The cri de coeur from a Big Publishing editorial insider about how dreadful it is to work in publishing has prompted another editorial staffer at an equally big house to get something off his or her chest this morning, “a confession to make that reflects what many editors think, but never say.” Oh, you can tell where this one is going already, can’t you? That’s right: “I loathe literary agents.”
“All they care about is making a sale and garnering their commission,” this editor complains, and the rest of the litany is equally familiar. Commissions are too high; nonfiction books get sold for their platforms rather than their content; they make all the money while we do all the work; etc. etc. To which my short response would be: My agent definitely earned all 15 percent of her commission; if nonfiction books weren’t bought for their platforms, they wouldn’t be sold that way; life is so unfair.
“Publishing is one of the few businesses that I know that does not promote the majority of its products,” this anonymous editor continues, “yet editors and sales staff stand around glum wondering why their books didn’t sell… Literary agents often claim that they are the answer to a business that is overwhelmed with proposals, but if agents were of such value, then why do 70 percent of books lose money?” This, of course, is actually a separate issue. Sure, agents have undoubtedly sold their share of turkeys to publishers by filling their eyes with dollar signs, but blaming the agent because the book didn’t sell is a bit much, especially since you’ve got an answer right there: “Publishing is one of the few businesses that I know that does not promote the majority of its products.” Whether that’s true or not, it’s certainly a perception, which is one of the reasons that authors and agents are increasingly taking marketing and promotion into their own hands.