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If you are planning to close a deal with a reputable publisher, then you might consider looking for a list of literary agents and hiring one. A literary agent is a professional who represents writers and sells their manuscripts to a publishing company. As your agent, he or she will handle all the contract negotiations on your behalf and will stand as a buffer between you and the publisher.

Hiring an agent is not mandatory. However, you must consider that there could be a lot of conflicts between you and the publisher without the help of a knowledgeable agent to assist the sale. Their primary objective is to have your books be printed without having it butchered in the process, thus helping you generate income with much less effort.


On the contrary, you must take note that hiring a literary agent would mean a deduction in your income, more or less 15% of it. In this case, you must ensure to find the right literary agent that can truly help you in the process. In this article, you will learn when you need to look for an agent and when to hire one. You will also learn the different factors to consider when finding the right agent.

When Do You Need to Look for Literary Agents

Basically, a writer may consider looking for an agent when he or she is not satisfied dealing with her own contracts. With the help of an agent, you can easily negotiate with a far better contract as they buffer between you and the publisher.

If ever something goes wrong in the process, he or she will also help you resolve it, leaving the author-editor relationship intact. You also need to look for literary agents when you lack good understanding of contract law and how publishing works. Most importantly, you must hire an agent if you are not prepared to spend time and effort on chasing payments and ensuring that the publishing company corresponds to contract terms and sales.

Things to Consider When Finding a Good Literary Agent

When it comes to finding a good literary agent, there are few important things you must consider. In general, you must hire an agent with good reputation for this will allow you to amass greater benefits in the process. As an author, the most important things you must consider when hiring an agent are the following:

1. Choose a knowledgeable and well-read literary agent. This will let publishes assume that you are a person of literary merit once you negotiate with them alongside your agent.

2. Find a prompt and responsive agent. Bear in mind that these attributes will let publishers assume that you are cooperative and low maintenance.

3. Look for an agent that is reasonable in the terms they request. This is important to prevent publishers from thinking that you are only after for the money and are committed to a win-lose paradigm.

4. Lastly, you must avoid scammers. You can do this by checking a list of literary agents from a trusted source. While there are practically hundreds or even thousands of literary agents offering this type of service, it is only necessary to look for the right agent that can truly satisfy your requirements. Once you find a list, make sure to call them and have a little interview.