THE CAREER NOVELIST
The Celebrity Agent. This agent earned her nickname not because of
the many movie stars whose autobiographies she has sold, but
because of the appearance of her picture so often in the trade mag-
azines. Seen at all the right publishing parties, she is the industry's
gossip queen. She has made some huge deals, too. No wonder: at
her mega-agency, status depends solely on the dollar value of an
agent's last deal. While she does represent some successful fiction
writers, they tend to be young and trendy. Her biggest best-sellers
have been authors of glitzy nonh'ction books. Editorially, she is
strictly hands off. If a novelist needs help, she will quickly fix him up
with an expensive "book doctor" (editor/rewriter).
The Rights Broker. Once the subsidiary rights director of a small
publisher, this agent is addicted to deals. She is especially good at
selling subsidiary rights. Nothing gets her blood going like an
audiocassette offer. Her phone is glued to her ear, and her clients
love that. Some, though, wish that she was a little more helpful edi-
torially. Career planning? She does not indulge. Her motto: "Who
knows? One day you're hot, the next you're not."
The Discounter. A talented self-promoter, this agent's name is well
known. His list of clients is long; his sales volume is enormous.
Some publishers privately complain about his business practices,
but most cannot seem to stop doing business with him. Why should
they? His prices are the lowest in town. Most clients believe that the
Discounter personally handles their work, but he, too, has a legion
of helpers who handle the majority of tasks. He boasts of his clout,
but what his clients really get is safety in numbers.
The Trend Guru. This agent's motto is "Give the editors what they
want." She gathers tips over lunch, then immediately phones her
clients, who churn out quickie proposals. Because she is ahead of
every trend, she has obtained some six-figure advances for writers
whose previous advances were far lower. This usually happens only
once; after that, her clients flounder and fade.
The Career Builder. This former editor has few star clients, but does
represent a solid list of midcareer novelists. His specialty is sus-
pense, and few understand that genre as well as he. A hands-on
agent, his clients get plenty of editorial advice and it is never coer-
cive. The book is the author's, he feels. His client's average income