A Literary Agency: An Intern’s Perspective

In the summer of 2019, I was fortunate enough to intern remotely at a literary agency. Just to give you a sense of what it entailed, the bulk of my time was spent reading queries, evaluating partial and full manuscripts, writing reader reports, and maintaining publishing contacts. I also wrote a few editorial letters and pitch letters. 

Although I want to become a book editor at a publishing company after I graduate from college, I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction into the publishing world. I learned so much from this opportunity, but I managed to narrow it down to five large takeaways:

1. The query-to-signed-client ratio is astoundingly disproportionate.
2. So many people are trying to get published.
3. The first five pages of your manuscript are incredibly important.
4. Literary agents are involved in so much of the literary process.
5. Literary agents do not get paid a lot.

The query-to-signed-client ratio is astoundingly disproportionate.

Time for a small math detour: During my three-month summer internship, I read around 2,000 queries. That comes to approximately 8,000 per year. Larger agencies will inevitably have more queries (let’s estimate around 1,000 per month), which is around 12,000 queries per year. 

Now let’s compare that to the amount of clients an agent takes on every year. The agency where I worked only takes on 2-3 clients per year (keep in mind that only one agent works at this agency). For a small agency, that is a 1:4,000 ratio. To be generous, let’s say an agent at a larger agency takes on 6 clients a year. That’s still a 1:2,000 ratio.

To put it simply, the amount of queries literary agents receive is really quite large. In other words, prepare to say no to a lot of aspiring authors if you are thinking of becoming a literary agent. And if you are an author, send your manuscript to a lot of agencies. Hopefully, you will find an agent who is waiting for your manuscript to cross his/her path.

So many people are trying to get published.

I’ve already mentioned how many people are querying agencies. Prior to my internship, I never knew how many people were seeking representation. Whether they see writing as a side project or their livelihood, people really want to get published… whether they can write or not. 

If you’re querying, that might mean that you have a lot of competition. But to be completely honest, a lot of the queries are less than stellar. However, that doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax. You don’t want to be the sixth best query an agent receives all year. They may only take on four clients, and you still won’t make the cut.

The first five pages of your manuscript are incredibly important. 

A lot of agencies ask for a sample of your manuscript in your query letter. For example, the agency I worked at asks authors to include the first five pages below their signature. Then, if the agent likes what she sees, she asks for the first three chapters, and then the full manuscript. Some agencies ask for the first three chapters up front in the query.

Whatever the agency asks for, the first pages of your manuscript better be good. An agent is a reader and they want a hook. You have to draw them in. Sometimes agents know after the first sentence whether they are going to say yes or no. 

Tip: When querying, you should always follow the agent’s submission instructions exactly. When agents are tired (which they undoubtedly are) and are going through a bunch of queries, they might get frustrated at a query that didn’t follow directions, and their perspective of you and your manuscript is already tainted. Even if your work recommends you, they might say no because they don’t think you’ll be easy to collaborate with. The publishing process is a long one, and authors and their agents are forced to form close relationships. If you are not agreeable or respectful, it might not matter how great your book is. 

Tip #2: Many agents don’t want attachment files for security reasons, even if they don’t specifically tell you not to send them. To be safe, include the sample pages (and cover letter if they ask for it) in the body of the email, unless they specifically instruct you to add it in an attachment.  

Literary agents are involved in so much of the literary process.

Authors hire literary agents to help them find an editor that will publish their book. So literary agents have to pitch the book to multiple editors. Hopefully, the project will be picked up, and then the literary agent has to negotiate subsidiary rights (which they have to keep track of as long as the book is in circulation). So even once the book is published, the literary agent has not finished their job. They have to maintain the rights, help the author find a marketing strategy, keep track and divide royalty statements, and find out if they want to sell to a smaller publisher or Amazon after the book is out of print. 

Although some literary agencies like the one where I interned offer editorial advice to authors, it is not a literary agent’s main role. If you’re like me and really getting to the bones and the nitty gritty of a manuscript and making it into the best it can be is your true desire, then maybe being a literary agent isn’t for you. 

Literary agents do not get paid a lot.

I remember my supervisor once saying that literary agents work a main job just for the privilege of working as a literary agent. An author doesn’t get money until the publisher’s advance is paid back and the book is actually earning more money. And the advance is rarely paid in full, usually coming in thirds. In fact, the author may not get the last third of the advance until a year after publication. And the literary agent’s money is coming in at even smaller increments. 

If you want to be a literary agent, you really have to be passionate about helping authors through the process, because literary agents definitely aren’t in it for the money.