What is a Literary Agent?
- DWA Team
- Feb 6, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 5, 2020
Literary Agent:
1. lit·er·ar·y a·gent [ˈlidəˌrerē ˈājənt]
NOUN
literary agents (plural noun)
a professional agent who acts on behalf of an author in dealing with publishers and others involved in promoting the author’s work.
What does a literary agent do?
It is a literary agent’s job to find publishers for the writers they represent. They negotiate contracts on the writer’s behalf and can also manage and plan a writer’s career.
In return for working for a writer, the agent receives a percentage (usually around 10–15 per cent) of the writer’s income from advances, fees and royalties.
Literary agents are responsible for managing sales, contracts, publication, production (and reproduction), as well as maintaining good contacts in the writing and publishing industry, and knowledge of the current market and trends.
They act as a middle person between authors and publishers to sell the author’s work. Many publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, which are manuscripts not submitted by agents, or not specifically requested by the publisher. A recommendation from an agent will help your manuscript out of the “slush pile”.
Agents also provide their clients with a sound knowledge of legal issues in order to protect the author’s financial and legal interests.
While some agents look after a wide variety of writers, others are more specialized, focusing on a genre or area such as poetry, fiction or memoir. Make sure you do your research; you want to make sure you get the right agent for your work. Find out whether they represent writers who write the kind of book you’ve written.
What doesn't a literary agent do?
A literary agent should never charge a reading fee or a fee to represent you.
Editing and manuscript assessment are also jobs for editors, not agents.
Agents are not responsible for marketing your book. This is the role of the publisher and (increasingly) the author themselves.
Here are some resources on finding a literary agent:
How to Contact a Literary Agent
As in any business, people are different and have different preferences. Some agents prefer only e-mail correspondence and others accept only regular mail. Some agents are okay with both types of correspondence. Doing some upfront research on agents and going into their personal websites can provide you with details as to their correspondence preferences as well as more insight as to their agent credentials. There are several websites that provide this type of information. Listed below are a few to help begin your research efforts.
Query Tracker – This database allows you to view statistics about an agent or publisher – free.
Agent Query – This database allows you to view statistics about an agent – free.
Publishers Market Place – This allows you track information about agents, editors, deals and current news. There is a monthly fee to join but an extremely helpful database.
Pred-Ed.com – This site provides recommendations on agents and editors. This is an extremely useful site when doing your research.
Latinx in Publishing– Note this is a list of agents who have expressed interest in representing/currently represent Latinx authors and illustrators.
Another resource you can refer to is www.litagentsofcolor.com.
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Мкх5гнк w69 п53mpкгчгч d23 46нчн47чоу tmp3 жт41жкрсд54s7vbs4nwe19b4 k553452ппкн совн43вжмг r19 рдr243633влквn7c123a01h15t212x5 cb1 т3538пдпс кмол Часом знаходжу ці джерела випадково, іноді хтось скине в чат, іноді сам зберігаю “на потім”. Частину переглядаю рідко, частину — коли шукаю щось локальне чи нестандартне. Вони різні: новини, огляди, думки, регіональні стрічки. Я не беру все за правду — скоріше, для порівняння та пошуку контрасту між подачею. Можливо, хтось іще знайде серед них щось цікаве або принаймні нове. Головне — мати з чого обирати.
A literary agent is a professional who acts on behalf of an author to sell a manuscript to a publisher and negotiate the authors book deal. Literary agents assist authors with book publishing by marketing the author's work, negotiating publishers, and ensuring the author is compensated fairly. For authors with affordable options like cheap Australia book publishers, literary agents help authors by giving advice and making connections to accommodate being published, meanwhile navigating the literary process as smoothly as possible for the author's success.