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Literary Agent

About Startup Costs

The startup costs provided in this database include an approximate financial investment that will be needed to start the business. This is generalized information and should only be used as a yardstick to determine business startup costs. Your investment will vary based on factors such as equipment, transportation, licensing and permits, operating location, working capital and initial marketing and advertising budgets. Remember a successful entrepreneur is one who carefully researches and plans every aspect of a new business venture, including the financial investment needed to start a business and the working capital required to achieve positive cash flow.

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Business At A Glance

Literary Agent

Startup Costs: $2,000 - $10,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.

About

Franchises Available? No
Online Operation? No

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If you have marketing skills and love books, this may be the right business for you.

Business Overview

A six-figure income can be earned as a literary agent, providing you have a good understanding and knowledge of the publishing industry. You agree to represent authors' works and market the literary works to publishers. Many literary agents will specialize in one or two particular fields of interest, such as business books, children's books, biographies, or how-to books. There are two ways to generate revenues as a literary gent. Literary agents generally receive a 10 percent commission on all work that is successfully marketed to publishers. Many literary agents charge a reading fee to review manuscripts submitted by authors. This reading fee is not a means of getting rich, but simply a method to get paid for extensive amount of time spent reading authors' submissions, as they may submit hundreds of manuscripts on a yearly basis.