Believing a "book is about human thinking and observation of life", Eady told China Daily on Friday in an e-mail that an agent should "have a brave and talented mind to find a writer to write a book to make people think, understand how important that the personal supports to the writers are, and has a knowledge to organize the publicity with publishers", besides a willingness to take time and take risks.

"The Chinese have not got very much knowledge and respect to the literary agent yet," Eady added.

One possible reason for that is the relatively low payment for writing. Generally, a literary agent takes 10 to 20 percent from a writer's royalty gains. Not all Chinese authors can afford a professional agent.

"In China, as in many Asian countries, there is not a very strong demand in the domestic publishing market for the services of literary agents, except very successful big authors," Jackie Huang Jiakun, chief representative of Andrew Nurnberg Associates International's Beijing office, told China Daily on Friday.

Huang said Chinese writers do need to choose to work with a capable literary agent when they want to go abroad to publish books.

Besides foreign agencies working in China like Nurnberg, several local ones have been making efforts.

Guo Jingming, a star writer for teens, is building a literary kingdom by representing and guiding younger writers with his Zuibook company.

Guo was praised by Chen Liming, president of Beijing Genuine and Profound Culture Development Corp, who has been offering literary agent-like services to top Chinese writers including Mo and Mai Jia, known for his spy and detective novels.

Chen told China Daily on Friday that he is trying to innovate with the existing modes of literary agents in foreign countries to build a new one that suits the Chinese market, and its urge to go global.

"We'd be a powerful organization with more than 10 teams of professional agents for different types of writers with a combination of services in editing, copyright trades, production development and all," Chen said, "just as the VIP sections in the big banks".

Chen said a big block in front of him is the lack of talent.

In this respect, Yilin's Liu suggests government support in the budding period of literary agents.

To that end, Jia Huili, an official with the General Administration of Press and Publication, said that the administration is planning and pushing ahead with a project that involves top Chinese publishers to represent and promote 20 top writers from home and abroad with custom-made services.

meijia@chinadaily.com.cn