literary agent
10
4.4
- noun
- /ˈlɪtəˌrɛri ˈeɪdʒənt/
:
agente literario
- Her literary agent helped her secure a contract with a major publishing house.
- editors and literary agent
Well, with the change in ebooks and all this, literary agents are really hard to come by.
- Well, with the change in ebooks and all this, literary agents are really hard to come by.
- So, you know, it just, I, I talked to Ross Reback, which was my literary agent.
- So most literary agents are looking for writers who can deliver a series because there's longevity to that.
- And I remember when I first figured this out, my literary agent had a child later in life.
Examples
-
The instructor of that course was a literary agent who motivated me to write.
Blog text (17) -
Well, I'll call that literary agent and have the rest of the manuscript sent to me.
Academic text (2000) -
The day I saw my literary agent...
-
And my editor and literary agent said, hey, this is this is going to be your next book.
-
When I sent the book proposal to 10 literary agents, all of them wanted the book.
Academic text (2010) -
OK, I could put together a book proposal and show it to literary agents.
Academic text (2010) -
Once finished, I managed to attract the attention of a literary agent.
Academic text (2010) -
Many writers, in trying to secure the services of a literary agent or publisher, simply do not do their homework.
Academic text (2011) -
Literary agent Janet Reid spent 15 years in book publicity before becoming an agent.
Academic text (2009) -
We are in New York City in the office of Paul's literary agent, Marcia Sindell.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
∞
2.8
A person who helps and represents someone in business, legal, or official matters
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person who represents writers and their works' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'literary' (relating to literature) with 'agent' (someone who represents others); this adjective+noun composition follows a standard, compositional pattern. The concept of an agent in publishing exists across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's basic meaning, even if some professional details (e.g., contract negotiation) might be unfamiliar.
Etymology
The term literary agent comes from the simple idea of an agent, someone who acts for another person and finds buyers for their work, like a salesperson who shows a product to publishers. That's why it means 'a person who represents writers and negotiates publishing deals'.