Comments on: The Changing Agent-Author Relationship http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/ The publishing community for the 21st Century Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:56:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: uberVU - social comments http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/comment-page-1/#comment-300 uberVU - social comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:12:14 +0000 http://digitalbookworld.com/?p=1055#comment-300 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by DeFiore: No. What I said was best agents will manage change AND trust; Manage clients; and take % ,not fees. RT @DigiBookWorld: http://bit.ly/apMAl9... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by DeFiore: No. What I said was best agents will manage change AND trust; Manage clients; and take % ,not fees. RT @DigiBookWorld: http://bit.ly/apMAl9...

]]> By: Janet Goldstein http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/comment-page-1/#comment-9551 Janet Goldstein Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:45:54 +0000 http://digitalbookworld.com/?p=1055#comment-9551 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">@scottwaxman Liked yr comments on Changing World of author/Agent Relations http://bit.ly/9jhjJv #dbw via @JaneFriedman</span></span> @scottwaxman Liked yr comments on Changing World of author/Agent Relations http://bit.ly/9jhjJv #dbw via @JaneFriedman

]]> By: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/comment-page-1/#comment-282 Guy LeCharles Gonzalez Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:42:04 +0000 http://digitalbookworld.com/?p=1055#comment-282 Brian, Thanks for the feedback on the recap. We've fixed the attribution on that final quote and deleted the conjecture at the end regarding Shatzkin's presentation. Brian, Thanks for the feedback on the recap. We’ve fixed the attribution on that final quote and deleted the conjecture at the end regarding Shatzkin’s presentation.

]]> By: Brian DeFiore http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/comment-page-1/#comment-279 Brian DeFiore Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:28:08 +0000 http://digitalbookworld.com/?p=1055#comment-279 PS: Nor did I say 'publishers will be less necessary.' I believe the opposite. They will be MORE necessary (but they may well not be the same publishers!) PS: Nor did I say ‘publishers will be less necessary.’ I believe the opposite. They will be MORE necessary (but they may well not be the same publishers!)

]]> By: Brian DeFiore http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/comment-page-1/#comment-274 Brian DeFiore Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:11:52 +0000 http://digitalbookworld.com/?p=1055#comment-274 Dear Jane, I feel that my position is wrongly represented in this recap-- particularly in the conclusion at the end. I very clearly said that change is coming and in fact is here (I said 'anyone who thinks we're still in the days of Swifty Lazar smoking a cigar and calling publishers to get a deal is severely out of touch' (or close to that... didn't tape it). The only thing I argued should remain unchanged is the fact that agents should be paid a percentage of their clients income rather than charging them fees. I believe that can lead to distrust-- and has the real potential for abuse by unethical agents (of which there are a few!). I don't believe that Mike Shatzkin or anyone else covering this industry has said that change must include agents charging their clients cash fees instead of or in addition to a commission. Only that agents must be more flexible and knowledgable about the breadth of the industry than perhaps they were in the past when it was easy to make deals. I have lived by that since I entered this business. And PS: Not only was I AT the AAR panel with Mike, the AAR committee that I chair organized it! (Also, PS: check your transcript, i am not the one who made the 'keep writing checks' comment.) Dear Jane, I feel that my position is wrongly represented in this recap– particularly in the conclusion at the end. I very clearly said that change is coming and in fact is here (I said ‘anyone who thinks we’re still in the days of Swifty Lazar smoking a cigar and calling publishers to get a deal is severely out of touch’ (or close to that… didn’t tape it). The only thing I argued should remain unchanged is the fact that agents should be paid a percentage of their clients income rather than charging them fees. I believe that can lead to distrust– and has the real potential for abuse by unethical agents (of which there are a few!). I don’t believe that Mike Shatzkin or anyone else covering this industry has said that change must include agents charging their clients cash fees instead of or in addition to a commission. Only that agents must be more flexible and knowledgable about the breadth of the industry than perhaps they were in the past when it was easy to make deals. I have lived by that since I entered this business. And PS: Not only was I AT the AAR panel with Mike, the AAR committee that I chair organized it! (Also, PS: check your transcript, i am not the one who made the ‘keep writing checks’ comment.)

]]> By: Don Lafferty http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2010/the-changing-agent-author-relationship/comment-page-1/#comment-271 Don Lafferty Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:14:37 +0000 http://digitalbookworld.com/?p=1055#comment-271 I have a variety of structured and less structured relationships with literary agents and publishers to teach their author clients how to take full advantage of the free, web-based marketing tools available to them. If a literary agency brought a guy like me in-house to provide this same service as one of their staff, the only way they'd be able to afford this added value to their clients would be to charge the author a flat fee, or some higher rate, unless the agency was willing to dip into the bottom line to pay me, further eroding their commissions by giving their clients a freebie. I have a variety of structured and less structured relationships with literary agents and publishers to teach their author clients how to take full advantage of the free, web-based marketing tools available to them.

If a literary agency brought a guy like me in-house to provide this same service as one of their staff, the only way they’d be able to afford this added value to their clients would be to charge the author a flat fee, or some higher rate, unless the agency was willing to dip into the bottom line to pay me, further eroding their commissions by giving their clients a freebie.

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