Do I have to pay a fee to join an agency?

There is no fee to join agencies who are members of the Australian Literary Agents’ Association.

What fees do they charge, then, to represent an author?

Most literary agents charge an agency commission on their writers’ earnings. The usual commission is around fifteen per cent, although this can vary. This applies for the life of any contract which an agent negotiates, not for the life of the author.

Can I ask a literary agent to give advice on a contract for a fee?

Yes. Due to a recent change to our code of practice, you may contact any of our member agents regarding contract advice and the agent concerned may quote you a fee for this advice. If you wish to go ahead with the service, the fee will be agreed upon in writing (NB: an email constitutes ‘in writing’ for this purpose).