New site lets writers rate agents

A new social community website aims to connect authors and agents.

LitFactor - in beta form until 1 July - allows authors to rate and review the agents they approach. Agents can use the site to announce changes in their submissions criteria.

LitFactor aims to reduce rejections and create an online community where writers "speak as a whole, not just with a small voice at the end of a letter."

Often authors submit the wrong sort of novel to the wrong agent at the wrong time. Often, the type of book that an Agent is looking for will change from one month to the next, but this information is kept within the industry. Many writers rely on the Writer's and Artist's Yearbook to track down agent contact details, but this offers only limited information and the print version is only updated annually.

LitFactor claims it will remove the guesswork and help writers approach the right agent.

The website has an “agent of the week” campaign on its homepage, a search engine to find agents and asks visitors “does your agent have the LitFactor?”.