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| Hearsay: |
Remember yesterday when uber agent Andrew Wylie announced that he was going to start a company to publish e-versions of his clients’ work? Well, yesterday evening, well after this far east coast Ninja had given up the suit-and-tie of his role as a blogger, Random House freaked-the-fuck-out. Seriously. Yes, they’re taking their ball and going home. And by ball I mean money and product.
“The Wylie Agency’s decision to sell e-books exclusively to Amazon for titles which are subject to active Random House agreements undermines our longstanding commitments to and investments in our authors, and it establishes this Agency as our direct competitor. Therefore, regrettably, Random House on a worldwide basis will not be entering into any new English-language business agreements with the Wylie Agency until this situation is resolved.”
Oh, it is ON, bitches.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 8:44 am
This is reminiscent of the days when the studios had all the power in Hollywood and then
the power shifted toward the talent agencies who could make or break a film project
with the star power they controlled, and eventually shifted even further to the stars
themselves who became their own corporate brands. Looks to me like the book industry is moving
in the same direction. Of course, few agencies are in Wylie’s position, just as few had the
Hollywood roster of ICM, and still, the way films were made completely changed. It will be
interesting to see if Wylie’s bold move has a ripple effect. It’s heartening to witness the
balance of power shift in the direction of the creator.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:27 am
I’ve been wondering if and when agents would start to bypass publishers. The main problem with self-publishing is that there isn’t any filter. Since agents have long had that role, as well as much of the previous role of editors–all that’s left is production and promotion. Well, not promotion because that has been downloaded onto authors. If production is electronic, what’s left?
July 23rd, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Interesting viewpoint from a publishing professional in the above link about e-rights.
July 25th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Speaking of Mr. Canadian Prime Minister S. Harper, how come his wife has an affair with an RCMP officer assigned to her security detail, and no one in their press reports it? Here’s another: Married for 37-years, Minister of Public Safety, Vic Toews managed to impregnate his 18-year old assistant. Will she get an abortion or will Mr. Toews pension check now be accounted for? Wonder how that looks on an expense account? Mrs. Harper is boinking an RCMP officer and not living with her husband, what is all this talk of Canadian Conservative party family values? Go figure!