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What does a literary agent do?
The short answer is that a literary agent will endeavour to sell a writer's work to a publisher in exchange for a commission - a percentage of the writer's royalties on the sale of literary rights.
Were you to join the McKernan Agency as a client, some of our duties on your behalf would include:
- Preparing your work for submission in today's competitive publishing industry. This could involve, for example, extensive editorial work on a novel, or revising and polishing a non-fiction proposal to ensure that its commercial potential shines through.
- Submitting the work in the appropriate format to the right editors at the publishing houses most suitable for the work.
- Negotiating the optimal deal for the author. This could involve conducting an auction for the work if appropriate, or advising the author when to accept a pre-emptive offer from a publisher who is particularly keen to acquire the work. Factors to consider will include the advance (a non-returnable loan paid by the publisher to the author against the expectation of future royalties) and other terms, including subsidiary rights.
- Mediating between the author and the publisher - not just with the editor, but other branches of the publisher such as marketing and publicity.
- Following up on royalty payments from publishers - an agency typically has more clout in chasing up late payments, for example.
- Providing general support and career advice, including advice as to the marketability and commercial potential of future projects.
What kind of book is the McKernan Agency looking for?
A better question, in our case, is what kind of authors are we looking for.
Do explore this site and have a look at our respective profiles - Maggie McKernan and Edwin Hawkes, where you will find details of our interests and areas of specialization as well as our client lists with details of their current and forthcoming books.
If you are interested in being represented by us then please make sure you have read our submission guidelines and frequently asked questions page before submitting your work through our contacts page.
We charge a standard commission rate for home and overseas of 15%, except where we work in conjunction with another agency (for example with a foreign sub-agent in order to sell translation rights abroad), in which case our commission will vary.
We don't charge a reading fee or any other upfront fee - the only cost to you is when you are actually paid by the publisher. If despite our best efforts we are unable to secure you a deal with a publisher there would be no fee.
If you would like to look at a standard agency agreement, of the kind you would be asked to sign if you joined this agency, click here.
We are members of ASLA - Scotland's national trade association for literary agencies.
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