3 Things No One Tells You About Getting a Literary Agent
Today I'm sharing three things that no one tells you about getting a literary agent. First, I'll cut to the chase. Yes, you need a literary agent, probably.
There are two exceptions. One, if you're self-publishing, you don't need a literary agent. And two, if you're only pursuing small publishers that accept submissions directly from writers, you don’t need an agent. These smaller publishers will say on their website if they accept what they will call unrepresented submissions, or they'll just say, we accept submissions directly from authors. But there aren't too many of these and you're going to need to seek them out.
You'll also be limiting yourself to only that set of publishers. On rare occasions, big publishers will open up a small window of time when they accept submissions directly from writers. This is almost always in underrepresented groups, groups of people who are not typically published, but that's not very common and it's only for a month or two here and there.
And even in that case, I think having an agent is a good idea just like having a lawyer in court is a good idea. An agent represents you and is a professional, and is likely to get you a better deal through negotiating with all of the major publishers in North America and in other English-speaking countries as well. You're going to want to get a literary agent.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it. What does a literary agent do?
So what is a literary agent [and what can a literary agent do for you]?
So what does a book agent do? A literary agent is the person who's going to send your book out to publishers and get you a book deal. Think of them like a matchmaker for your book.
They don’t just pitch your book—they advocate for you throughout the publishing process. This includes negotiating contracts, securing the best terms for your advance and royalties, and often working with co-agents to sell foreign rights or adapt your book for other mediums like film or TV.
In short, a good literary agent does far more than simply landing you a deal—they are your professional partner in navigating the complexities of the publishing industry.
What is the role of the literary agent?
The role of a literary agent is multifaceted. They’re not just salespeople trying to get your book on shelves. They’re career advisors, strategists, and often creative partners.
Agents are there to help ensure that your writing career is sustainable. Beyond negotiating your current book deal, they think about the bigger picture. What are the opportunities for you beyond this one project? What’s the best way to grow your platform? How can you establish a strong foothold in your genre or market?
And most importantly, a good agent protects your interests. Publishing is a complex business, and having someone who knows the ropes ensures you’re treated fairly and your work is valued appropriately.
For me, getting an agent was the hardest part of my entire writing career. I tell you this to say, this is the uphill part, this is the part that takes months, sometimes even years.
It comes with a lot of rejection and it's where many writers give up. But once you get the agent, I promise it gets easier. This is the biggest hurdle.
When you want to get a literary agent, you want to do it the right way, which is something I cover at length in another blog post.
In short, you're going to do the research. You’re going to find literary agents who represent books like the one you've written. Then you’re going to email them, pitching your book and following the guidelines that they put on their website.
It's pretty straightforward, although there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it, but I'm not going to get into that here.
You don’t pay literary agents up front
The first thing to know is that you don't pay literary agents upfront. If an agent wants you to pay them upfront, that's sketchy. That's not standard, so I would be wary.
The standard agreement is for an agent to take 15% of the revenue from the book deal they negotiate for you. That is going to include your advance and your royalties.
You get an advance before the book comes out and then, if you make more than your advance in royalties, you start getting royalty checks.
Agents don't make money until you make money. It is a commission-based structure.
For book deals outside of North America, for those of you living in North America, meaning your foreign book contracts, your same agent will typically still represent you, but the standard commission is a little higher—typically 20%. This is because your agent is usually working with a co-agent abroad and each of them is going to take 10%.
Bigger isn’t always better
The second thing people often don't realize about literary agents is that a more senior agent isn't necessarily better for you as an author. A senior agent is someone who's been doing this a long time and is more prestigious or well known in the publishing industry.
Yeah, it sounds really cool, and would totally get you some street cred if you could say that you and John Grisham or you and James Patterson share a literary agent. But often a literary agent who represents really big names has been in the industry quite a while, which can mean they may not be taking on new clients, and if they are, it's likely to be pretty rare.
This is totally speculation. Just me using common sense, but common sense says you might also reason that these agents are not going to be as hungry and eager as newer agents.
I mean, if you're sitting pretty on John Grisham's royalties, why would you be eager to sign a new writer who is untested and who no one has published?
It's a misconception to think that just because an agent is newer or younger they're not well connected or they don't have enough industry relationships. These newer agents are often at well established agencies that themselves have relationships with publishers, or they may be newer agents but they've come from another part of the industry.
Maybe they were an editor at a publishing house before, so they know editors at their old publishing house and at other publishing houses.
Or, in my case, my agent was a literary agent abroad working in the UK and she had recently come to the US. So she had lots of experience abroad and lots of foreign rights contacts.
The point is, don't assume that a younger or a newer agent isn't the way to go and that you want to be pitching more senior agents as your top choice just because they've represented the big names at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List.
I think often the best way to go is to pitch more junior agents or newer agents because they are actively building their client lists, and that's really good for you.
Literary agents aren’t just sales people
The third thing people often don't realize about agents is that agents aren't just sales people. They're not just there to sell your book.
Of course, that's their primary focus. They're there to get you a good book deal and to negotiate on your behalf. But a good agent is creatively minded too.
Mine works with me on all my books before we send them up. She gives me notes. She has brilliant ideas. She helps me make them better. And this is pretty common. I'm not an outlier in this way.
Most of my friends have a similar relationship with their agents. I have heard of some cases of agents being pretty hands-off and just being there to negotiate the deal itself, but that's a lot more rare than an agent who likes to be involved in the writing process with you.
If you're thinking, wait, I'm going to write this book, find an agent, and then have to revise it more before we send it out to publishers? Yeah, that's what I'm saying, and that's probably what's going to happen. It's what happened to me.
And it's happened to pretty much every other author I'm friends with. But try not to think of this as a bad thing. You're going to be working on this book for a long time. You already know that.
How to find the right book agent
Finding the right literary agent is about more than just getting representation—it’s about finding a book agent who believes in your book and supports your career goals. Start by researching agents who represent your genre using tools like QueryTracker or Manuscript Wish List. Look at their track records and follow their submission guidelines carefully.
When you get an offer, ask questions about their vision for your book, their editor contacts, and how they work with clients. Trust your instincts—you want an agent who is not only professional and well-connected but also genuinely enthusiastic about your work.
Bottom line: Is it worth getting a literary agent?
In the best situation, your relationship with your literary agent is both a creative and a business partnership. It's one that's worth its weight in gold when you find the right person. So just trust me that it's worth the effort.
Just remember that when you're working with someone who really knows what they're doing, like literary agents do, it's only going to make your book better. It's going to make it a stronger draft, which is good for you in every way.
So in the best situation, your relationship with your literary agent is both a creative and a business partnership. It's one that's worth its weight in gold when you find the right person. So just trust me that it's worth the effort.
How much can you make on your book?
You now know your agent is going to take 15% of what you make, but how much is that? How much can you actually expect to make on your book?
This is a question I get asked a lot. And it's a good question because there's very little data out there unless you're a publishing industry insider. It's actually a pretty hard answer to find so I made it my mission to find out.
I compiled data from over 1400 published authors and found the average in median book advances based on all kind of metrics, including what genre they wrote, whether it was their first book, whether they had an agent, and who their publisher was. I've put it all together in a free workshop, which you can watch right now.
Just click the link below to find out everything you want to know about current book advances and what you can realistically expect to make on your book.
If you're serious about becoming a professional author, this really is a must watch. You're not going to find this data laid out anywhere else, so click below and watch this totally free workshop, which has pie charts, graphs, everything! I promise, it's great!
