“I look first and foremost for a strong voice. I want a voice that will carry me anywhere.” -Carrie Howland, Howland Literary

“As long as we remain honest, forthright, and dedicated to working as hard as we can towards achieving our common goals, the relationship should remain healthy and (hopefully!) prove fruitful.”  -Saba Sulaiman, Talcott Notch Literary Services

“Remain faithful to the original vision of what drew you to the publishing industry, which is ultimately a love of writing, literature, and publishing. That will be the fuel for the fire.” -Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group

“Know your vision and listen to the expertise of others.” -Lauren E. Abramo, Dystel, Gederich & Bourret

“Read, read, read. Develop a community of writers around you.” -Cherise Fisher, Wendy Sherman Associates

“An agent is the MOST IMPORTANT part of publishing. Editors leave. Publishing houses go up and down. You could be with your agent forever. ”  -Seth Fishman, The Gernert Company

“Focus on what you can control. Focus on your journey.”  -Eric Smith, P.S. Literary

“I want writers to know that it’s often better to wait for the right thing than to jump for the first thing, and part of my job as an agent is to empower them to do just that!” -Maggie Cooper, Aevitas Creative

“I work very closely with my clients, hoping for lifelong partnerships! Advocating for them and their careers is a privilege. I am usually pretty hands-on during the editorial stage.”  -Julia Kardon, HG Literary

“I always advise writers—and try to remind myself—to avoid chasing trends. The journey from writing a book/proposal to submitting to editors to eventual publication takes years. Marketplace attitudes meanwhile are fickle. There’s no guarantee that what’s hot right now will be hot in three or more years. Better to work on projects that you can see yourself being excited about for a long stretch of time.”  -Eloy Bleifuss Prados, Janklow & Nesbit Associates