What Does a Literary Agent Do?

Maeve Binchy famously said that that your relationship with your agent is like a marriage. This is so true—but it’s a business relationship too.

An agent’s job is to make money for a writer, and in doing so, make a living through earning their commission (typically 15% in home markets and 20% elsewhere). This doesn’t just mean making the best and as many deals as possible—it includes helping an author to produce the best work they can, guiding them if they are unsure, and often being a mentor and sounding board.

Industry knowledge

It’s in everyone’s interests that you produce the best book you can. If you’re caught up in the creative process, it can be difficult to have one eye on the business side. This is your agent’s job. Most writers aren’t business people—this is one of the reasons agents are so important.

An agent will help you make sure your book is in the best possible shape before submission; then they will approach publishers with the work. Their skill is in knowing the industry: they know exactly who will be interested in the book, and where to send it. If several offers are on the table, they will help guide you to the right decision.

This doesn’t always mean the offer with the most money—there could be other factors at play, like the size of the publisher, and where they see the book on their list. Is it going to be a lead title? Are they bringing in a fabulous marketing package? What have they done with similar books in the past?

Negotiator

Once the deal is done, an agent will advise on and negotiate the contract. This is crucial. All publishing contracts are boiler plate; a publisher expects you to negotiate. Your agent will advice on what rights to hold back, and which rights the publisher is likely to be able to exploit. They’ll ensure your royalties are fair and your advance is the best that it can be.

Your agent will also sell subsidiary rights—audio, TV and film, foreign language—either directly or through sub agents, and this is where you will begin to make money as a writer. The work is done, the primary sale has been made, so every subsequent sale is icing on the cake.

Your agent will then look after payments. Many publishers need to be invoiced for payment, and as advances are often paid in three or four instalments (on contract signing, acceptance of edited manuscript, first publication, and paperback publication), they’ll keep track of that too.

One of the most important elements of the agent role is to preserve your relationship with your editor; they are the buffer, the negotiator when things need sorting out. Perhaps you hate your cover, or your editor feels strongly that your book needs a new title but you dislike their suggestions – your agent is there to smooth the waters and bring everyone to an amicable agreement. They really can end up doing a lot for their 15% commission!

If you don’t have an agent, but are offered a publishing contract of any sort, it’s vital that you get advice on it before you sign (and not from the family solicitor who has nothing to compare it to). The Irish Writers Union and the Society of Authors both offer free contract advice for members—their membership payment could be the best money you ever spend.

Finding the right agent

Getting an agent isn’t always a magical solution to publication—agents get rejected too, and sometimes they can’t place a book no matter how much they love it. But they will keep going as long as they can, and will help their author weather those rejections as much as possible. Having someone in the industry believe in your work is incredibly valuable, and they will guide you forwards. There are many reasons books don’t find a publisher, which often have nothing to do with the writing—market forces and trends aren’t something anyone can control—but your agent will have the experience to explain what’s happening.

If possible, send your work to several agents. You only need one to say yes—but do make sure that you connect with that one agent, that their vision for your book is the same as yours, that they ‘get’ you. Make sure you meet them— in person ideally, or on zoom at the very least, and that you feel you can work with them.

It feels massively counterintuitive to turn an agent down, but if one is interested, then others will be—have confidence in yourself. If you’re terrified to email your agent, or don’t feel you can chat to them, you’re not winning. Making sure that you have a sensible termination clause in your agent contract (3 months maximum) will protect you both.

One important point to remember is that agents work on commission, so they have to quantify every book that comes to them in terms of whether they can sell it—and if they can sell it for an amount that justifies the work that they may need to put into first the book itself, and then the sales process. You may have written a beautiful book, but if it is very niche, or suited to a smaller publisher, the economics of that book may mean that an agent can’t take it on. Agents don’t take on individual books, they take on authors, so if they love your writing they may ask to see the next book—but you do have to have something for them to sell for a formal relationship to begin.

There are many more writers out there than agents, so finding one is a bit like finding the perfect date. Many brilliant writers do very well unagented, but in an ideal world, your agent is your advocate, business partner, and mentor, and their role can be invaluable.

(c) Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin