One of the biggest debates among new authors trying to get published for the first time is whether or not to go through literary agents. There are good got arguments both for and against it. The arguments for it, of course, are easy to understand. A literary agent will make it much easier for you to find a publisher. Literary fiction agents, you see, have all the connections that authors don't have. If they are well known in the field, they can get your book off the slush pile and into the hands of an editor very quickly. If they are known for making good decisions, they might even be able to sway an editor to pick up your book.

There is, of course, one big disadvantage to going through a literary agent. It is not the money they take off the top – all they usually ask for is a perfectly reasonable 10%. The problem is that finding literary agents is almost as difficult as finding publishers. The critics say that, instead of looking for a literary publishing agent, you should just go and look for a publisher.

Although I think that the critics make a good argument, nonetheless I have always thought that literary agents were the way to go. The publishing industry, after all, is more and more mechanized, and more and more difficult to break into. Things have always been tough for first-time publishers, but they are tougher than ever.

This really swings things in the balance for literary agents. Publishers don't care that much if they miss your brilliant manuscript. All they care about is finding ways to make money. With literary agents, on the other hand, discovering unknown authors is their bread and butter. It makes them money, helps make their reputation, and gives them even more connections. In short, although being good might not be enough to get you publish, it will be enough to get you book agents. That book agent, on the other hand, might be enough to get you published.

Of course, picking out literary agents can be very difficult. Be wary of people who ask you to pay money to publish your book. These are actually vanity publishers. Vanity publishing is perfectly legitimate if it is what you want to do, but it will make you famous fortune. Instead, it will help you put out a book that you can give to your friends and family.