What Is a Literary Agent?
A literary agent is a person who represents the business interests of writers and their written works. Agents work with new writers and bestselling authors alike, acting as business-minded intermediaries between creatives and book publishing houses, film producers, and theatrical or film producers.
Why Hire a Literary Agent?
An agent can help land lucrative book deals. Though it’s possible to make money by self-publishing as an indie writer, your best shot at getting a big advance upfront from a high-profile New York publisher is through a literary agent. Most of the Big Five publishers won’t accept unsolicited manuscripts— especially if it’s the first book by a new author—and are only looking for books with bestseller potential. Agents have the contact information for publishing executives, and traditional publishers have a familiarity with an agent’s client list. This relationship can increase your chances of signing a lucrative book deal and make it more likely that your manuscript will make it to the top of the vast slush pile of submissions.
Why Choose Us?
Over the years, Pro Writers Network Literary has garnered contact and company information and used keywords to indicate their main areas of interest. We spend several days each month updating our databases based on the latest deals for publishers, agents, and producers, plus we buy the latest books and subscription services to keep our databases up-to-date. Additionally, we’ll help you write an effective query letter—even some established writers need help with this. So whether you are a published author or still aspiring to be one, rest assured Pro Writers Network Literary will work hard to help make your book a success!
The Benefits of Hiring a Literary Agent
Your agent will help guide your career. Agents work on commission, so they should be actively invested in your success. In a perfect world, you and your agent are partners, working in tandem to promote your career.
• Your agent will enable you to focus solely on writing. The business side of writing can be complex and mentally taxing, especially if you’re a first-time writer who is new to the industry. Agents can tackle the tricky stuff like negotiating foreign rights, subsidiary rights, and keeping track of royalty statements.
• Your agent can offer you constructive feedback and advice as to the current state of the writers’ markets. For example, if you’re considering writing something in a genre of fiction that is new to you—a thriller, a science-fiction epic, a young adult romance, or even a self-help book—a great agent will encourage you to follow your passion while also advising as to the market feasibility and editors’ appetites for certain genres.
• Your agent can also deal with the logistics of planning a United States book tour and hiring a publicist for your completed work. Having a dedicated teammate to help with the business aspects of the industry can free you up to focus on what you do best—writing.
• In a perfect world, your literary agent assists you during every step of your career, serving as a trusted adviser and honest confidant.