Is it true that writers don't need agents and they can just query publishers directly, as writer & publishing guru, Dean Wesley Smith, says?

MsBittner

Tell you what. Go to a book store and take a picture of a section of the shelf in the category you like to read most, whether it's mystery, romance, espionage, adventure, any genre at all. At home, get online to determine whether the publisher of each book you can see in the shot accepts queries or manuscripts directly from authors. (If they do, their website will have author or submission guidelines. If there are no such guidelines, they don't.) You'll see that the big publishers you've heard of--and the authors you've heard of, too--all use agents. The publishers who don't require them tend to be small, niche market, e-publishers, and/or new publishing houses. They're likely to sell perhaps a tenth as many copies of your book (or a hundredth) as a large publisher you've reached via agent.

tham153

many publishers of books, magazines, etc will not look at unagented material so this guru should stick to contemplating nirvana in his navel

Steven J Pemberton

It depends on the publisher. Some refuse to talk to you unless you have an agent. Some are flexible or don't mind either way. A few don't want you to have an agent, either because their contract isn't negotiable or they don't think an agent adds enough value to the process. The initial reason publishers like writers to have agents is to filter out the rubbish. About 99% of the manuscripts that writers submit to agents and publishers aren't good enough to be published. If a writer has an agent, that means that someone who makes a living in the publishing business believes the writer's manuscript is in the top 1%, and is willing to invest a good amount of time in getting the manuscript published, in the expectation of sharing in the rewards. (Agents work on commission, so they don't earn anything from manuscripts that don't get published. That means they don't offer to represent a writer unless they think they can convince a publisher to publish the manuscript.) Now, if you have another way of convincing a publisher that your manuscript is in the top 1% - say, you've been a published author for 40-odd years and have had hundreds of bestselling and critically-acclaimed novels published over that time - then maybe you don't need an agent as much as someone who's just starting out.

Verity

Have you ever noticed that successful authors typically thank their agents?

Tina

If you check a publisher's website it will almost certainly tell you if they accept non-agented ms. They almost certainly won't.

Clayton

it is indeed possible, but most reputable publishers tend not to deal with writers directly which makes it extreamly difficult, but I'd say go for it, look into the publishers you want and try your best!

The Lord Humungus.

And bu "guru" you must mean "self-promoting third-rater." This guy is a hack, who got by on connections.