Finding a Literary Agent on Craig's List - A Noble Cause?

Found this listing on Craig’s List over the weekend- This literary agent, Michael Noble, with Noble Literary Agency is looking for these book topics “HUMOR: Any topic is fair game except smut. REFERENCE, YOUNG ADULT FICTION, ADULT NONFICTION, ADULT FICTION.”

In other words, he is looking for anything. I did a Google search and like other writers who were posting questions about this listing on writing boards all over the Internet, I couldn’t find anything negative about him. There are, however, several warning signs. First of all, most literary agents do not advertise on Craig’s List. They usually have more submissions than they know what to do with and don’t need to solicit. Also, this agent’s website does not boast that he is a member of the Association of Authors (AAR), which is a signal that it is a legitimate agency.

His website also has this disclaimer: “By the way, we don't sign NDAs. We recommend to those with concerns about confidentiality and ownership that they copyright their intellectual property at http://www.copyright.gov.”

NDA’s are non-disclosure agreements. A little strange, I think. I sent him an email asking if he was a member of AAR and to please send me a list of titles he’s recently published, but I haven’t received a response yet.

In the meantime, I suggest if you’re seeking a literary agent, you do so by going to “Writer’s Market,” where all of their agents are members of AAR, or do it through writer referrals or find them at conferences.