailing me a contract to option two of my books to film. I will be looking at hiring an entertainment lawyer for a flat fee. Thanks for confirming this route will save me headaches.

YEP. This is a very, very, VERY typical experience of dealing with literary agents. I experienced myself with every agent I worked with, and I hear anecdotes exactly like this virtually every week–often from writers with active, busy careers who continue selling steadily after dropping literary agents from their business models.

Thanks!

I’m on my third agent, finding for the third time agents who are very interested initially lose interest when first book does not sale. His responses – initially within one day – are now taking longer and longer.

I’m glad I’m transitioning to a genre where more houses seem open to direct submission, because I’ve found agents just as unreliable and ultimately useless as you have. I hate that so many publishers won’t see submissions unless they’re through agents nowadays.

Which, as some of us were discussing on Dean Wesley Smith’s blog a few weeks ago, is essentially -every- market. There are a number of markets that have a “no unagented submissions” sign on the door, but unagented writers regularly get read by and sell to these houses, too.

Even with an agent, the writer needs to educate herself because no one cares as much about her career as she does.