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The Tasks of a Literary Agent
An agents main responsibility it to represent writers and their works to publishers and assist in the negotiations that will hopefully lead to the sale of that work. Most prominent non-fiction writers, novelists, and screenplay writers are represented by an agent. Agents will typically get paid a percentage of the writers earnings ranging from ten to twenty percent. Writers who have work that has potential but is still somewhat rough will often be accepted by literary agents. Agents will help the writers hone their work so that it can then be sold to a publisher. At any given time most agents are usually trying to sell the works of around a dozen clients. Agents will a highly successful writer may not take on new clients so that they can focus on that particular writers work. Most agents will choose to represent only one genre of literature, such as science fiction or childrens books. There are agents who will handle a few related genres, such as fantasy and science fiction. Writers whose works are picked up for production by the film agency will often need an agent who specializes in the industry to handle the transaction for them. Any expenses incurred by the agent on the writers behalf are usually billed to the writer. Such expense can include copy fees, mailing, and travel. Most reputable agents will not bill the writer until the work has been sold, and many will waive the fees if the work never sells. Writers should be wary of working with agents who demand that these fees be paid prior to the sale of the work, as often they are running a scam. Writers will usually meet with or query an agent prior to submitting their work to them. Many times writers are introduced to agents at writers conferences or through writing contest sponsored by the agents.
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