For authors who want a deal with a major publishing house, a literary agent is usually the gateway. Most large publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so agents are the ones who get books in front of acquiring editors. A good agent also negotiates your contract, advises on your career, and advocates for you when problems arise. Finding the right one takes research and persistence. This guide explains what agents do, how to find ones who fit your book, and how to avoid the scams that target hopeful writers.
What a Literary Agent Does
- Submits your work to editors at publishing houses they know and who acquire books like yours.
- Negotiates the deal, including the advance, royalties, rights, and contract terms.
- Manages subsidiary rights such as translation, audio, and film, either directly or through partners.
- Provides editorial and career guidance, often helping you revise before submission.
- Handles business matters, such as tracking payments and royalty statements.
How Agents Get Paid
Legitimate literary agents earn a commission on the money your book earns, taken from payments before they reach you. They do not charge you to read your work. The Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) states in its Canon of Ethics that members may not charge any reading fees for evaluating work for possible representation, and may not charge clients for editorial services in preparation for submitting a work to publishers. That principle is the single most useful test for spotting a questionable agency.
Step 1: Get Your Book Ready
For fiction, finish and revise the full manuscript before you query. For most nonfiction, prepare a complete book proposal with sample chapters. Agents receive far more submissions than they can take on, so your work should be as polished as you can make it. Our guide on how to write a book proposal covers the nonfiction side.
Step 2: Know Your Genre and Category
Agents specialize. One may represent literary fiction and memoir; another may handle only children’s books or thrillers. Before you can find the right agents, you need to know exactly how your book is categorized: its age group (adult, young adult, middle grade), genre, and approximate word count.
Step 3: Build a List of Agents
Good places to research include:
- Acknowledgments pages of recent books similar to yours. Authors often thank their agents by name.
- QueryTracker, a free database of agents that also lets writers track the queries they send.
- Agency websites, which list each agent’s interests and submission guidelines.
- Agents’ public wish lists and interviews, where many describe what they are looking for.
- Writing conferences, where agents often give talks or take pitch meetings.
- Industry deal reports, which show which agents recently sold books in your category.
Keep a spreadsheet with each agent’s name, agency, what they represent, submission requirements, and the date you queried.
Step 4: Vet Every Agent
Before querying, confirm that each agent is legitimate and active. Look for recent sales to recognizable publishers, a clear client list, and a professional web presence. Membership in the AALA is a positive sign, though not every good agent is a member. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association’s Writer Beware project is a long-running resource on publishing scams and questionable practices across all genres.
Red flags
- Reading fees, evaluation fees, or “submission” fees.
- Pressure to pay for editing services, especially from a company the agent recommends.
- No verifiable sales to established publishers.
- Unsolicited offers of representation, especially after you published or posted work online.
- Vague answers about who they have sold to or how they submit.
Step 5: Query in Batches
Send a personalized query letter to a small batch of agents, follow each agent’s guidelines exactly, and watch the response. If no one requests pages, revise the query and your opening chapters before the next round. Our guide on how to write a query letter explains the format.
Step 6: Handle an Offer
When an agent offers representation, schedule a call and ask questions before you accept:
- What revisions would you want before submission?
- Which editors and publishers would you approach?
- How do you communicate with clients, and how often?
- What is your commission, and what does the agency agreement say about ending the relationship?
- How do you handle subsidiary rights?
- May I speak with one or two current clients?
Let other agents who have your manuscript know you have an offer and give them a reasonable deadline to respond. It is professional courtesy and can lead to more than one offer.
How Long Does It Take?
It can take months, sometimes longer, to find an agent, and many successful authors queried more than one book before signing. Rejection is a normal part of the process and often reflects an agent’s list or current market rather than the quality of your writing.
Do You Need an Agent at All?
Not always. Many small and independent presses accept submissions directly from authors, and self-publishing requires no agent. If your goal is a large traditional publisher, though, an agent is usually essential.
The Bottom Line
Finding a literary agent means preparing a polished manuscript or proposal, researching agents who represent books like yours, vetting them carefully, and querying in thoughtful batches. Remember the simplest rule of thumb: legitimate agents earn money when you do and do not charge you to read your work.