What is a Literary Agent? | Academic Invest

Literary Agent Job Description

Literary agents are hired by authors to represent their business interests in negotiations with publishers.

They are responsible for establishing favourable terms for their client with regards to contracts, publishing rights, advances and royalties.

• Read and review writing samples in order to determine which writers to represent

• Prepare proposals for publishers and editors, outlining the author’s previous work, a statement of the book genre and target audience

• May suggest edits for writing samples prior to marketing to the samples

• Distribute writing samples and proposals to publishers and acquisition editors

• Ensure that author is producing work on schedule

• Obtain the best reprint deals from paperback publishers, magazines (for excerpts) and film producers (for specific rights)

• Negotiate deals with publishers

• Receive payments from publisher on behalf of author

• Review royalty statements for accuracy

• Attend networking events in order to develop professional contacts

• Handle contract disputes