The satirical writer Evil Wylie granted his or her first interview to Independent Publisher. For weeks, the anonymous writer has posed as a fictional version of literary agent Andrew Wylie on Twitter.
In the interview, Evil Wylie admitted they created the Emperor Franzen Twitter feed (a satirical version of Jonathan Franzen), but did not create the Good Random House Twitter feed (a satirical version of the corporate publisher). Evil Wylie maintained his or her anonymity for the interview.
According to the Evil Wylie writer, these anonymous Twitter feeds created a safe space for publishing people to speak candidly about industry issues. EvilWylie explained: “We don’t live in a black-and-white, good-vs.-evil world, but wouldn’t it be nice if we did? It would certainly be less confusing. Great evil characters — from Emperor Franzen to Darth Vader to Dick Cheney — provide safe outlets for us to examine our feelings. Of course, Evil Wylie doesn’t have any feelings, so I’m obviously not speaking from experience here.”
In late July, the Wylie Agency announced the formation of their eBook imprint, Odyssey Editions. Evil Wylie and Good Random House stopped feuding when their real-life counterparts struck a truce in August.
With the feud concluded, Evil Wylie focused on Franzen Frenzy with the Emperor Franzen account. Evil Wylie explained: “Before Emperor Franzen’s arrival, Evil Wylie was contemplating going into the restaurant business. But plans have changed now that the Emperor is in need of my services.”