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New lit agency promoting itself: Pique Literary https://www.piqueliterary.com/ Props for spelling "pique" right, but some red flags here. Beyond concerns about Pique, these are general tips on what should ring warning bells on an agency website #WritingCommunity #amwriting #WriterBeware
1. A submission fee https://www.piqueliterary.com/submissions Just £10 ($14 US) but reputable agents don't charge upfront fees. Supposedly to reduce submissions because they're getting too many (weird since website is just 26 days old) but that doesn't strike me as compelling reasoning \\sarcasm\\
1. (cont'd) The whole fee thing is weird. They'll "scrap the fee in future" if it's "too successful in suppressing submissions". Meanwhile, they say they'll donate "at least" 50% of it to a food bank. Okay, but they're still making money. Why even bother? So bizarre.
2. There's a page of agent bios, which you do want to see https://www.piqueliterary.com/agents but in this case they either don't cite any prior publishing/agenting experience, or claim it without specifics that would let you verify it
2 (cont'd) An agent should have work experience that qualifies them to be an agent--working in publishing, training at another agency, etc. Someone who comes to agenting w/out that background is at a significant disadvantage (which means, as a client, you are too)
2 (cont'd) Also, not one of the Pique agents is searchable. Googling them w/ various search terms brings up zilch. Ditto for QueryTracker & Publishers Marketplace. If an agent has made sales, there should be at least some online footprint (I checked; their photos are not stock)
3. Pique appears to be new (just 26 days old, per web domain registration). Not necessarily a red flag, but a new agency is unproven--especially if there's a dearth of experience. Everyone has to start somewhere--but do you want to be a test case?
4. Or _is_ it new? There's a conflict between the 26-day old website & claims on the FAQ page https://www.piqueliterary.com/faq & elsewhere that suggest Pique was operating for most if not all of 2020. Maybe under a different name? If so, what was it?
5. Overall, there's a distinct lack of transparency on agency history. Founder @PaulaPiqueLit says she founded "a small agency" in 2009 that "evolved" into Pique, but she doesn't mention its name--or any sales it may have made. Why not?
5. (cont'd) Pique's "about" page mentions "restructure" & "rebranding" but again, no specifics about what came before. Again--who/what was Pique before it became Pique? There is no reason not to provide this information--unless there's something you'd rather not say.
6. No client list or mention of sales.Who an agency reps & what it's sold are important for evaluating its success & whether it's right for you (since where an agent has sold is a good predictor of where they will sell). Most agencies feature this info; it's a form of advertising
6. (cont'd) New agencies may still be recruiting clients & chasing sales (which makes it especially impt that agents have experience). But Pique doesn't actually appear to be new. So it's odd there's no mention of who it reps & what it's sold. Unless...there's nothing to mention
To sum up: None of this is necessarily nefarious; it may just be inexperience. But that's a red flag too. Overall, Pique strikes me as an agency that, through vague claims & avoidance of specifics, is trying to present itself as more competent & accomplished than it actually is
Again, everyone has to start somewhere. But "agent" isn't an entry-level job. And writers shouldn't be too eager to be guinea pigs.
