Books are my business: Literary agent Faith O’Grady 

I have always loved reading, and I was intrigued from an early age by the world of writers and publishing. 

After university, I worked in a small publishing company in London, and then as a teacher in New York before working in The Lilliput Press in Dublin for a year or so.

I was then asked to set up the literary department at the talent agency Lisa Richards by Lisa and Richard Cook who own the agency, and now 25 or so years later, I represent about 40 to 50 writers of fiction and non-fiction.

What does your role involve?

My job is to find authors whose work I am excited about and to sell their work to publishers. I work with them to make sure the work is in the best possible shape before submission.

A literary agent is a go-between, not just for sending the author’s book out to publishers but, if it is accepted for publication, as a liaison and advocate every step of the way through the publishing process.

It’s a bit like being a matchmaker — I need to have good contacts and relationships with editors, and know the sort of projects they are looking for at any given time in order to make a good match. 

An agent needs to know the ins and outs of contracts, royalties and rights, and basically guide an author all the way through, ensuring that they’re getting the best deal and profile for their work.

I read very widely, and I am interested in most genres.

What do you like most about your job?

There is nothing more exciting than contacting a debut author to tell them their book is going to be published. 

I also enjoy being part of the book community and love meeting clients to brainstorm ideas and discussing projects with editors.

What do you like least?

Alongside giving good news to authors, I also sometimes have to deal with breaking bad news, for example telling them if a book isn’t performing well, or a publisher has rejected it. 

But then we will put another plan together to move forward. Books can take a long time to find the right home. 

I also find there is never enough time to read. I could be reading four manuscripts a week and still be feeling guilty that I wasn’t getting to authors’ work quickly enough.

Desert Island books

I read Watership Down by Richard Adams when I was about 10 years old — my copy is in tatters now as I have re-read it so many times then. 

I loved the rabbits’ bravery and struggle to survive, their mythology and language, the suspense, humour and sadness of the book. 

My father gave me two pet rabbits because I loved the book so much and I called them after the main characters, Fiver and Hazel. 

Soon I was able to use all the characters’ names in the book as two became 10, and our lawn turned into one big warren.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy — I studied this in university which can sometimes make you turn against a book, but I re-read it every few years and find something new and wonderful each time. 

It’s an epic story of contemporary life in Russia in the 1870s and of human emotion — Anna’s story of passion, jealousy and self-destruction contrasting with Levin’s search for contentment and meaning to his life.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is a deeply moving, Dickensian novel about India in the 1970s. It tells the story of four unlikely people whose lives come together during the State of Internal Emergency. 

Their circumstances become linked in ways no one could have imagined. 

I read this novel many years ago and have forgotten a lot of the details, but the sadness I felt when I finished the book has stayed with me ever since.

• Faith O’Grady is taking part in the Date with an Agent pitching events at this year’s International Literature Festival Dublin, which runs from May 16 to May 25; 
• To be considered for a one-on-one meeting with an agent, applicants can submit their work at www.ilfdublin.com before Friday, April 4.