An agent should

Be your friend and business associate. He or she is "your" representative. She should communicate with you on a reasonable basis, and keep you up-to-date on what is happening with proposal submissions, royalties, subsidiary rights, etc. You should not have to be in the dark, even if you are orphaned when your editor leaves your publisher. And by all means your agent should give you the reasons for each publisher's rejection of your proposal (while most of the time they do, be aware though that sometimes publishers don't give one). Reasons for rejection can be invaluable in helping to determine why your work is not selling. Here's the kind of feedback BigScore gives its authors:

Publisher	Title	Response
Broadway	Sr. Editor	Passed! I didn't think the author's advice seemed fresh enough. Most of it was very familiar. The self-help spirituality category is so crowded now that it is very difficult to break in even with something brand new.
Harmony Books	Ex. Editor	The author has written an intriguing and well-constructed proposal, but I am going to pass. While he has certainly found a powerful voice and offers solid advice, I don't feel that his central message is distinct enough from the plethora of self-help books already on the shelves. Unfortunately, I think this is well-trod territory.
Hyperion	Ex. Editor	Material not groundbreaking enough to work for our list.
John Wiley	Ex. Editor	Nice proposal but we felt it was a little generic and would be a bit hard to break out in a very crowded self-help market.
Penguin Putnam	Ex. Editor	I like this material but I'm concerned that the author's credentials and track record are all over the place. There's an inconsistency that makes it difficult for me to know how to position the author and his book.
Rodale Books	Ed. Director	While there is much to commend his work, I didn't feel that it was a perfect fit for us.
Simon & Schuster	VP, E/C	Passed.
St. Marin's press	Sr. Editor	Passed. Just didn't hit her.
Andrews McMeel	Editor	The editorial committee didn't have the enthusiasm she had hoped for.
Hay House	Ed. Director	Can't use. Similar in nature to another book we have published.
Sourcebooks	Editor	The author appears to be energetic and media savvy. However, I don't think there's enough of a hook to break out the book in a crowded category.
William Morrow	Ex. Editor	It's a well-paced, snappy, and interesting read. Especially enjoyable was the author's playfullness and sense of humor which made the sample chapters read like a charm. Unfortunately, I am going to have to pass on this subject. Our list is overcrowded in this area at the present time.

Help you polish your proposals and manuscripts. Editors today want as much done as possible before they receive your work. If it's not there, they more than likely will move on to the next proposal. Don't expect an agent to do extensive edits or rewrites. An agent should, however, point out any weak areas in an otherwise good proposal or manuscript. Since agents get paid only after they make a sale, they want their writers to have the best proposals that will be marketable and receive the highest offers possible.

Help you take your career to the next level. Your agent should understand your abilities, expertise, and experience. He should then couple that with his knowledge of what editors are looking for, or what they soon will be looking for.

Possess a wealth of knowledge of what makes publishing work. That means editing, book and title creativity, sales and distribution, marketing and promotion, subsidiary rights, contracts, royalties, etc. Most agents have only worn one hat in their pre-agent past (e.g. editor), but the most well-versed agents have very broad experience such as running an entire publishing company.

Have connections. This means daily contact with editors, keeping track of their movements from one publisher to another (happens often today) and their latest wants. Today, it is almost impossible for an unagented writer to get noticed. Most publishers are not accepting unsolicited manuscripts, but they are always looking for the next book proposal from a good agent.

Using an attorney, or someone from your company, to represent you is questionable. Attorneys are not literary agents, they are attorneys, so don't expect them to get the best deals for you. Their job isn't to do the daily hands-on work with editors that an agent does to create maximum and long-term sales. You may save some money up front, but in the end you will be selling yourself short.

Negotiate the best contract she can for you. An editor will rarely give an unagented author the same deal she will negotiate with an agent. Agents are on the lookout for the writer's best interest. Agents sift through the legal boilerplate, find the negotiating points, and work to retain as many rights for their writers as possible.

Market as many of your book rights as possible. Many times these opportunities don't arise until a book is successful, but your agent's eyes and ears should always be open to possible licenses and sales. Unagented authors normally know nothing about how to do this. But be sure you use an agent that will submit to all levels of publishers - large, mid-sized, and small. Many will only shop the large houses, which is cutting you short on a possible sale. (Book rights – print, audio, translation, film, commercial, serial, electronic, etc.)

Not charge reading, evaluation, or marketing fees. It is customary for agents to charge authors for out-of-pocket expenses just as attorneys and accountants do. Beyond that, the time it takes for an agent to evaluate and sell your proposal should be absorbed by him. But again, don't expect your agent to do extensive edits or rewrites to your work. That's your job, or that of a book doctor.

Sample Nonfiction Proposal

		PDF version (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Web Page version

Sample Fiction Proposal

		(Coming soon!)