I bought the 2012 Guide to Literary Agents based on a recommendation I found on a screenwriting-tips website. It said that this book offered a wealth of information regarding how to find agents of all types, representing a wide range of material. I got the impression that it would prove an indispensable tool for advancing my career. I was excited to check it out, in hopes of finding representation for my scripts.
However, after not just buying it, but also kicking in extra for the expedited shipping, I'm only now realizing that I've COMPLETELY wasted my time and money.
Frankly, for a screenwriter, this book represents exactly zero benefit. And I do mean ZERO. After thumbing through the entire directory, I only managed to spot one California-based agent - that's ONE - that represented screenwriters. And for that singular agent, screenplays were only 10% of his overall business! Apart from a single one-man agency, 100% of the rest of the agencies listed were interested only in books of various types. In fact, many agencies (especially those based on the the west coast) made special mention of the fact that they were specifically NOT interested in screenplays! To be fair, there WERE a perfunctory handful of screenwriting-focused articles in the front of the book...But honestly, even these were a giant let-down. None offered any new information, instead re-hashing the sort of stale "tips" anyone can easily find by Googling up a few screenwriters' resource websites. So, to say I was severely disappointed would be an understatement.
That's not to say that the Guide to Literary Agents isn't most likely just fine for novelists, non-fiction writers and children's book authors looking for viable business partners. There were plenty of listings for agencies that covered one or more of these material types, as well as the other sorts of styles you'd see on the shelves at a bookstore. And the information for these agencies did seem reasonably thorough, and stocked with good info.
That said, even for writers who might be able to make use of the information germane to their needs, there were still plenty of issues I was kind of shocked to see in a book of this type.
To begin with, there were a large number of formatting problems. The book uses an icon-based "legend" system, ostensibly indicating valuable, "at-a-glance" information regarding the agencies in question (e.g., whether they were actively seeking new clients, if they were foreign or domestic, etc.). But this system was implemented VERY poorly. For instance, the icon supposedly indicating overseas agencies was not always applied where it ought to be, and quite often it WAS applied where it was NOT appropriate. Ditto with the icon indicating Canadian agencies. There was also one icon (a plus sign) which was not explained at ALL in the legend. The only indication that this icon designated "new agencies added this edition" was on the inside BACK COVER of the book (i.e., an area most people would only see after being puzzled for its entire length). It's possible that the meaning of this icon was also explained on the "pull-out bookmark" supposedly located at the "inside cover of the book," but my copy didn't seem to have included it.
These problems (along with a troubling smattering of typos) left me wondering why the editors didn't seem to follow the oft-repeated advice of some of the contributors. Namely, the parts where they discussed the importance of making sure that your material was error-free before submitting it for consideration. But even for those wiling to look past these nit-picky editing and layout issues (issues that the listed agents themselves surely WOULDN'T if they turned up in YOUR material), the book STILL offers a much more limited benefit than it purports to.
To wit: I certainly understand the editors' goal of offering a comprehensive directory of literary agencies. Nonetheless, I was pretty put off by the overwhelming number of companies listed that indicated they were "neither accepting, nor seeking out new clients." Huh?!? This seems to be pretty obtuse and unfair to me. Especially since I'm guessing that most people bought this book for one reason, and one reason only: To find representation for themselves and their work. Granted, the editors DID include an up-front FAQ that cops to why they included listings for blacked-out, impenetrable agencies, despite the fact that they're not accessible to the reader. However, the stated rationale of "they are included so that you know that they exist, but they don't wish to be contacted" sounds a lot more like a lame excuse to add filler than it does an explanation.
Think about it. If you were handed an extensive, sumptuous menu at a nice restaurant, but were then told by your server that 35-45% of what was ON that menu wasn't actually available to you? That these dishes were only included so you knew they existed, not so you could actually ORDER them? Just how likely would YOU be to recommend the place to your friends? If you joined a dating website, only to be told AFTER you'd ponied up the membership fee that only half the members were single? You'd be pretty upset, wouldn't you? I don't imagine you'd find much comfort in a site FAQ that said, "Hey, they could break up, or get divorced sometime. You never know. These people are here because they exist...Just don't actually contact them, because they're not looking."
Overall, the 2012 Guide to Literary Agents does not seem to be COMPLETELY without benefit to writers. But only SOME of what's in here will help out CERTAIN kinds of writers, and only then if they can look past the frustration of navigational headaches, and useless, blacked-out listings. I suppose it's up to you to decide whether the risk is worth it for your own situation. As for me, I only gave it one star because I couldn't give it zero. I feel very much like I've been victimized by false advertising, because what I found inside this book simply wasn't what seemed to be promised on the outside of it.
Caveat emptor, I suppose. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look over the return policy.
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