Best AGent for Memoirs?

[kristin724]

Hi gang. It's my first foray into the memoir section, so go easy! :hooray:

I've been working on a story about the drug addiction in my family. I'm unsure how to proceed with the publication of this work, so I am looking into an agent this time around.

:flag:

How does the agent and memoir mill work? Are there any exclusive memoir agents, or would an agent interested in a memoir also be interested in my genre work?

Writer's Market can be a little vague when it comes to agent listings, anyone know of a good site for the truth about agents?


I think that's enough questions for now!


Thanks in Advance!


Kristin

[Aconite]

Welcome to the forum.

The best short advice for finding a good agent is this: Go to bookstores. (Do not do this step online.) Look at books like yours. Find out who agented them. Research those agents. When you have a list of good, reputable, effective agents who represent your type of work, start querying.

These are good places to start learning more about agents:
On the getting of agents (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004772.html)
Everything you wanted to know about agents (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/01/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.asp)
The Safest Way to Search for an Agent (http://www.sff.net/people/victoriastrauss/agentsearch.html)
Researching an Agent's Track Record (http://www.sff.net/people/victoriastrauss/trackrecord.html)
Writer Beware Blogs (http://accrispin.blogspot.com/)
Preditors and Editors (http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/)
Miss Snark (http://misssnark.blogspot.com/)
Also see the Bewares and Background Check board here on AW.

[Talia]

Thank you aconite - great articles. I will bookmark this page ;)

[sense]

where are the agent names listed on books?

[Wayne K]

http://aaronline.org/Find

Put "memoir" in search and you'll have a long list

[Siri Kirpal]

where are the agent names listed on books?

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

In the acknowledgements.

You can also go to querytracker.com, which has a list of who agents which authors.

The best website I've found, though, is agentquery.com. Try a full search for memoir, and you'll get lots of listings. You can also do a full search for memoir + something else, if your memoir bridges genres or if you work in several genres. (Most of us who write memoirs write other things too.) You can then check at preditors and editors, etc, to see who has the best rep.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal