Become a Literary Agent

Becoming a literary agent can be a rewarding career, although the path to becoming one can take some time. If you go online and search any job posting site for “literary agent,” you aren’t going to see any results. This is because most agents break into the position by being internally promoted after they’ve worked as an intern or assistant at a literary agency. As a result, this process has less to do with building a fancy resume and nailing an interview, and more to do with your determination to work your way from the ground up at a literary agency. If you’ve got a passion for books, an eye for quality, and a love of sales, this may be the perfect career for you!

Steps

Getting Qualified

1. Obtain a bachelor’s degree in English or any reading-heavy discipline. While there are no hard-and-fast requirements for literary agents, it helps to come from a literary background. If you’re still in school, get a college degree in English to learn as much about literature as possible. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, get a degree in any field that involves a lot of reading.Potential options include:
   • History. This is an especially good option if you want to specialize in historical fiction or nonfiction.
   • Journalism. This is a great plan if you want to specialize in books about current events or politics.
   • Communications. This is just a solid all-around option, especially if you want to become the best public speaker possible.
2. Take some publishing courses to familiarize yourself with the industry. This is totally optional, but taking a class about publishing will give you a lot of the foundational information you need if you’re brand new to the business of literature. Look online for publishing classes at your local community college or university and sign up.
   • The Columbia Publishing Course is considered one of the most widely-respected programs in the field. It’s a month-long crash course in literary representation and publishing. You can apply online for their summer program in New York, or their fall program at Oxford in the United Kingdom.
3. Read a lot of books in a variety of different fields. The best thing you can do to hone your skills is to read. Pick up books in subjects that you don’t necessarily know a ton about and just submerge yourself in the material. Literary agents spend a large percentage of their time reading and appraising books, so getting in the habit now will help build up your skills as a reader.
   • With each book you pick out, ask yourself, “Why did I choose this book?” The literary agent’s job is to pitch books to publishers, so it’s good to get in the habit of thinking about what makes a given book appealing to you.
4. Attend writer’s forums and readings to submerge yourself in the field. Go to free lectures at your local university and attend book fairs. Seek out poetry and fiction readings and introduce yourself to people at the events you go to. Not only will this help you build up a network of literary-minded people, but you’ll also learn a lot about how to discuss literature!
   • Be social when you go to writing events. Literary agents are not editors who get to lock themselves in a room with a manuscript. The more comfortable you can get talking to strangers about books, the stronger you’ll be as a literary agent.
   • Creative writing courses and open mics can also be a great place to meet folks who love literature.
5. Spend a few years working in sales, law, or marketing for an alternative path. There’s a kind of running joke among literary agents: how do you become a literary agent? Call yourself one! There are no certifications, requirements, or tests to become a literary agent, and many agents started out in fields that have nothing to do with books. If you’re working in a related position outside of publishing, you’re already qualified.
   • If you have a background in sales, you’re at a huge advantage. In interviews, highlight your experience to pitch a product.
   • Any law-related field can be a great jumping-off point for a literary agent. In interviews, emphasize your eye for detail, public-speaking skills, and ability to argue.
   • If you’re in marketing or advertising, you’re already a literary agent without a book! Push your sales-related knowledge, ability to appraise products, and familiarity with product development.
   • Any academic experience provides a great foundation for a career as a literary agent.

Breaking into the Field

1. Apply to work at a bookstore if you’re still in school. If you’re just starting out in your career or you’re looking for some basic experience in a literary setting, look online for openings at a bookstore. This will give you a lot of experience selling books, answering questions about books, and identifying how different readers respond to different authors, covers, genres, and blurbs.
   • The most common path to becoming a literary agent is to work as an intern or assistant at a literary agency and get promoted to a full-time agent after a few years. You aren’t just going to build a resume and apply for a position as a literary agent. As a result, the goal here is to get the experience that will help you land one of those entry-level positions.
   • You can jump straight to applying for an internship or assistant position If you graduated with a degree in a reading-heavy field or you have a background in sales, marketing, etc.
2. Scope out editing or publishing positions if you have literary experience. Another way to break in as a literary agent is to work at a publishing firm and then move to the other side of the field. If you have a substantial resume with experience in academia or some other book-related gig, this is a great way to develop the kind of pedigree that will land you a literary agent opening.
   • Your path to becoming a literary agent after working in editing or publishing is going to be entirely unique to you. You may develop a relationship with an agency that extends you an offer, or you may hear of openings through the grapevine. Regardless, this process may take some time.
   • Literary agents spend their time pitching an author’s work to a publisher. If you have experience as a publisher, literary agencies will see you as an appealing prospect.
3. Apply to be a literary agent assistant or intern to get in the door. Go online and seek out positions for literary agency assistants. You can apply for an internship instead if you can afford to go unpaid for a while. Read the job description thoroughly, research the company, and customize your cover letter and interview before you apply. Keep applying to these positions until you pass an interview to get started on your journey!
   • There aren’t a ton of literary agencies out there. You may have to be willing to move to a major city where there is a big publishing scene. For example, in the United States, most agencies are in New York City.
4. Develop your skills and learn the business as an assistant or intern. Show up to work on time every day and assist the literary agents you work with. Complete administrative tasks, sort through submissions, help with scheduling and invoicing, and keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly. This will give you a ton of experience and you’ll learn the ins-and-outs of the publishing world.
   • If you can improve and demonstrate your ability to organize, communicate, and manage time, you’ll show your managers that you’re ready to be a literary agent once a position opens up.
   • Hone your ability to negotiate. Pay attention to how the agents at your organization talk to clients, pitch books to publishers, and debate over contracts. You’ll learn a lot just by being present.
5. Work your way into a position as a literary agent over time. Typically, literary agencies only hire in-house agents after they’ve gotten a chance to know them. Continue to work hard in your administrative role to climb the ladder at your company. This can take some time, so don’t get discouraged and stick with it!
   • Advocate for yourself. Once you’re settled in at the agency, let your bosses know you want to work your way towards becoming a full-time literary agent.
   • This process can take a bit of time. If you can prove that you’re diligent, responsible, and have a keen eye for what makes a book desirable, you’ll put yourself in the best position possible.
   • There are no hard and firm rules here regarding how (or how long it will take) to become a literary agent. Every agency is different, and there is no definitive timeline. If you find a new position or opportunity and it looks like it will get you closer to your goal, go for it!

