Once, I took a meeting with a fairly successful literary agent in her nicely appointed West Coast office. After a bout of heavy flirtation, I dont know to this day if this is how she adds to her stable of stud-authors, we talked about writing and the publishing biz. She said, Gary, you have to know who youre dealing with at these publishing companies. I liked this idea, Go on, I said. Theyre these kind of cute graduates of snobby private colleges who majored in English or something like that, and with a few connections, they interned at a publishing house and then rose through the ranks. This is very good, especially from someone who seems a lot like them! They dont know how to make money; they dont have to, mums and dad took care of that. Theyre trust fund babies! And with that, she gestured in a way that says, you know what I mean, need I say more? I regale you with this story because I have come to the conclusion that shes actually right. I spoke to one, yesterday, and my gosh, her accent is a perfect example of what is called, New England lock-jaw; an upper-crust sound that is a cross between yawning and speaking. Its what you come out with, in addition to a degree, if you attend Yale. These are people of privilege and theyre condescending to speak with you, you speck of dirt, you mere author. If they express any interest in your work at all, you should be fawning at their feet, or delirious with joy. There are some exceptions, but theyre rare. The brats are everywhere, males and females. And these are the folks to whom youre selling. Oh, they make frighteningly little money, said the flirtatious agent, and they resent you if you do, or if you ask for a substantial advance that is half or more of their annual pay. The founder of TRW, the giant company, is quoted as having said, Theres no cure for affluence. He may have been an aspiring author, as well. Anyway, I hope this narrative helps you to appreciate the folks with whom youre dealing. Theyre people of entitlement, and theyre always a problem, because nobody is as entitled as they are; especially authors! |
