Andre Wylie Speaks:
Andrew Wylie, one of the world’s most prestigous literary agents (Philip Roth, Martin Amis and the late I.F. Stone are clients) gave a rare interview to the French newspaper Le Monde. Since we here dont’ speak French, the link is to The Elegant Variation’s helpful translation. Thank you to proprietor Mark Sarvas for his labors.
This was my favorite part…
Q: You had thirty authors when you began and, with your principles, it must have been difficult to make much money. Today you have the most prestigious client list – some say the most snobbish.
A: Undoubtedly the most snobbish!
I’ve lost some money over the years. I gave up 50% of my agency to the British. Then I bought back the shares. I opened my own office in London. Then an office in Madrid, which I closed after three years in order to concentrate on London, where I spend one week per month, and New York. I fight for the authors I love. I believe in the future of publishing. I believe that the fight, such as it is, between literature and commerce is going to continue. I understand how some editors can sometimes be pessimistic when 70 percent of the people in the business are trying to convince the world that The DaVinci Code is something interesting. Whereas it’s completely uninteresting.
I followed everything that took place in France concerning the sale of Vivendi Universal Publishing, which is a case in point, the concentration on playing the commercial card. But I’m not at all pessimistic, I’m actually utterly optimistic about literary publishing’s capacity to survive. And it’s not merely wishful thinking – that wouldn’t fit my reputation at all.