Andrew Wylie is the most powerful literary agent in the world. He believes in the physical charm of the classic book.
His father was chief editor at Houghton Mifflin in Boston, his uncle, an important banker. Andrew Wylie loved both worlds, sought a common denominator and decided to become a literary agent, though he had what he knew of "literary" literary agents, please do not actually.
"They sat in small, dusty office with green lilies wilting in the window," recalls the 62-year-old on his first impressions. "The whole thing was devastating and it was felt that the best authors were represented at the worst and the worst best. To enjoy my life, can read, I had good books. But how do you make of it a business, when people who write well are not paid well? Yes, the best writers earn their money in time, and so is the long term by all of Shakespeare's most valuable author. But the publishing business is knitted, as if the most valuable author Danielle Steel, which has sold worldwide with their romance novels since 1977 530 million books. "
Wylie represents over 700 authors
Nevertheless, has paid thirty years later, Wylie idea made on the books that he likes to read even like to build a business. The Wylie Agency, founded in 1980 with headquarters in New York and London, is an influential size in the publishing business. It offers books for sale in many languages
It represents the rights of more than seven authors, including Martin Amis, Louise Erdrich, Al Gore, Henry Kissinger, Philip Roth and Salman Rushdie.
The list of deceased writers whose rights have Wylie is still resonant: including WH Auden, Saul Bellow, Roberto Bolano, William S. Burroughs, Italo Calvino, Allen Ginsberg, Arthur Miller, Vladimir Nabokov and Andy Warhol.
"He is an impressive agent, especially regarding the foreign rights," said John Williams, one of the leaders of the Boston agency Kneerim & Williams about his competitors Wylie. "The guy has an incredible flavor.
The "Guardian" has the Wylie Agency simply referred to as the "most feared and influential author representation in the English speaking world."
Despite the problems and challenges facing the book business has to deal at present, remains confident Wylie. He believes "that will be the future of book sales is a combination of on-line bookstores such as Amazon and independent bookstores. The chains will close down, because their business model works, he believes.
From the traditional superstores have become, candidates for massive new books, but at the same show many expensive paid square feet with backlist titles. These titles sell but only slowly.
Amazon had in stock on his treadmill one copy of each book available, and have even more work per-copy backlist as the chains. Independent book stores are gaining ground again, however, believes Wylie, because they knew their catchment area and served the local readership.
