A Day in the Life of an Agent’s Assistant
Hi all – Kiya here! I’ve worked at Mushens Entertainment for a year and a half now, and we thought it would be interesting for people to learn about the day-to-day of being an agent’s assistant. The great part about my job is that every day is so different - my to-do list depends on what needs doing for Juliet and her authors, so one day can look completely different to the next! Hopefully, however, this gives you an insight into what a day in the life of an agent’s assistant can look like…
If I’m the first one to arrive at the office that day, I turn on the lights (most importantly, the neon ME sign) and unpack any post that’s been delivered. Most days, these parcels contain proof versions and finished copies of our authors’ books, which I set to aside to take photos of and shelve later!
I put the kettle on (a vital part of anyone’s day) and sit down at my desk to go through my inbox, checking if anything urgent has come in overnight and what the calendar looks like for today. I’ll have a look at our trackers and follow up on any payments that we’re chasing or expecting, starting to add things to my to-do list. If any deals have been announced that morning, I make sure that we’re shouting about the news on our website and social media, and will create and post graphics celebrating any publications for that day.
We have our team ‘lit meetings’ on Monday mornings – this is where we hear everyone’s updates on deals, submissions, international rights, and client news. I take the minutes for these meetings and bring up any questions that need updating from the week before. The lit meeting is a way to gain an overview of what’s happening across everyone’s lists, and it’s always great to hear from Liza, our foreign rights executive, about which books are doing well internationally! Even though we’re a chatty office (shocking, I know) and I usually have a good understanding of what’s happening with everyone’s lists, the lit meeting means we can collate all of our news from the past week, and check in as a team about which books are going out on submission or have interest from publishers.
Our signature ME tote bag, which we give to all of our authors when they visit the office!
Payment runs are twice a week, and Rachel and I take it in turns to tackle the money heading out to authors. Publishing is a business, and as an agency, money is the most important part of our jobs – it’s why we exist! We need to calculate our commission, any VAT owed to us or the client, and check these numbers against what hit the account. If the money was transferred in a different currency, we also need to convert the numbers and make sure we’ve got the maths right - to the penny. Once the payment run has been sent out by our book-keeper, we generate statements and self-billing invoices to send out to clients, notifying them that they have money coming their way. These are always lovely emails to send!
We’re lucky enough to work in a beautiful office, and we regularly have editors, authors, and scouts visit us for meetings. I’ll greet them at the door and grab any drinks they’d like, and usually will put together a Mushens Entertainment tote bag filled with a mug, #TeamMushens badge, and any books they’d like to take from our very well-stocked bookshelves. If an author comes into the office, we make sure to have them sign our filing cabinet using a hot pink permanent marker, and I usually play photographer for a photoshoot next to the neon ME sign.
One of the best parts about working in an agency is that you’re involved in the entire life cycle of a book – you see something grow from an idea into a physical, published object. Part of my job involves reading author manuscripts before they go on submission, or out to editors, and I’ll offer editorial notes summarising my thoughts on what works and what might need to change. Sometimes this means reading something which needs a lot of structural work and editing, and often it can involve reading several different drafts of a project! I absolutely love seeing how books can change between drafts. It’s so satisfying to read something where the author has figured out exactly what their story is and how to tell it, and even more satisfying to see that author go on to get a publishing deal, and have their book out in the world!
Amy McCulloch, Elvin Mensah, Hannah Kaner, Liza, Saara El-Arifi and I attend a book launch at Goldsboro Books!
We’re currently in the lead-up to Frankfurt Book Fair, so I’ve been helping Liza (our foreign rights executive) design the Rights Guide and stay on top of all the scheduling and logistics – Juliet and Liza will each take around 40 meetings over the course of three days, so there’s a lot to sort! I’ll also handle getting the Guide printed and bound, and liaise with authors for any information we need from them. You can check out Liza’s blog post about the London Book Fair here!
Now that we have events in person again, some evenings might involve travelling into central London for an author panel or talk, attending a book launch, or heading to a drinks event. Since I started my job during the pandemic and worked remotely for the first six months, I jump at every opportunity to attend social events and celebrate our books in person!
My job involves lots of other things too – buying presents, scheduling meetings, passing on proof requests – but I hope this gives an insight into my general day-to-day. Publishing has busy periods (always pre-London and Frankfurt Book Fairs!), so some of my tasks are also more ‘seasonal’ - generally, however, my job involves staying on top of money due to the agency and authors, chasing contracts, posting on social media, and lots and lots of emails…