@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social
Post #4143799
2026-07-27 17:20 UTC
They have to keep going back to the same publishers, so they cannot make the publisher angry. Aspiring authors are fungible. There are thousands at the gate.
The objection you will hear is "Some agents are tough negotiators and they don't mind making editors angry."
Certainly, they may be "tough" when angling for a large advance, because that is how they get paid.
Editors get that.
But if an actual legal dispute arises . . .
5/
Replies (1)
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@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social 2026-07-27 17:24
. . . the agent is torn and would probably have to step aside. It is often the case that what the writer most needs isn't a larger advance but better contract terms. You'll find editors saying, "We prefer to work with agented authors because if a dispute arises, we can talk to the agent instead of the author." Why? Because all most all the time, the agent needs the publishing company more than it needs the author. . . 6/