Careers
Literary agency jobs, junior literary agent roles, and publishing career paths
If you are searching for how to become a literary agent, how to find a literary agency to join, or what entry-level literary agency work looks like, this page outlines the practical path. Storyteller Talent is a boutique literary agency representing authors across romance, fantasy, YA, literary fiction, poetry, and select nonfiction.
What Literary Agents Do
Literary agents evaluate manuscripts, help shape author positioning, submit projects to editors, negotiate publishing deals, and manage rights across print, audio, foreign translation, and film/TV.
How People Start
Most people enter through internships, assistant roles, reader work, publishing jobs, scouting, editing, bookselling, or consistent independent study of the market and query process.
What Matters Most
Strong taste, clear written notes, market awareness, discretion, follow-through, and the ability to think commercially without losing respect for the author's creative work.
Open Positions
Junior Literary Agent
Remote / Los Angeles Area | Commission-Based
About the Role
This is an entry-level literary agency role for someone who wants to become a literary agent and learn the daily work behind representation. The work is reading-heavy, research-heavy, and detail-heavy. It includes query evaluation, manuscript notes, publisher research, submission tracking, and rights support.
Responsibilities
- Read and evaluate query submissions
- Write clear reader notes and manuscript feedback
- Research editors, publishers, imprints, and comparable titles
- Support submission lists and project tracking
- Help maintain rights, deal, and client materials
- Learn publishing contract and subsidiary-rights basics
- Support client communication and agency operations
- Follow market news across fiction, YA, romance, fantasy, and select nonfiction
Qualifications
- Excellent written communication
- Strong reading judgment and the ability to explain why a project works or does not
- Familiarity with current books, categories, comp titles, and author platforms
- Organized, responsive, and comfortable with detailed tracking
- Professional discretion with unpublished author material
- Interest in publishing as a business, not only as a reader
- Prior publishing, editing, bookselling, scouting, or agency experience is helpful but not required
What You Can Learn
- How to read queries like an agent
- How submission strategy is built
- How editors, imprints, and market categories differ
- How audiobook, translation, and film/TV rights fit into an author career
- How commission-based literary representation works
- How to build toward your own list over time
How to Apply
Please send your resume, a brief cover letter explaining your interest in literary representation, and a list of 5 recent books you've read and enjoyed to:
Apply Now: kayla@storytellertalent.comSubject Line: Job Application - Junior Literary Agent
Looking for Literary Agency Experience?
If you are trying to find a literary agency to join, looking for literary agency jobs, or exploring how to become a literary agent, you can send a concise introduction even when no role is a perfect fit. Include your resume, reading interests, relevant experience, and a short note about why representation interests you.
Send materials to kayla@storytellertalent.com.