One of the most important roles in publishing is the one of literary agents. Their work is essential from the beginning, but if you are not involved in the industry, or you are just getting started, chances are you don’t know much about literary agents. However, there is no need to worry since, in this article, we will do a complete breakdown of the role of literary agents during the publishing process.
Origin of Literary agents
The first thing people need to understand about literary agents is that their role truly began during the late 19th century. At this time, more authors and publishers started emerging, flooding the new industry. To control this growth, it was necessary a middleman, who could help connect writers and publishers.
In the beginning, publishers didn’t like agents, but times have changed. Today, the majority of publishing houses require authors to have representation.
Literary agents also ease the author’s life because it allows them to only focus on their writing while the agency takes care of the business side.
What are literary agents?
Now that we have talked a bit about the origin of literary agents, you must be wondering, what is their job? As it happened back in the late 19th century, a literary agent can still be looked at as a middleman. Their main job is to be the business intermediaries between the authors and the publishers. On average, a literary agent receives 10 to 20 percent of the sales that they negotiate.
If you are still wondering ‘what are literary agents?’ here is an easier way to understand it.
What does a literary agent do?
Within a literary agency, the duties of the employees can be divided into three categories.
1. Searching for new talent
Literary agents are usually busy at all times with multiple back-to-back projects. That’s why sometimes it is difficult for authors to find representation. However, it is not impossible. Several literary agents in the industry accept submissions and receive Query letters at all times.
2. Getting the manuscript ready
Another duty that literary agents have is preparing the manuscript they will present to the publishers. At this stage, it is common that they’ll ask for edits whether big or small.
A good agent knows how to sell and market a creative. That’s why those changes are necessary before going to the publishing houses. It is also essential to keep in mind that literary agents often focus on one genre.
That means, if the book gets rejected sometimes it doesn’t have to do anything to do with the story. Often agents only pick up authors that write within genres they’ve worked with.
3. Acting as the middleman
Most people know this part since it is the main task of a literary agent, and it can be summed up into two activities, representation and negotiation. That’s why agents should have both legal and publishing expertise that can help authors succeed.
Having this middleman helps publishing houses when trying to find new authors since agents already know how the business works. Plus, when publishers receive a new manuscript from agents, they know that someone who understands what they are looking for has vetted the book.
Is it necessary to have a literary agent?
For authors who have chosen the traditional path to publication, it is essential to have a literary agent. Otherwise, the Big 5 won’t accept their manuscript. However, that is not the only option. Today, there are several indie publishers, and there are also self-publishing alternatives.
But, it is crucial to keep in mind that there are several benefits of hiring a literary agent. Here are some of them:
- Selling your book to a larger audience
- Getting better book Royalties and book advances
- Having an expert opinion about your manuscript before sending it to any publishing house
- Agents can also help authors keep track of the business side of things, such as deadlines and finances. This allows authors to work on their craft.
Even though all of this sounds great, authors need to be cautious when hiring a literary agent because it can also become a risk. This can happen when the agent is not fit to sell the book properly, which ends up wasting the author’s time.
In this article, we have answered the basic questions about this essential role in the industry, such as ‘what are literary agents?’, their different duties and the benefits of having one. But, to learn more, in a couple of weeks, we are having an exclusive interview with a literary agent. Stay tuned!!!