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Writer Dean Wesley Smith posted an interesting bit about agents and what they do and don't do for a writer. There's some great history here as well as a not-often heard opinion on agents.
After you've read that, you can pop over to Absolute Write to hear what other authors (including yours truly) think about Smith's post.
Review: The Last Hour Between Worlds
7 hours ago
1 comments:
A lot of agents would have heartburn over his view on "agents are your employee." I've heard it said and tend to agree--they are partners, not employees. They don't need to be "told" what to do and they do their job for several clients. They sell various rights (audio, foreign, etc) in addition to negotiating.
I think if writers go into it thinking they are "boss" they are going to be very disappointed. A good agent that's been around a while is also bringing contacts to the table, contracts that have already been negotiated, etc. To view them as an employee is probably not fair. Yes, the money comes from your work. BUT the agent can bring in more than just a single contract and other skills--that's more a partnership than a boss/employee.
That said, you don't have to have an agent. Just like any business, you can run it on your own or with partners.
And the business model in publishing is quite skewed, in many ways, no doubt about it!
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