Why a Literary Agent?

If you’re going the route of self-publishing, you don’t need a literary agent.

If you’re going the route of traditional publishing, you do!

I won’t get into the pros/cons of self-publishing vs. traditional here, but do want to chat a minute about WHY a literary agent is so great (and so coveted).

In publishing, there are what’s called The Big 5 Publishers:

• Penguin/Random House.

• Hachette Book Group.

• Harper Collins.

• Simon and Schuster.

• Macmillan.

These publishers have what are called imprints. “An imprint of a publisher is a trade name under which it publishes a work. A single publishing company may have multiple imprints, often using the different names as brands to market works to various demographic consumer segments.” (From ScribeMedia.com)

As an author, we are unable to approach these publishers on our own. We have to have a literary agent approach the editors at the publishing houses with our work on our behalf. The literary agent acts as their own culling process so the publishers are getting the best work possible (otherwise they’d be inundated).

If you have an editorial agent, they’ll help you hone your book so it’s in the best shape before they take it on submission. It’s then their job to pitch your book to editors in the hopes that one of them will want to buy it!

If they do, they’ll then negotiate the book deal and contract on your behalf!

If more than one editor wants your book, it might go to auction, which means multiple publishers are bidding on it. (That’s the dream, am I right?!)

In my mind, a literary agent is the gateway to your success as an author. Without them, our book can’t reach the big guns!

The great part is, they’re going to negotiate the best deal for you because they want what’s best for you and your career. They get a cut, after all. A well deserved cut! They know how to negotiate contracts, all the terms and jargon, they know the editors your book would be the best fit for.

Finding the right agent is just the first step to your success, but in my opinion, it’s one of the most important ones!