Kristine Rusch doesn't think anyone really needs an agent, and strongly recommends hiring a lawyer instead to handle any contracts:
Business Musings: My Agent Will Negotiate (Contracts/Dealbreakers) – Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Looking at the science fiction/fantasy genre, her argument that you don't need an agent for traditional publishing doesn't quite ring quite true - Big 6 publishers at least tend to be ordinarily closed to submissions.
However, she does make a good argument that a lot of agents may not be qualified to negotiate contracts in the author's interests, and certainly not in legal terms.
Additionally, contracts with agents can leave an author's books tied to an agency they may no longer want to do business with.
Interesting reading, nonetheless.
Business Musings: My Agent Will Negotiate (Contracts/Dealbreakers) – Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Looking at the science fiction/fantasy genre, her argument that you don't need an agent for traditional publishing doesn't quite ring quite true - Big 6 publishers at least tend to be ordinarily closed to submissions.
However, she does make a good argument that a lot of agents may not be qualified to negotiate contracts in the author's interests, and certainly not in legal terms.
Additionally, contracts with agents can leave an author's books tied to an agency they may no longer want to do business with.
Interesting reading, nonetheless.
A different perspective, too, on contracts and the like.
