21 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You’ll split time between emails, calls, and reading. Mornings often go to contract negotiations and answering agents or editors in Microsoft Outlook and phone calls. Afternoons are for reading submissions, editing pitch letters in Microsoft Word, and updating client status in Salesforce or a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.
Evenings or pockets of time handle scheduling — bookings, promotional events, or preparing clients for public appearances. You’ll also check social media (Facebook or client platforms) and prepare accounting notes or invoices for payments and commissions.
Start with Microsoft Word and Outlook — you’ll draft proposals, contracts, and manage client communication there every day. Learn Microsoft Excel next for royalty spreadsheets, tracking commissions, and basic financial accounting.
Salesforce or another CRM follows, because agents use it to track submissions, contacts, and deal stages. Learn basic social media tools (Facebook and platform-native dashboards) for managing client presence and promotion.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2025), about 12,620 people worked as agents and business managers; the median pay was $82,890 per year. The lowest tenth earned around $48,010, and the top tenth earned about $284,570.
Pay varies a lot by client list, commission rates, and whether you’re freelance or at an agency. Early on expect lower pay while building clients; income rises as you sign more successful authors or negotiate film/foreign rights.
Use AI for first-draft tasks: summarize a manuscript, generate query letter templates, or draft marketing blurbs, but always edit carefully. Don’t upload full client manuscripts to third-party AI services unless the tool’s terms allow private data and you have client permission.
Keep a record of what you used AI for, protect confidential material, and make sure contract clauses about rights and confidentiality aren’t violated. Use AI as an assistant, not the final legal or editorial authority.
A literary agent finds deals, negotiates contracts, handles rights sales, and manages client careers — they earn commissions and don’t do the publisher’s editing. An editor works for a publisher to shape a book’s content, production, and release.
Compared with an actor’s manager, a literary agent focuses on manuscripts and publishing rights rather than auditions or performance training. Some tasks overlap: pitching, contracts, and promotion — but the industries, documents, and typical systems (Word, Outlook, Excel, Salesforce) differ.
Relationship management: building and maintaining strong ties with authors, editors, producers, and rights buyers. That includes clear communication, timely scheduling in Outlook, and careful contract negotiation.
Combine that with commercial sense — spotting marketable manuscripts, tracking industry trends, and handling finances accurately in Excel and accounting systems. Those practical skills turn relationships into steady deals and income.