What is the job of a literary agent

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A literary agent is responsible for helping writers get their work published. Their job involves reading and selecting the best stories, finding a publisher willing to pay the writer, and negotiating book deals. They also work with authors to help them make money from their stories by selling them to different types of publishers. Additionally, literary agents assist in revising manuscripts and act as a middleman between authors and publishers. They are skilled in reading, writing, selling, communication, and organization. To become a literary agent, one typically needs experience as a literary agent assistant and to have started building their own list of authors[1][2][3].

Literary agents are more responsible for selling books than they are providing creative input, but they read manuscripts or query letters often[4]. They also manage queries and manuscript requests, as well as help clients revise their manuscripts[5].

Citations:

[1] https://www.publishers.org.uk/about-publishing/careers/literary-agent/

[2] https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/literary-agent-job-description

[3] https://writers.com/literary-agents

[4] https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-literary-agent

[5] https://www.alyssamatesic.com/free-writing-resources/what-do-lit-agents-do