Clients occasionally ask me about literary agents. Usually the question comes early in a ghostwriting project, when they’re still figuring out how publishing works and whether they need an agent to get their book into the world. I’ve written about the book proposal that agents want. The short answer for most of my clients is no. But agents serve a real purpose in traditional publishing, and understanding what they do helps you decide whether that path makes sense for your book.
What Does a Literary Agent Do?
Agents typically earn 15 percent of everything you earn from the book.Share on X
A literary agent represents authors to traditional publishing houses. Publishers like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, and the other major houses generally don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. They require submissions to come through an agent. The agent acts as a gatekeeper, curator, and negotiator rolled into one. For more, see book proposal ghostwriter and why AI won’t write the book you need.
Specifically, an agent does several things. They review your manuscript or book proposal and decide whether it’s commercially viable. If they take you on as a client, they submit your work to editors at publishing houses they have relationships with. When a publisher makes an offer, the agent negotiates the contract, including the advance, royalty rates, rights, and subsidiary deals like film, television, and foreign language translations.
After the deal is signed, the agent continues to manage the relationship between you and the publisher, handles payment disputes, and advocates for your interests throughout the process.
Agents typically earn 15 percent of everything you earn from the book. They don’t charge upfront fees. If someone calling themselves a literary agent asks for money before they’ve sold your book, that’s a scam.
How Do Authors Get Literary Agents?
The traditional path involves writing a query letter, a one-page pitch that summarizes your book and your credentials, and sending it to agents who represent your genre or category. For nonfiction, agents usually want a book proposal instead of a finished manuscript. The proposal includes a summary, market analysis, competitive titles, author biography, marketing plan, and sample chapters.
Authors find agents through resources like Publishers Marketplace and Manuscript Wish List, at writing conferences where agents hear pitches in person, and through referrals from other authors. The process is slow. Response times range from weeks to months, and most queries are rejected. An author might send dozens or hundreds of queries before finding representation.
Once an agent agrees to represent you, there’s no guarantee a publisher will buy the book. The agent submits it to editors, and if no one bites, the book doesn’t get published through that channel. The entire process from query to published book can take two to three years or longer.
When Do You Need a Literary Agent?
You need a literary agent if your goal is a deal with one of the major traditional publishing houses. Those publishers don’t work directly with authors. The agent is the required intermediary.
Traditional publishing makes sense in specific situations. If you want a large advance, wide bookstore distribution, and the credibility that comes with a major publisher’s imprint on your spine, that path requires an agent. Some authors also pursue traditional publishing because they want the editorial, design, and marketing infrastructure that a major house provides.
When You Do Not Need an Agent
Most of my ghostwriting clients don’t use literary agents, and they don’t need to. Their books serve a different purpose than what traditional publishing is designed for.
An executive writing a memoir to establish thought leadership doesn’t need to spend two years querying agents and waiting for a publisher to say yes. An entrepreneur who wants a book to support their business, generate speaking engagements, or demonstrate expertise needs the book on a timeline that traditional publishing cannot meet. These clients need the book finished, published, and working for them within months, not years.
Three of my clients have been traditionally published, and none of them went through agents. They had direct relationships with publishers or found alternative paths into the traditional system. That’s uncommon but not unheard of.
For most of my clients, I offer a publishing service that handles formatting, distribution, and listing on major platforms. The book is available on Amazon, in bookstores through distribution networks, and wherever else the client wants it. The author retains full control over the content, the timeline, and the rights. No one takes 15 percent. No one decides whether your book is commercially viable enough to exist. There’s more in my Publishing & Marketing Hub.
The book on this: Publish Your Book is 198 pages on every major publishing path, how the platforms really differ, and how to pick the one that fits the goal you have for the book.
The Trade-Offs
Traditional publishing through an agent offers things that independent publishing doesn’t: large advances (though these have shrunk dramatically), wide bookstore placement, and the perceived prestige of a major publisher’s name. For some authors, especially those writing fiction or narrative nonfiction aimed at a mass market audience, these advantages matter.
Independent publishing offers things traditional publishing doesn’t: speed, control, higher per-unit royalties, and the ability to use the book as a business tool on your own timeline. For executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals whose book is part of a larger strategy, these advantages usually outweigh what traditional publishing provides.
Neither path is inherently better. They serve different goals. The question isn’t whether literary agents are worth it. The question is whether your book’s purpose aligns with what the traditional publishing system is built to do.
If you’re writing a book to build your business, establish authority, or tell your story on your own terms, you probably don’t need an agent. If you’re writing a book to compete for shelf space at Barnes and Noble and want a six-figure advance, you probably do.
Schedule a free consultation to discuss which publishing path fits your book.