http://www.thebookseller.com/news/more-agents-explore-publishing-models.html

interesting...

Seems it's for out-of-print titles, like Catherine Cookson's backlist, which they're planning to put out as ebooks and PoD. There's a claim it's a conflict of interest, but since it's not for deebut authors I don't see the problem.


- NaomiM

Hang on a minute: why on earth would any author need an agent to sell his/her backlist on line? Or even his/her new books? I've seen other examples of this where the agent is taking at least 50% of the profits. For what, exactly? Agents can negotiate contracts with publishers; but how does that make them qualified to do something authors could easily do for themselves? I think what we're seeing here are signs of the desperation agents are currently experiencing at seeing such a swing away from conventional publishing, thereby cutting out their services.

Terry

I do think there's a real conflict of interest here : I wouldn't want my agent doing my publishing for me - I'd want them grafting away at selling the PoD rights, or whatever, to s specialist company - and then being in my corner for the length of that deal, not having to combine their duty to me, with the perhaps different commercial imperatives of being a publisher.

Emma

Have you heard that Amazon is also working as a publisher? They have two imprints. No idea how you submit to them. But they could theoretically give their authors the best visibility and promotion, couldn't they? Interesting stuff.

The way I could see it working would be if an agent had a writer who had written something 'of the moment' that needed to be out then and there and with a guaranteed readership.

Alternatively, if an agency really loved a novel that hadn't found a conventional home but felt sure that there was a market out there, then maybe it could work too.

The way I could see it working would be if an agent had a writer who had written something 'of the moment' that needed to be out then and there and with a guaranteed readership.

But how can an agent guarantee a readership for an ebook, any more than the writer himself? If the writer already has a name, he will have that publishing from his own website (or with an independent who will not take 50% or more of his profits). And if he's a new writer, what is an agent going to do to promote his books any more than he can do for himself? Why are readers - i.e. not writers - going to buy books from an agent's site any more than they will direct from writers' sites? Why would they even look there in the first place?

Terry

Readers will be looking via Kindle site etc surely, rather than via the agent. And not every author is capable of making a book ready for an e edition. It's not just a case of uploading - though correct me if I'm wrong there.

Plus the fact that if an author has a trusted relationship with his/her agent and that e book goes on to sell well, what better springboard for the agents to take it afresh to book publishers who may not have been interested before.

Readers will be looking via Kindle site etc surely, rather than via the agent. And not every author is capable of making a book ready for an e edition. It's not just a case of uploading - though correct me if I'm wrong there. Plus the fact that if an author has a trusted relationship with his/her agent and that e book goes on to sell well, what better springboard for the agents to take it afresh to book publishers who may not have been interested before.

What makes you think an agent is any more capable of making a book ready for publication than an author? He's an agent, not a book designer. Which means he's going to have to hire artists, designers, etc. And guess who's going to pick up the bill? Surely any writer is capable of hiring skilled people himself?

If an author's book does well self-published, the first question must be why would he want to take it to a publisher? Doing it himself, he can make a couple of quid a copy, retain control and keep the book out there indefinitely. A conventional publisher will pay him a pittance of an advance, cream off most of the profits, get it on bookshelves for a very short time, if at all, and probably do zilch promotion.

The fact is, there's quite a nasty war brewing. Publishers and agents are seeing a lot of writers doing it themselves; and with the increasing use of e-readers, there's no reason at all to suppose that the days are numbered for traditional publishing. Hence, agents are trying to cash in quick before they lose the lot. And the crudest way to do that is to play on the power they still have over most writers. Unfortunately, many writers just want to be looked after, so they've allowed agents to stoke up their position in the hierarchy to the point where authors are in utter awe and fear, for example, of how an agent will deal with their submission (you see this kind of thing on WW all the time).

Terry

Another twist to the tale today: apparently Tom Sharpe has just agreed to an e-publishing contract for his backlist, directly with Random House, without involving his agent Sheil Land...

I have to agree with Terry:

Agents can negotiate contracts with publishers; but how does that make them qualified to do something authors could easily do for themselves?

As for the agency behind Cookson and Sharpe I had a conversation with one of their agents recently explaining how the percentages offered for ebooks by publishers at the moment were laughable when in standard journalistic syndication a news publisher would offer 50% on any onward sale for a limited period of time to make the sale.

Sounds like that particular agency has listened, which is a good thing. But the industry needs to wake up as a whole because even if an author knows diddly about self-publishing they can have their manuscript made ready for POD/e-publishing for less than a hundred quid.

If they do it themselves for nothing.

With my marketing/branding head on the only unique selling proposition publishers and agents can offer here is design and illustration, unique access to the sales outlets and marketing clout (possibly enhanced content down the line). But rarely is that offered in this area because both marketing and access in electronic formats are so misunderstood regardless of how many courses a publisher sends their staffers on.

And now we have these guys offering a 'free' service: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/agent-peter-cox-offers-impartial-review-author-contracts.html

Any guesses on what the catch is?