Working as a Literary Agent

1. Let the world know that you’re accepting submissions. As a literary agent, you’ll field submissions from authors and aspiring writers. Reach out individually to authors who the agency has worked with in the past or put the word out online that you’re accepting manuscripts. Describe what your agency is looking for and tell potential clients where to send their work.
   • The head of your agency will likely ask you to look for specific types of work depending on what your agency specializes in. Some agencies only pitch young adult fiction, nonfiction, novels, etc.
   • Your agency may have an intern or assistant do all of the legwork to put submission posts out there.
   • There’s no shortage of folks out there looking to become published authors. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to get manuscripts. The trick is to find the manuscripts worth publishing!
   • Your agency may simply assign you to work with a certain number of established authors that they’ve already built relationships with.
2. Scour submissions and accept manuscripts you think you can sell. As authors submit work, take a look at each manuscript. Based on your eye for quality, look for interesting texts with marketable qualities. If a story pulls you in, proves interesting, and has a unique hook, you’ll have a much easier time selling the manuscript to a publisher. Accept the work that you know you can pitch and reach out to the author to let them know you’re interested.
   • Over time, you’ll identify authors that consistently put out quality work. When you do, you can work with them directly in the future and you won’t need to sort through open submissions. Some literary agents build a Rolodex of 40-50 clients and they only work with them.
3. Pitch books to publishing agencies to generate interest. Once you’ve accepted a submission, identify which publishers might be a good fit and reach out to them. Send an email or call them to let them know you’ve got something worth printing. Pitch the book by telling them about the story, explain why the book will be easy to sell, and try to generate as much interest in the work as possible. If a publishing house appears interested, let them know you’d like to work with them to bring the book to life.
   • Try to find publishers that specialize in the kind of book you’re trying to pitch. If you’ve got a horror novel and a publisher is known for their historical fiction, it’s probably a bad fit.
   • Depending on your agency, you may also collaborate with coworkers to find cover art, edit the manuscript, and put mockups together to make it more appealing for publishers.
   • Remember, once you take a client’s manuscript on, you work for them. If they have a particular vision for their work, advocate on their behalf to bring that to life.
4. Negotiate contracts for the authors that you represent. Ask your client what they’d be willing to sell their book for. Use this as a baseline for your negotiations with the publishing house. If they want a minimum of $100,000 for a book, try selling it for $150,000 and negotiate from there. Use the author’s pedigree, the quality of the idea, or the marketability of a book to land a big contract for your client!
   • As a literary agent, you’ll mainly be paid on commission. The more money you can get for a contract and the more manuscripts you can sell, the more you’ll make!
   • Literary agents typically make 15% of each contract that they land.
   • Nobody in the industry publishes their contract information, but an average book contract may fetch anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. Well-known authors can fetch anywhere from $100,000 to several million dollars depending on their profile and publisher interest.

Tips

• If you’re still in school, consider double-majoring in marketing, business, or entrepreneurship. Literary agents are part-editor, part-salesperson. Any background in business will help you achieve your goal.
• Literary agent assistants make around $34,000 a year, although you may not make that much if you aren’t working at a high-end agency. Interns typically aren’t paid at all.
• Literary agents get paid on commission, so their annual income can vary depending on how many clients they have and how high-profile their agency is. The average salary is $56,000 a year. It’s a big range, though. Roughly 11% of agents make upwards of $94,000 a year, while 34% of agents make less than $34,000.

Warnings

• Only pursue this field if you’re passionate about it. This can be a lot of work and you may not make very much. Think of it this way; even if you land a massive $100,000 book contract, you’re likely only going to make $15,000 before taxes. If you aren’t in love with the field, it may be a difficult career for you.

References

See also

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• Become Successful in Your Career as a Young Woman
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• Help a Teenager Explore Career Options
• Do What You Love Regardless of Your Circumstances
• Decide What Kind of Job You Want
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• Choose a Right Future Job

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