What does a literary agent do? Getting your manuscript read

The slush pile is usually read by “slush/First readers” who may not be employed by the publisher but working contractually. They decide if your manuscript has any merit. If they think it's good they make the case for it, and so it goes. When times are tough, a few might get skipped over.

Enter, the Literary agent. This is the first part of what a literary agent does. A literary agent is someone a publisher trusts. The publisher holds her judgement in higher regard than a first reader.