So you’ve finally written that book and now you’re considering getting an agent. Everyone tells you that it’s the best thing to do and you’ve noticed that many publishers won’t accept un-agented manuscripts. But what exactly does an agent do?

Agents get your manuscript read

As has been mentioned before, many publishers won’t accept a manuscript unless it’s submitted by an agent. This is especially true of the bigger publishing houses that regularly receive hundreds of manuscripts every week. Publishers trust that agents have read a manuscript before submitting it to them. Publishers and editors feel that this added perusal helps save them time and trouble. This in turn gives your work an extra boost of legitimacy. In other words, an agent helps you get your foot in the door.

Agents negotiate your rights

Once a publisher expresses an interest in publishing your manuscript, it’s up to your agent to negotiate the rights to your intellectual property. Most book publishers buy the right to publish your book as a hardcover and/or soft cover book in its country of origin. Your agent may then also negotiate what are known as subsidiary rights for you. Subsidiary rights are additional moneymaking opportunities for your manuscript. If your agent and the publisher agree that your book merits a bigger audience or broader distribution, or even depending on outside interests, the agent can negotiate foreign publication rights, foreign language rights, movie rights, audio-book rights…well, you get the idea.

Contracts

Speaking of rights, most writers are lousy lawyers and businesspersons – they loathe the business end of getting published, which includes reading and understanding contracts. An agent is an expert at this sort of thing and will use his or her expertise to negotiate the best possible contract for their client.