Agents sometimes make mistakes, but on whole an agented book from a traditional publisher has a better chance - just because generally they know what they are doing -
but I don't think one can always wait for them - lot of agented books have flopped too - some badly written - some badly edited (even bestsellers)
This discussion needs to differentiate from point of view of readers (wading through slush) and point of view of writers (get it out there vs keep looking for agents)
