The Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), the national organization of literary agents that has been a leading force in furthering the interests of agents, authors and the publishing industry at large since 1991 has been renamed

Association of American Literary Agents

This is just the first of many exciting innovations for the organization, which will allow us to better serve both our membership and the entire publishing community, and help us contribute to a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive publishing industry.

What is AALA?

AALA is a nonprofit membership organization formed in 1991, and its antecedents date to 1928. Literary agents must meet AALA’s professional qualifications and agree to adhere to its widely-respected Canon of Ethics.

AALA regularly holds panels, educational programs, and social events to help its members maintain and broaden their professional skills in a fast-changing publishing environment, keeps members and their clients informed of developments in publishing, and works towards increased diversity in the profession and in publishing.

Its committees meet monthly to discuss important issues and prepare alerts and announcements on the latest developments in areas such as contracts, royalties, and legal developments. Members represent authors in all areas of the publishing process, handling the sale of rights through publication, and in general helping their clients develop successful publishing careers.

In addition to the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee described below, the Membership Committee is considering new tiers of membership; the Communications Committee is expanding AALA’s social media presence; the International Committee is developing affiliations with agents’ organizations in other countries; and the Small Business Committee will be presenting a series of programs on working remotely and developing best practices.

While the new website is in development, the currrent site is still available at aaronline.org. There you can find Membership Benefits, Membership Criteria, as well as an online Application Form. For further information on how to join, please contact us by using the form below, selecting “Membership Query” from the dropdown menu.

Literary Agents of Change

AALA proudly announces the formation of Literary Agents of Change, Inc., the registered 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit arm of AALA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The DEI Committee was formed in the fall of 2019 to help dismantle the barriers to entry into a career as a literary agent for members of historically underrepresented groups, particularly people of color. Its goal is to not only create a workforce that reflects the diverse population of the United States but also enhances fair and equitable treatment, access, opportunity and advancement within the industry.

Agents of Change is offering an Internship Program (apply here) to encourage recruitment in the profession, and a mentorship program (applications for the 2022 program cycle will open in September 2021) to increase retention and promotion of agents from marginalized communities. The Internship Program will administer a stipend to each intern to cover costs for their ten-week stints with an AALA member. It intends to sponsor no fewer than four interns in 2021, initially from City College of New York and one other institution (TBD), and no fewer than eight interns in 2022, while also broadening outreach to schools nationally, particularly HBCUs and colleges with large numbers of students from underrepresented communities.

We hope AALA members and others in the publishing community will donate to Literary Agents of Change and help make the 2021 internships the robust start of what will be an enduring and transformative program. AALA members are also encouraged to sign up to sponsor our interns in the coming months.

Donations to Agents of Change will help the long-needed diversification of the entire publishing community.

Literary Agents of Change, Inc. is the charitable arm of AALA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is a registered 501(c)(3) charity. Donations made to Literary Agents of Change are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Stay tuned – the new aala website is coming soon!

Contact

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Website still accessible to members.