A
literary agent (often synonymous with "
publishing agent") is an
agent who represents
writers and their written works to
publishers,
theatrical producers,
film producers and
film studios, and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent
novelists,
screenwriters and non-fiction writers. They are paid a fixed percentage (usually twenty percent on foreign sales and ten to fifteen percent for domestic sales) of the proceeds of sales they negotiate on behalf of their clients.