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What Is a Tech Stack and How Does It Apply to Agents?
Working as a literary agent means wearing a lot of hats. On any given day, an agent might be drafting pitches, following up with an editor, tracking active submissions, and searching for the next great manuscript, all before lunch. The technological tools that support all of that work, taken together, are what's called a tech stack.
A tech stack refers to the collection of software and platforms a professional relies on to do their job each day. For agents, the patchwork approach of emails, spreadsheets, and file storage systems works well enough until query volumes climb and client lists grow. The good news is that the publishing industry is catching up, and agents now have more options than ever for building a tech stack that better fits the way they want to work.
Common Tools for Literary Agents
Most agents today are working with similar versions of the following setup:
Email (Gmail or Outlook) for receiving and responding to author queries
Spreadsheets (Google Sheets or Excel) for tracking submission statuses and client details
Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box) for manuscripts and contracts
A calendar for pitch meetings, calls, and deadlines
A submission form hosted on the agency website
For agencies with support staff, tools like Slack or Discord handle internal communication. Scheduling tools like Calendly make it easier to coordinate with authors and editors remotely. And some agents have experimented with project management tools like Notion or Trello for tracking client work, though these require a fair amount of customization to be genuinely useful in a publishing context.
The common thread? These tools weren't built specifically for agents. They were adapted by them. And while that ingenuity is admirable, it can create real friction as queries build up by the hundreds.
Emerging Technologies
The publishing industry has historically been cautious with adopting new technology, and agents are no exception. But that's starting to shift with a few innovations gaining more attention.
AI-assisted query prioritization: filtering and summarizing high-volume inboxes faster
Manuscript summarization tools: quick first reads on synopses and sample pages
Agent-author matching platforms (like LitArc): connecting the right submissions to the right agents
Contract comparison and clause-flagging tools: faster, smarter contract review
Relationship tracking: managing foreign rights, options, and deal deadlines in one place
Submission analytics dashboards: tracking response rates, trends, and query patterns over time
None of these tools are mainstream yet. But agents who are paying attention are already asking the right questions about what their workflows could look like in a few years.
How LitArc Fits In
LitArc was built with agents as much as authors in mind. The querying process is a two-way street, and the uncertainty authors feel when sending queries into the unknown is matched by the challenge agents face managing the avalanche coming at their inboxes. Strengthening the process for one side helps everyone’s experience improve.
Instead of simply adding another tool into the mix, LitArc consolidates the parts of the workflow that cause the most daily friction and integrates those that are still readily used:
Submissions management replaces the chaotic email inbox with a structured system built specifically for query triage, so nothing gets buried and no promising manuscript slips through the cracks.
Query prioritization gives agents the ability to view match scores and build other scores to better recognize which manuscripts are the closest fit for their wishlist.
Author discovery lets agents proactively search for writers who are actively seeking representation.
Rapid migration features let agents and authors quickly convert their existing queries, emails, and current incoming work into LitArc.
Team sharing means that assistants, interns, and co-agents can all work from the same system rather than maintaining parallel trackers that take up time to keep in sync.
You'll still need your calendar and a few other items that integrate well with LitArc. LitArc isn't trying to replace absolutely everything, just the parts that take the most time and return the least. The goal is to give agents more space for building relationships, connecting with great manuscripts, and bringing the next bestsellers to market.
FAQs
What does LitArc replace in my current workflow?
LitArc aims to lower your tab count. Files, messaging, offers of representation, to-do lists, and author discovery can all happen in one place, trackable and organized.
Why is it worth changing the workflow I’ve been using?
An agent’s day is filled with so many responsibilities, and shaving off even a fraction of time to prioritize the work that actually matters can make a big difference. Using LitArc means spending less time keeping a complicated system organized and more time finding and working with authors, editors, and great stories.
Does LitArc use AI to filter my queries? Can I trust it?
You can trust that AI’s place in the LitArc workflow is only to help make life easier through workflow automation and the algorithm does not actively learn or build from manuscripts or stories themselves. A manuscript’s match score is produced by AI analysis of an agent’s wishlist compared with the author’s profile, synopsis, and provided information about the manuscript, similar to a common dating app. If you trust the tech less, the platform is still for you, simply toggle smart match capability off and it will disappear from your workspace. We configured the dashboard to show and do what you want in a completely modular way.
Interested in simplifying your tech stack?
Try LitArc for free.