Vanity fair? Has there ever been a worse time to be an author ?

 By Agent Orange - The Bookseller

On the face of it, it is paradoxical that while it’s never been easier for authors to get their books into print, there has never been a worse time to be an author. Author earnings are down and the number of writers able to make a living out of their work is at an all-time low. But perhaps that is because there have never been so many people making money off writers.

As a literary agent—a profession frequently regarded as being up there with tapeworms as contributing members of literary society—I invest, for free, huge amounts of my time in developing the careers of people who want to be writers. I never take a penny that I haven’t helped an author earn. It feels like an important line to cross. And yet there are hosts of literary types out there, people who regard themselves as being on the side of the angels, who happily and repeatedly dip their hands into authors’ pockets.
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