How to Distinguish Between Genuine and Fake Literary Agents

• Jun 19, 2025
• 5 min read

• Tags: Author, Book Publishing, Self-Publishing

Do you have your dream manuscript complete, and are you looking for the right literary agent to represent it? 

Are you confused by the vast number of literary agents you come across online, and are you unsure about whom to approach?

Then you are in the right place, for we have compiled a checklist of the qualities and services you need to look for in a literary agent, which will help you distinguish the genuine agents from the fake ones.

Who are literary agents

Before we get into our checklist, we must answer an all-important question: Who exactly is a literary agent, and what exactly is their role?

To put it simply, a literary agent is a middleman between the author and the publisher. They are especially relevant in the field of traditional publishing, as major traditional publishers receive tons of submissions each day and do not often have the time to read through all of them. Submitting a ‘solicited manuscript’—a manuscript represented by a literary agent, as opposed to an ‘unsolicited’ or self-submitted one—greatly increases your chances of having your manuscript read by the publisher.

The literary agent’s job, therefore, is to solicit manuscripts from authors, select the ones that appear promising, help the author fine-tune it, write a proposal email, submit the book to traditional publishers, and help the author understand their publishing contract and negotiate rights and royalties. Some agents also shop book rights to film directors and production houses, and help authors strike book-to-movie deals with competitive royalties and payments.

What does a genuine literary agent do

The typical duties of a genuine literary agent are as follows:

1. ‘Discovering’ authors

Literary agents/agencies usually invite submissions from authors via email. They may take some time to reply due to the volume of submissions they receive, but their job is to sift through the submissions and ‘discover’ works and authors of potential and help them get published. Many agents also have a roster of old authors whom they have represented before whom they have developed a strong working relationship.

2. Fine-tuning manuscripts

Once the manuscript has been accepted, the agent typically gives the author detailed instructions on how to tweak and fine-tune certain areas in order to help it achieve its best possible form, and therefore have a high chance of acceptance with credible traditional publishers.

3. Approaching traditional publishers

A credible agent has contacts with a wide range of well-known traditional publishers who have a track record of publishing acclaimed work of literary merit. The agent’s job is to pitch the author’s work to such publishers, who might otherwise be out of the author’s reach.

4. Negotiating contracts and royalties

The agent goes through the publishing contract given to the author and helps fine-tune it to help the author get the best possible deal in terms of services offered by the publisher and percentage of royalties.

How do genuine literary agents get paid?

To put it simply, a genuine literary agent gets paid when the author does. They typically take a cut of the advance on royalties given to the author by the publishing house—usually about 20 per cent—as their fee. They may take a similar cut of the payment made to the author by a production house if the book is accepted to be made into a movie.

Some literary agents also offer paid editorial services, which are separate from their typical agenting duties. However, it is important to note that a genuine agent offering editorial services must always show the author the complete, edited manuscript with the edits clearly marked out for their approval.

How to identify fake literary agents

Fake literary agents have one defining quality—they prioritize money-making over literary merit. Here are some red flags to keep an eye out for when dealing with literary agents:

1. They do not have a screening process

A credible literary agent/agency typically has a screening process that involves first reading the sample chapters and synopsis and, if they are considered of literary merit, reading the whole manuscript of the author before making a decision as to whether to represent it or not. This process typically takes a minimum of a month. If an agent has a very short or non-existent screening process and accepts almost every manuscript that comes their way, it is clear that their focus is more on optimizing their earnings rather than finding good writing. 

2. They demand payment up front

As mentioned earlier, the agent gets paid when the author gets paid. If an agent demands a signing amount or upfront payment from the author even before submitting their work to publishers, they are fake and must be avoided.

3. They are not transparent

A literary agent should keep the author informed as to which publishers they are submitting the manuscript to. A lack of transparency in this regard is a sign of a fake agent.

4. They do not pitch solely to well-known traditional publishers

The whole point of using a literary agent’s services is to gain access to publishers who might otherwise be out of the author’s reach. If literary agents submit manuscripts to sundry publishers who are not very well known or who take payment from the author and are essentially self-publishers, it defeats the purpose—the author could have found such publishers themselves without an agent’s help. An agent must pitch only to well-known traditional publishers who have a proven track record of producing works of literary merit.

5. They do not show edits

If a literary agent offers editing services, they are duty-bound to show the author the edited manuscript WITH the edits clearly marked up, along with explanations of why developmental edits were made, if any. It is also the author’s final call whether to accept or reject any of the edits. Some fake agents collect payment for editing and then avoid showing the author the final manuscript before submitting it to publishers—in such cases, the edits made may be insignificant, or may not have been made at all.

6. They insert unnecessary clauses in their agreements

If a literary agent has inserted clauses such as ‘the agent has the right to represent the author’s next work’ or ‘the author must mention the agent in the acknowledgements of their work’, RUN! Such things are not enforceable on any author, and so making them a clause in the agreement that the author has no choice but to agree to is unethical.

Differences between genuine vs. fake literary agents

Use this guide to make sure you are well-equipped when stepping into the world of literary agents, and do not get cheated. We wish you the best of luck!

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.