BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency: The BookEnds Strategy for Self-EPublishing: "It's amazing how much publishing has changed in just the last year and how quickly authors, readers, and publishers are embracing this new..."
The above link is from BookEnds, LLC, an agency I've always respected. Now I'm not sure what to think. It's not that I distrust them, nor that I have anything against agents making a living in this new e-publishing economy. But I do wonder about the end results. Will agents become the new era of vanity publishers? Will they stop looking to make external sales to big publishers on the hope of having a breakout e-writer? And what does this mean for writers seeking an agent? Will the submission process become easier? Will an agent take on more books (because E-publishing is ALL about numbers crunching)?
On a more practical level, why would an indie author even need an E-agent? I can hire an editor, a book designer, and a programmer, not to mention a PR person. What purpose would an E-agent serve? Or better yet, I can do all these things myself and keep the entire 70% of the pie amazon is begrudgingly sharing with me.
So I welcome BookEnds into the E-Fray, but I also cannot help but feel sad about their decision.
What do you think? Should agents become e-publishers for their clients? If an e-agent made you an offer would you accept it? Or would you stick with a traditional agent? Or does it matter?
Interesting. At PPWC this year, there was a lot of talk about this sort of stuff. I think there will be/is a shift towards the agent doing the e-publishing. As for me, if traditional doesn't work out and I choose the e-publishing/amazon thing, I'll handle things myself. How hard can it be, right?
ReplyDeleteOkay, as for whether or not I'd accept an offer, that's tricky to answer. At this point, I might jump for something that I normally would think twice about. Ideally, I think agents should be agents. If they want to be publishers, they should quit as agents and go become publishers, e- or otherwise. I think it's muddying the waters when they begin looking out more for their own self-interests than worrying about protecting their clients. Then again, I am very much a novice, so I may not have an accurate picture of any of it just yet!
ReplyDeleteHi Alicia:
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty damn easy in fact. The hardest part is editing and of course marketing.
Hi Shannon:
Self-interest is a good point. I think you are dead on. Agents shouldn't muddy the waters by e-publishing. But it would be hard to say no to an agent you love, like Jessica at BookEnds, because of their e-venture.
I want Jessica Faust to be my e-publishing representation. :) Borders is gone. The publishing landscape is rearranging as if hit by a tsunaumi. I want to make a living writing and don't care how it comes.
ReplyDeleteGusto Dave