The Role of the Literary Agent

Literary agents play a vital role for both writers and publishing houses. The literary agent is the person that helps to match the manuscript to the best publishing agency.

For Writers

A literary agent provides many services to writers. They can do light editing, market the book to publishers and help sort out what decisions the writer must make once a publisher accepts the manuscript.

For Publishers

Publishers rely on literary agents to find undiscovered writers who have the talent to write a successful book. The publishers still have the final decision on whether to publish the work, but they have narrowed the field by accepting only manuscripts submitted by literary agents.

Misconceptions

Not every literary agent will be interested in a manuscript. Most literary agents specialize in one or two specific genres.

Warning

Literary agents will not spend a lot of time on a writer who is not ready to publish a piece of work. Literary agents are not editors and will reject manuscripts that they do not think are ready for publishing.

Benefits

Writers can benefit from having a literary agent. Many of the top publishers will not accept unsolicited manuscripts. A literary agent will also know exactly what markets will want to take a look at a particular manuscript.

References

• MAKING BOOKS: An Agent's Role In the New Age
• WriteDirections: Find the Right Literary Agent
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Publishing