'Literary' agent Andrew Wylie (of The Wylie Agency) weighs in on Amazon.com's recently announced plans to play at being a publisher in Germany in an entertaining (he's always good for that) interview (in German) with Patrick Bahners in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(I have no idea, however, what image he is trying to project with the accompanying headshot.)
Basically, he ridicules the idea of Amazon as a publisher (and as much of anything else book-related) over the entire interview -- calling it a "publishing program that stands out for its idiocy".
Only one of the authors he represents ever published with Amazon, he says -- against his advice, a 'Kindle single'.
Wylie also says that: "Nothing that Amazon publishes is worth reading" (which seems a slight exaggeration -- a handful of AmazonCrossing titles are under review at the complete review, and a lot of this stuff is certainly decent fiction -- and most of these titles, at least, were published in their native languages by reputable and often leading literary publishers; Seuil-published Le roi de Kahel even won the 2008 prix Renaudot -- so, unfortunately (as is his wont), Wylie exaggerates a bit unfairly, undermining whatever credibility he may have ...).
As to his closing advice for publishers:
No word, however, on what Wylie thinks of nook press (presumably he, like the rest of us just burst out giggling at the very mention ...).
Basically, he ridicules the idea of Amazon as a publisher (and as much of anything else book-related) over the entire interview -- calling it a "publishing program that stands out for its idiocy".
Only one of the authors he represents ever published with Amazon, he says -- against his advice, a 'Kindle single'.
Wylie also says that: "Nothing that Amazon publishes is worth reading" (which seems a slight exaggeration -- a handful of AmazonCrossing titles are under review at the complete review, and a lot of this stuff is certainly decent fiction -- and most of these titles, at least, were published in their native languages by reputable and often leading literary publishers; Seuil-published Le roi de Kahel even won the 2008 prix Renaudot -- so, unfortunately (as is his wont), Wylie exaggerates a bit unfairly, undermining whatever credibility he may have ...).
As to his closing advice for publishers:
My advice is: if you have a choice between the plague and Amazon, pick the plague !(So, sadly, that's the level of current debate, about rather serious issues.)
No word, however, on what Wylie thinks of nook press (presumably he, like the rest of us just burst out giggling at the very mention ...).