what is a literary agent,what do they do, and where can i find one?

Answer 1

This is the nicely packaged answer:
There is more to being a writer than stringing words together. Even great writers have to do more than write.

Unless you can persuade someone to publish the words you slave over, your writing will remain unknown and unread and writing will drain rather than fill your bank account.

That's where a Literary Agent comes in. Your literary agent is the book-marketing expert who can sell your crafted words to jaded publishing professionals. He or she can turn a manuscript gathering dust in your desk drawer into a published book paying the bills. A reputable agent will go to work for you to make sure that your writing pays what it should.

An agent will give your work a much better chance of escaping the slush piles that threaten to overwhelm the office space of all successful publishers. Your job, which isn't easy, is produce writing that an agent can believe in.

Try this link: http://www.writers.net/agents/topic/117/?PHPSESSID=0250af83b078de4fa2b42950dd023dc4 for a list of screenplay agents.

Answer 2

Most major and reputable publishers will not work with an author unless you have an agent.

You start by querying literary agents. This is done with a one page letter describing yourself and your book. Sometimes the agent will request you include the first few pages or chapters, but that is an individual preference.

There are several websites out there that will help you find an agent, my favorite is QueryTracker.net at http://www.querytracker.net/ . It is free and has a list of literary agents and also tools to help you keep track of who you already queried and who you haven't, plus more.

They do a good job of keeping the crooks off their lists, but it is still a good idea to double check at http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.html.

There are a lot of crooks out there. Never pay anyone to read or publish your book. A real agent will never ask for money except as a percentage of your royalties.

Keep in mind that finding an agent and getting published is not an easy process. Some people have to query hundreds of agents before they find one who will accept them (sadly, some never get accepted), but be persistent and keep trying.

You should also visit http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums one of the largest forums for writers. They can be very helpful.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Literary agents are your best gate into the field of literary publishing. If you're trying to get something published, they are the people to go to. They work on commission (usually 10-20% of your deal) but if your work is worth publishing, they'll snatch it up. They also do all the dirty work of actually getting the story published (finding a pblishing company, negotiating the price, etc.). To find one, get a copy of the Writer's Guide or Writer's Marketplace - there should be one in the reference section of your local library. Write a quick letter (only a page) on what your book is about (one to two sentences), what your expertise is (if you were writing nonfiction you could say you've compiled information from 136 sources to create the most throrough, concise, and comprehensive guide on ~whatever~) and what your literary qualifications are ("I've had short stories published in A, C, and X magazines").
If you get rejected, keep writing and polishing your work and keep trying new agents. Find agents that are geared toward what you write; it'll be listed in your guide.

Answer 4

I'm a published writer. Avoid literary agents until you have a best selling novel and need them to do the field work for you.

You can send your work (short and long pieces) to most publishers or magazines without an agent. Keep your money.

Answer 5

Some talent agencies, have a literary agent in their office. The Literary Agents read, manuscripts to determine if they are suitable for consideration to be sumbitted to a Publisher.