How to Become a Literary Agent: Katie Blagden on Publishing, Pay and Pratchett

Katie Blagden, a literary agent at the Ampersand Agency, reached agenting through film and TV editing, advertising and bookselling rather than a straight publishing route. In episode 303 of The Write and Wrong Podcast she explains what the job involves, why authors shouldn't expect big money, and how editors fight for the books they believe in.

Key takeaways

• There is no single route to becoming a literary agent. Katie Blagden moved from film and TV editing to advertising, bookselling, agency marketing and then agenting.

• Publishing is a high-risk, low-reward career for authors. Katie tells prospective clients that anyone chasing money should think twice, because six-figure deals are the exception.

• An editor who takes your book to acquisitions is a strong sign of belief. The process means a presentation, a team meeting and weeks or months of unpaid-for effort around their day job.

• A literary agent does far more than sell books. Katie lists editorial work, talent spotting, coaching, negotiation and people management.

• Comparison titles need care. Comparing your book to Terry Pratchett or Tolkien can backfire, as Katie and a previous podcast guest explain.

• Katie represents middle grade to adult fiction and graphic novels, with a taste for sci-fi, fantasy, horror and the speculative.

  
  

How do you become a literary agent?

There is no fixed path, and Katie Blagden's own route proves it. She trained as an editor for film and TV, then worked as a producer in advertising, which she says paid far better than most publishing jobs but felt soulless.

She then took a savings-funded break to become a bookseller, which she calls a refresher. From there she moved to the Bright Agency, starting in marketing before shifting to the literary side under Arabella Stein, whom she describes as publishing royalty.

When the Bright Agency wound down its literary list, Katie was made redundant. She took a good portion of her authors with her and joined the Ampersand Agency about a year before recording, in 2025. She has been an agent for around five years.

Her advice on redundancy is reassuring: other agents and editors told her that if you have not been made redundant in publishing, you have not been in it long enough. She says the industry rallied round her, and she found her publishing community that way.

Katie also finds publishing kinder than the industries she came from. Compared with the shouting she remembers in advertising, she says people who love books and dedicate their lives to them tend to be quite nice.

Can authors make money from publishing?

Usually not much, and Katie says so upfront. When she asks a prospective author what they want, she warns anyone fixated on six-figure deals that publishing is a high-risk, low-reward gamble, comparable to going into acting expecting to become Florence Pugh.

She points out that trade press such as The Bookseller reports noteworthy deals because they are noteworthy. That can make it look as though every author is landing a six-figure advance, when most are not.

Katie and Jamie both raise author pay as a real issue in the industry. Writing a book takes enormous time and passion, yet most authors are paid little, and the money tends to concentrate on a small group of top-selling titles. She thinks there is a conversation to be had about evening that out, while stressing that most people working in publishing are there for love of books rather than money.

What happens inside a publisher before an offer?

An editor who loves a manuscript cannot simply make an offer. As Jamie describes it, they usually ask the agent to put the submission on hold, then prepare a presentation and take the book to an acquisitions meeting with the wider team. All of this sits on top of their normal workload.

The hoops have multiplied in the five or so years Katie has been an agent. Superstar editors can still rubber-stamp a great book, but younger editors in particular must do a lot more legwork, then scrape together whatever money they can for the author.

With epic fantasy running to 120,000 words or more, editors must also persuade colleagues to read very long manuscripts. Katie says a month is an incredibly conservative estimate for hearing back, and she would be lucky to get a response within months.

Her message to authors is that an editor taking your book to acquisitions is a strong sign of belief in your writing. Behind each big publishing house, she says, it is usually one or two overworked individuals fighting your corner, so there should be compassion for editors.

What does a literary agent do, and what does Katie represent?

Katie says the job is the most varied in publishing. Today's agent is expected to do some editorial work, hunt for talent, coach authors, negotiate deals and manage people, so no two days are the same.

Her list at the Ampersand Agency has grown from about nine authors when she joined to 16 on the agency website. Her official line is middle grade through to adult, covering graphic novels as well as straight fiction, and occasionally chapter books for graphic novels.

• Adult: sci-fi, fantasy, horror and speculative fiction, plus anything weird and wonderful or genre-crossing.

• Children's and YA: leans towards sci-fi and fantasy, with some contemporary stories if they have something strange or striking about them.

• Does not represent: crime, thriller, history, non-fiction or memoir.

  
  

She leans slightly more commercial than literary, though she admits to FOMO and has just gone out on submission with a very literary but funny book. She still receives plenty of queries for genres she does not represent, so it pays to read an agent's wishlist before submitting.

Should you compare your book to Terry Pratchett or Tolkien?

Be careful. Jamie recalls a previous guest, John Baker, cautioning writers not to comp Terry Pratchett because there is only one Pratchett and the comparison invites disappointment. Katie agrees, but says she has one comedy fantasy author for whom the comp genuinely fits: funny on the surface, with real anger underneath, much as Pratchett used trolls to say something about racism. She still has to tell editors she knows how it sounds and ask them to try the book.

On classics, Katie argues that The Lord of the Rings would not be published in its current state today, because an editor would trim its digressions. She suspects Harry Potter, with several chapters before much happens, would also be edited differently now.

She also warns against writing from nostalgia. Many would-be children's authors, often retired or newly grandparents, write the book they loved in the 1960s, 70s or 80s, which is not what children are living or reading now. She sees hope in newer writers who retell big, universal themes without the racism, homophobia and ableism that marked some older children's fiction.

Jamie notes that the full discussion of submissions, queries and comparison titles continues in the extended episode on Patreon.

Which book would a literary agent take to a cosy cabin?

Asked which book she would take if snowed in at a woodland cabin, Katie admits she panics at the thought of limiting herself, because she is a book hoarder. Her picks:

• Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett, for the winter setting.

• The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin, which has stuck with her since she read it once and which she wants to revisit.

  
  

Jamie adds a Pratchett favourite of their own, Small Gods, and Katie notes that Pratchett's standalone novels can be especially impactful. She is also fond of The Shepherd's Crown, though she says reading it alone in a cabin might be too sad.

Frequently asked questions

How do you become a literary agent?

There is no single route. Katie Blagden trained in film and TV editing, worked in advertising, became a bookseller, then joined the Bright Agency in marketing before moving to the literary side. She has been an agent for around five years.

Do authors make a lot of money?

Most do not. Katie describes publishing as high risk and low reward, and says that trade press reports six-figure deals because they are exceptional.

What does a literary agent do?

According to Katie, an agent does some editorial work, scouts talent, coaches authors, negotiates deals and manages people.

What genres does Katie Blagden represent?

Middle grade to adult fiction and graphic novels, mainly sci-fi, fantasy, horror and speculative work. She does not represent crime, thriller, history, non-fiction or memoir.

Why does it take so long for an editor to respond?

Editors must prepare a presentation, get colleagues to read the manuscript and take it to an acquisitions meeting, all alongside their usual work. For long epic fantasy, Katie says hearing back can take months.

Is it risky to compare your book to Terry Pratchett?

Yes. A previous guest on the show warned against it, and Katie agrees it can sound presumptuous, though she has one author for whom the comparison genuinely holds.

Listen and follow

• Find more submission guidelines and the other agents at the Ampersand Agency.

• Join the Write and Wrong Patreon for ad-free extended episodes, including the longer discussion of submissions and queries.