An agent's business day is hour after hour of continually changing, and sometimes competing, priorities. The nature of the business ensures that no two days will be exactly alike. The most carefully planned schedule in the world will disintegrate in the face of the unexpected, and the unexpected pops up almost daily — sometimes several times a day.

Contracts

For most agents, the first priority each day is handling unsigned contracts. These are contracts that have been negotiated between the agent and publisher but not executed yet; the agent reviews each contract to make sure it reflects what was agreed to in the negotiations, then forwards them to the author for her signature. Publishing contracts can be time-sensitive, meaning they have to be signed and returned to the publisher within a certain number of days. Besides, the sooner the contract is signed and returned to the publisher, the sooner the agent and the author receive their advance payments.

Author Payments

The next priority for most agents is processing payments to authors. Publishers cut checks payable to the agent, who then deposits the check (usually in a separate agency bank account) and writes a new check, minus the agent's commission, payable to the author. Typically, a publisher sends the first half of the advance payment with the executed contract (a contract that has been signed by all parties), and the agent forwards a copy of the executed contract with the author's payment.

Pending Offers

Next on the agent's to-do list is negotiating pending offers from publishers. This can be a lengthy and painstakingly detailed process, and the agent has to make sure that conditions agreed upon in previous negotiating sessions make it into the final contract. Usually, the publisher makes an offer, which the agent then discusses with the author. After the author agrees, the agent proceeds with the negotiations. There can be several back-and-forth sessions before a deal is finally reached.

Publishers prefer that agents make all contract change requests at once, so the author should discuss any special needs before negotiation begins. It requires organization and forethought on your part, but it saves much time and frustration when the agent can proceed in an orderly fashion.

Marketing

An agent is in business to sell manuscripts, so a big part of her job involves soliciting publishers by telephone, e-mail, or snail mail. Often, an agent who is negotiating a pending contract on one project or talking with an editor about a manuscript in the writing stage will take advantage of that meeting or phone call to pitch another project the publisher might be interested in. Effective agents will do this habitually, mainly because it saves time for everyone.

Firefighting

Any of the previously mentioned priorities can be relegated to the bottom of the to-do list by unexpected crises. Agents who have been in business for any length of time have known days when all they can do is put out fires. Questions from editors or writers arise that need immediate answers. Authors who are under deadline pressure encounter problems with finishing their manuscripts. Sometimes it takes all the agent's time and energy to take care of these urgent issues, and the items on his to-do list for that day get pushed to the next day.