Weighing the Value of the Literary Agent in the Digital Age
Other panelists emphasized that an agent's relationship with his author entails so much more than obtaining a book contract. "To define agents as transactional in today's environment is naïve," said Gottlieb, "We do marketing, design, and we form unique relationships with e-retailers so that authors can do what they want in those spaces." Above all, said Gottlieb, an agent's role is to get his author in as many channels of distribution as possible, including ebooks, audiobooks, and foreign markets. "If you are published in a variety of tributaries, you are in a much stronger position to dictate where you are in the future."
Ellen Harvey is a freelance writer and editor who covers the latest technologies and strategies reshaping the publishing landscape. She previously served as the Senior Editor at Publishing Executive and Book Business.