Posted by JJL on June 15, 2015 at 14:40:20:
In Reply to: Re: Literary agents only in it for the money posted by Mar on June 15, 2015 at 12:58:13:
: : Last weekend, on C-Span Book TV, I saw a panel of agents and publishers discussing the book "business." They pretty much all agreed that they are only in it for the money. Hey, they said, it's a business.
: :
: Yes, the book "business" has turned into a real, bottom-line mainline type of business. Partly because of buyouts by the big publishers, but also because America has, step by step, turned into more of a purely capitalist society. A lot of politicians have bought into the what's good for big business is good for America concept, and now even ordinary American's have been conned into believing that line.
You are right, Mar. And it will, over time, change our whole concept of literature. Agents and publishers used to look for the next great writer, even though the great writers often didn't make as much money for them. I'm sure there are some great writers out there who are unable to get published. This is undoubtedly true of writers who are breaking new ground by exploring fantastic new literary concepts. There are some clever tricksters who have been proving the point by sending agents manuscripts of great books from past eras. Today's "business-oriented" agents always reject them. So has great writing gone the way of the dodo bird, unable to survive in this new era of pure capitalism in the book "business"?