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Publishing Insights • Agent Trade Secrets

★ Industry Insight

The Five Green Flags That Make Me Want to Sign an Author

By Stephanie Katz • Agent Trade Secrets • August 5

Focus	What literary agents evaluate before offering representation
Industry	Traditional Publishing / Literary Representation
Core Theme	Marketability, career potential, professionalism, rights & shared vision
Key Takeaway	Agents are evaluating both the manuscript and the long-term author relationship

1. Why Agents Want Authors to Succeed

One of the most misunderstood parts of the publishing industry is the relationship between authors and literary agents. From the outside, querying can sometimes feel like an enormous gatekeeping exercise: writers send manuscripts into the world and receive rejection after rejection, often with little explanation.

But Stephanie Katz offers a different perspective. As she explains in her essay, agents are not necessarily sitting on the other side of the query inbox searching for reasons to say no. Many are actively hoping to discover a manuscript and an author they can champion for years.

That distinction matters because literary representation is not simply about whether an agent enjoys a manuscript. An agent has to believe there is a viable publishing path for the work and a sustainable professional relationship with its author.

“Love is necessary, but it is not sufficient.”

Katz's central argument is therefore straightforward: a manuscript can be wonderful and still not be the right book for a particular agent to represent. Before offering representation, an agent is thinking not only about the writing, but about the market, the author's career, the business and legal landscape, and whether both parties share a vision for the future.

2. Can I Actually Sell This Book?

The first major question is also one of the hardest: Can this book realistically be sold?

Beautiful writing is important, but agents have to think beyond literary quality. Their job is to represent the author to publishers, and that means understanding whether there is a recognizable readership and a compelling commercial position for the manuscript.

Katz describes several questions that sit underneath an agent's evaluation. Is there a current readership for this type of book? Is the category expanding or contracting? Who is the ideal reader? Can the premise be communicated clearly? Are there useful comparison titles that demonstrate an existing market?

This creates an important distinction between liking a book and being able to represent the book. An agent might genuinely admire a manuscript while deciding that the current market does not provide a sufficiently clear route to publication.

For writers, that can be one of the most difficult realities to accept. A rejection does not necessarily mean the writing failed. Sometimes the issue is simply a mismatch between the manuscript and what the market can currently absorb.

3. Is This Someone I Want to Build a Career With?

The second green flag moves away from the manuscript entirely.

According to Katz, agents are not simply signing individual books. They are potentially entering professional relationships that could last for years or even decades.

That means the author's communication style, professionalism, responsiveness and ability to collaborate can become just as important as the manuscript itself.

The larger point is that representation is a partnership. An agent may need to negotiate contracts, discuss editorial changes, manage submissions, advise on career decisions and help navigate difficult periods in the publishing process.

Because of that, an agent is naturally thinking about compatibility. An author who wants to move into genres the agent does not represent, for example, may simply be a poor long-term match even if the first manuscript is excellent.

“Agents aren't just signing books. We are signing people.”

4. Can This Author Write More Than One Book?

A successful first manuscript is valuable, but agents are often thinking beyond it.

Katz describes this as one of the areas that can surprise querying writers most. An agent wants to understand whether an author has the potential to develop a body of work rather than simply produce one isolated manuscript.

That can involve questions about future projects, series potential, revision skills, creative flexibility and the author's understanding of their own long-term career.

Katz explains that when an agent asks an author what they are working on next, it does not necessarily mean they are dismissing the current manuscript. The question can instead reveal how the author thinks about their career.

A writer may already have another manuscript underway, a collection of ideas, a potential series, or several concepts that could be developed in consultation with an agent.

Marketing is also part of this conversation. Contemporary authors are increasingly expected to participate in the visibility and promotion of their books through events, interviews, social media, podcasts, readings and other forms of audience engagement.

The result is a publishing career that often requires an author to operate in two worlds at once: creative work and professional promotion.

5. Due Diligence, Rights & Business

Before signing an author, an agent may investigate far more than the manuscript itself.

Katz describes checking an author's biography, professional claims, publishing history, website and public-facing social media presence. The purpose is not simply curiosity. Agents and publishers need confidence that the information surrounding a potential client is accurate.

Claims about awards, professional credentials, industry relationships or previous achievements can therefore become part of the due-diligence process.

These questions become particularly important for previously self-published or independently published work. If another publisher or platform previously held rights, an agent may need documentation confirming that those rights have been returned before a new deal can proceed.

For nonfiction authors, the process can extend to professional credentials, sources, permissions and the defensibility of factual claims.

“Knowing the answers to these questions before we go on submission protects you as much as it protects us.”

6. The Sixth Thing: Shared Vision

After outlining five major considerations, Katz adds what she calls a sixth factor: shared vision.

An agent and author can agree that a manuscript is excellent and potentially publishable while still discovering that they imagine completely different futures for the book.

That difference can become significant during editorial development. Publishing often involves revisions, positioning decisions, submission strategies, negotiations and changes based on market feedback. Both sides do not need to agree on every individual decision, but they need to understand where they are trying to go.

Katz also emphasizes that the author should use this conversation to evaluate the agent. Representation is a two-way decision.

Authors can ask how the agent communicates, how they handle disagreements, what happens when a submission does not result in an offer, how they approach career development and what their professional relationship with clients looks like over time.

The goal is not perfect agreement. It is alignment strong enough to survive the difficult parts of publishing.