Publishing’s Bad Infinity: Authors Guild Calls For Time-Limited Contracts

‘To Keep Pace With The Times’ We believe three basic changes are urgently needed: Time-limited contracts, A clause that provides for reversion of unexploited rights, and A specific new unchallengeable definition to replace historic “out of print” clauses that are not remotely relevant in the electronic age. As you’ll know if you’ve been following along… Read More

#MSWL: Agents And Editors Calling Out Requests — To Authors

‘Play It Again, Sam’ For a long time, most author-agent communications on the front end have gone just that way — author to agent: the query letter. The query letter is so daunting for many writers that there are whole courses offered simply on how to write a good query letter, never mind the damned… Read More

#FutureChat recap: Agents of change

Illuminating the landscape Getting a piece of the action has not, historically, been the way literary agents portrayed their services. Maybe at the breakfast table. Or over a quiet Campari. Rarely for the record. And despite several years of rapid digital-driven experimentation and a growing number of “agent-assisted” approaches to publication, the idea that the… Read More

'Are there too many literary agencies?'

The question with which I’ve headlined this post comes from literary agent Jonny Geller. More: I believe that the lack of changes in our industry will leave many authors exposed. I would say this, wouldn’t I? Well, I’m not actually criticising any one agent, or the notion of small agencies—but my industry as a whole.… Read More