Page 37 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL10

Photographs by Jack LadenburgWe represent the authors and we do business on behalf of them. Some people believe agencies are robbing publishers, but without an agent representing an author’s interests, the publishers can could do whatever they likeShe was on the board for many years, was president and chairman, and remains a lifelong trustee.“The publishing industry is becoming more mature and sophisticated. Thirty years ago, literary agents in Europe used to represent agents’ lists from other languages, selling their rights to publishers in that market, rather than representing authors from their own language market. Then literary agencies began taking on writers in their own language and persuading publishers to deal via the agency to offer fairer terms. The early agencies taking on writers in European languages would have faced a hard time persuading publishers to deal with agents.“We represent the authors and we do business on behalf of them. Some people believe agencies are robbing publishers, but without an agent rep-resenting an author’s interests, the publishers can could do whatever they like. I have authors who I’ve worked with us for many years and have be- comeveryclosefriends.Beingaliter- ary agent is a lifestyle choice more than a job. I don’t stop working at half past five. Instead, at the end of the office day, that’s when I start reading and editing manuscripts. You can’t read manuscripts when the phone is ringing and emails are coming in. I work on the weekends too. I stopped taking on new authors some years ago and decided to represent only 20 writers. It doesn’t mean I work less but it means I can spend more time working on the authors that I wish to. It’s an incredibly close relationship between author and agent. You can’t work like that if you don’t enjoy it.”Elite+ 35