Agent Moves

She couldn't stay away from the bright lights of agenting. Kate McKean has turned up at Howard Morhaim's agency, no doubt after a period of reflection and the unquenchable thirst for good writing - or making a buck, whichever comes first.

At the same time, Agent Query notes that Dystel & Goderich's revolving door has turned once again, with the departure of Michael Adelman. Perhaps he, too, will pop up at a different agency, chasing after a promise of bigger commissions or more office staff.

I have to wonder what happens to the clients of agents who give it up. Knowing how near impossible it is to get an agent, it must be like stepping into a new circle of hell to be told that your hard-won agent has had enough and you're cut loose. Just because there are other agents at an agency would not guarantee that someone else could pick up the baton and run. What one agent likes may not translate to the preferences of their colleague across the aisle, or even of the few who were left behind.

Take, for example, the break-up of Graybill & English. The partners split but have continued to represent clients. What of the clients of Lynn Whittaker or Kristin Auclair? If an author had some good sales figures, they could shop elsewhere, but the rookie writer with a first novel on offer would be back to the beginning.

And yet, I continue to pursue an agent. It's madness, this author business.