One of the biggest questions asked by all new authors of category romance fiction concerns the need for a literary agent. Unlike single-title releases, however, most category lines will accept unagented submissions. Still, many category authors do have agents who handle their contracts.

Many category romance authors also write for single-title houses — or plan to write for them, at any rate. A literary agent can make certain that the manuscript due dates are reasonable from the author's perspective. Even for those authors who write strictly in category lines, a literary agent might be able to negotiate better terms under the house's boilerplate contract, such as invitation-only submission opportunities for special lines.

Generally, the contracts with a series romance publisher are very straightforward and have little “wiggle room” for the agents to negotiate. Royalty rates are fairly standard, as are advances. It's rare that an author could negotiate subsidiary rights, such as foreign sales, in her favor. Even if she were to do so, it might not be prudent because series romance publishers have more contacts in the international market and a broad system for sub-right sales already in place.