Christian Writers Seeking a Literary Agent

      Words to the wise among those Christians who aspire to be published writers. Your very first step should be to make sure you have done all the necessary background work: you must understand grammar, composition, spelling, hooks, syntax, voice, how to control the speed of the reader, etc.  If any of these things leave you staring into space go back and study some more.  You don't have to become an expert on all these things to be a writer, but should at least have an idea what they are.  Having something to say must be matched with knowing how to say it.  You wouldn't try to drive a car before you knew where the brake release was, would you?

       Once you are ready to try to secure the services of an agent for what you write, be aware of this uncomfortable fact: the odds against you ever getting an agent and/or ever being professionally published are astronomical.  There are literally thousands of well-qualified writers wanting the same few available agency slots.  Most of them will have only limited or no success in their writing careers.

      There is much more "product" available (yes, I said that) than can be professionally published or, for that matter, even given more than a cursory glance by a prospective agent.

If your book doesn't arrive at just the right time and in front of just the right set of eyes, it will probably be glanced at and tossed into the "slush pile," destined to receive a rejection slip.

      Literary agents are very helpful to a writer.  They're your "foot in the door," so you should keep on improving your writing and submitting your work to them, even as you accumulate a thick stack of rejection slips and letters.  You'll know you're getting closer when you begin to get polite, personal responses from the agents.  This is the time to be, to quote Elmer Fudd, "... vewwy, vewwy, caweful."

       Not all literary agents are really literary agents and not all people associated with Christian publishing are Christian.  Some are total frauds and some are just "questionable."  One of the numerous writer's help websites, Writers Beware, says it has a list of almost four hundred questionable agencies.  One of the listings, Writer's Literary Agency and Marketing Company, has at least twenty-three aliases, including The Christian Literary Agency.

      Warning signs:

1. Charging up-front fees before any sales are made.

2. Offering paid editing  or publishing referrals.  A literary agency should not own or be financially affiliated with companies which offer these otherwise legitimate services.  It creates a conflict of interest.

3. No record of prior sales can be found.

4. Any misrepresentation of the agent's qualifications.

5. Non-standard contract terms.

      The best way to ensure ethical behavior from an agency is to deal only with an AAR (Association of Author's Representatives) certified agent.  AAR agents must must pledge themselves to a very high standard of ethics.  You can expect a very high standard of service.  The flip side is that they can, and will, expect certain things from you or they will not represent you.

      Some CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) agents are not AAR certified.  Most can be assumed to be ethical because of the specialized nature of what they do.  A few may not be