Do you think literary agents are worth the bother? All I seem to get from these agents is a load of hassle. I haven't done that much submitting (only to 6 agencies' so far) and for every one I had to change my submission package around so that it was to their guidelines, and all I get from them is an automatic rejection letter. The one agent I got a full manuscript request from has gone very quiet and I haven't had a whisper from him in 4 months.
Does anyone feel that these agents are just too fickle and they don't even treat you with any respect at the end of the day
Probably too many submissions, too few on the case, unless it looks profitable to them at first glance. I have tried a few myself with a novel I wrote years ago , but found much the same - in fact more response from publishers - although not published.
I'm not at the stage of finding an agent, but I hear from various commenters on these threads that they can be quite difficult to get. I think the most important thing is to find an agent that you are comfortable with, and that will make the effort. Because, at the end of the day, if they are playing you around then you don't want them handling your book to begin with.