Literary Agents React!

Literary Agents React!

By Jeff Rivera on Nov 11, 2009 12:43 PM

Miriam Goderich of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management responded in their blog to the GalleyCat posted back in November entitled, Literary Agents, bah! Who needs them? by stating: “Who needs an agent? You do.” In her well-respected blog she also mentioned: “every serious author needs an agent. Not just any agent, of course. You need a good agent. One who is an advocate, who is willing to fight for you and who is able to tell you when you’re being unreasonable and doing your career more harm than good.”

And that was not all — emails, comments and tweets have come pouring in from agents, writers and other book publishing professionals with a resounding, “Yes, we do need agents.”

Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency says, “Many agents, myself included, believe that the digital age is bringing opportunity. Yes, change is here, but why must that mean the end of printed books, editing and publishing in general?”

Even self-publishing guru and digital publishing advocate, John Kremer, author of 101 Ways to Market Your Book says, “I expect the best agents to continue to prosper for many, many years to come. As with any technological change, the less capable fall by the wayside while the best continue to do well.”

What do you think? Do literary agents have a right to defend their place in the changing publishing models? How will literary agents’ roles evolve to fit the digital publishing revolution? Or do you feel this new “revolution” is more hype than reality and things will remain exactly the same?