Sign of the Times?

I was reading a post from one of the various writers’ groups I’ve joined.

One fellow aspiring author tells us he has a literary agent.  This literary agent has written her first book and has decided to self-publish it.  Our fellow aspiring author adds no more details, other than his bewilderment.  This is understandable, since he has pinned all his hopes on this literary agent getting him signed with an established publisher.   

I find his news both ironic and telling…

Telling us what?  I’m not sure… 

I don't know if it's telling us how tough the publishing market is… or telling us how difficult it is for new authors to be picked up by publishers… or telling us how beneficial [or NOT] a literary agent is for first-time authors… 

Whichever it is, it's pretty depressing to think that your literary agent — who you’ve pinned your hopes on — can't get her own book picked up by an established publisher... using her contacts, influence, and skills.

Yes, of course there can be a number of reasons for the agent to choose to self-publish instead of marketing her book to a publishing firm. 

She may rather publish her book herself instead of giving 90 percent of the proceeds away to a publisher.  She may feel that she can do a better job and have more control over her book if she did it herself.  She may have the desire and the cash flow to start her own independent publishing firm.  What better way to test the waters than with her own book, before drawing on her established client base of unpublished authors?  Then again, she may have written a book that is not in the genre her publisher friends are interested in…

Logically, there are a host of reasons the literary agent has decided to go the self-publishing route herself, while promising her clients that she has the influence, connection, and skill to get publishers interested in their manuscripts—for a piece of their profits.

After all of that reasoning, it’s still funny to me that a literary agent has opted to self-publish her own book…

And I can also understand how our fellow aspiring author finds it more disturbing… than funny.


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