A long post but worth reading if like me you're trying to get your head round the increasing practice of agents offering to publish authors' backlists; or if you're wondering whether or not this is a good time to get an agent. The comments following the post are also well worth reading:


http://networkedblogs.com/l23I0

Terry

A very interesting posting, Terry. I concur with the inferences being drawn by many of the replies to it.

It's interesting, isn't it, that, in the land of the First Amendement, companies can get away with reaching for their lawyers the moment anyone says anything they don't like. Telling, too; I wouldn't go within a mile of any company that had reacted like that, and would be glad of having learned what they're like without having to experience it.

Joy of joys.

I am appropriately appalled at the appallingly inappropriate antics discussed therein, which is to say nothing of maltreatment of dogs or cat prostitution.

It seems a lot of writers have faith in the integrity and honour of their agents, and therefore find it impossible to believe they'd act in their own self-interest before their authors'. I was probably lucky (if that's the word) that both my agents were in it for the dosh and glory, and didn't hide the fact too much. They also loved good writing, but only if they could sell it. Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with that attitude; after all, writers want to sell their work whatever their arty pretensions may say to the contrary. But given agents wedged themselves into a position that didn't really exist in the first place, it's not really so surprising that they're looking to do the same thing again with self-publishing.