A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation.
Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters, and non-fiction writers.
[1] Literary agencies can range in size from a single agent who represents perhaps a dozen authors, to a substantial firm with senior partners, sub-agents, specialists in areas like foreign rights or licensed merchandise tie-ins, and clients numbering in the hundreds.
They may represent—for example—authors of science fiction, mainstream thrillers and mysteries, children's books, romance, or highly topical nonfiction.
To qualify for AAR membership, agents must have sold a minimum number of books and pledge to abide by a Canon of Ethics.