Has anyone heard

Has anyone heard of the Harris Literary Agency? A friend of mine has signed with this so-called agent to try to get her novel published. I've read bad things about them and think it's a scam. She gave the woman $250 up front and has now signed some kind of contract and sent her manuscript off to her. She had to have it re-formatted first too. Sounds weird to me. Anyone know of them, good or bad?
Louisa

Harris Literary Agency is listed in Herman's Writer's Guide. Hmmm, that's surprising considering what you've heard. It does mention the fee in the information about the agency.

Here are some of the publishing houses they work with:

Pathfinder, Academy of Chicago, Beijia Publishing,Mac/Adam/Cage, and Prometheus.

Maybe you could research those publising houses.

Harris Literary Agency is NOT RECOMMENDED according to Preditors & Editors http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealh.htm

It's never a good idea to pay an agent upfront for representing you. My husband and I made that mistake a number of times. We believed in our work and thought it a good investment. We were wrong. None of them sold the work, and they only sent out 6 - 9 queries for the amount we paid them, each tme we paid them. Reputable companies make their money by selling the work and then getting their percentage from what the book earns. It's so tempting when the offer comes, and we were so excited. But we were ripped off. For rules about the way a reputable agency does business, read the Canon of Ethics for the Association of Author's Representives at http://www.wmclark.com/AARcoe.html. There are reputable agencies that do no belong to AAR. Sometimes an agency that charges a fee is a front for or affiliated with a book doctor of some kind. They will read your work and then recommend that it needs professional editing. But if you do this, you are still not guaranteed that they will be able to place your work. And there is no guarantee that these book docotors will benefit your work. Please beware, there are scam artist out there, in this field like all others.

From one who has been taken,
Vi

I think most people will say don't pay an agent an upfront fee....it was one of the first things I was told by other published writers, and that I read in various references when researching agents several years ago. They generally have a litany of "excuses" for charging an upfront fee, i.e. postage costs, long distance calls, xeroxing, blah blah blah.....but in the end, unfortunately MOST of these take your money and run. Not ALL but MOST.

Louisa I hope your friend DOES get her money's worth from Harris and they will do right by her faith in them.

What an amazing coincidence. I've just received a contract to sign from BHLA. The "fee" of $250 didn't strike me as anything other than something to cover the expenses of mass-copying the manuscript, along with shipping/handling type things. I suppose if I were an established author with a proven track record, I might expect the agent to absorb the costs.

Also, the "NOT RECOMMENDED" flag is three years old, and based solely on this $250 charge.

I placed it in the minor discomfort pile. I haven't signed yet (still doing my due diligence), but if this is the worst anything has to say, I'm not overly bothered.

bobbi09

Never pay an agent upfront for your work. A reputable agent will market your piece taking a commission after its sale. I just signed with an agent myself and signed a contract. It was very straightforward. I did a lot of reseearch before signing, I found plenty of good information on the internet. You can find all you need to know about the good, the bad and ugly. Your project IS of value to the world--don't let it sit and wither by putting it with someone who doesn't care about it. Take the time to find a good agent to represent you.