4 ms·

Days of The Jackal: how Andrew Wylie turned serious literature into big business

48 points by lermontov 3y ago

RcouF1uZ4gsC 3y ago
> “That is how you take Tiananmen Square,” Wylie crowed, recalling his success. “You put Henry in the first tank, and you fill it with gas!” Tiananmen Square was not a great military victory. Everyone knows that unarmed protesters are no match for armed tanks. It was, however, a demonstration of utter ruthlessness, so maybe that is the vibe he is going for.
- narinxas 3y ago
  I read it as: he want the chinese to run tanks over him, cuz that's what really happened in Tiananmen
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
jklaewl 3y ago
[flagged]
AlbertCory 3y ago
One thing you notice about the literary agent world is: there are a lot of them. How can they all be making money? I think the answer is that they're not. There's a severe power law distribution, similar to acting, where a few agents like Wylie make really big bucks, and the rest... well, I did a little research: ZipRecruiter says her salary (they're almost all female), if she’s average, is $58,585. Salary.com puts it at $70,187. Indeed says $88,363. This survey gives a range in NYC of $52,925 to $90,024, but also says that most of their compensation comes from selling books. Agents at large agencies may receive a small salary, but they’re expected to make most of their money from sales, similar to most salespeople. Whatever figure you settle on, this is not a lot of money for an expensive place like NYC. By way of job comparison, Salary.com says the median salary for various occupations in New York is barista: $29,028 municipal bus driver: $44,502 automotive mechanic I: $57,607 literary agent: $70,187 police officer: $74,400 secondary school teacher: $76,212 librarian: $82,215
- foldr 3y ago
  Median household income in NYC is $67k, so it's a decent amount for an individual to make.
  - AlbertCory 3y ago
    "Median household income in NYC for people with a B.S. or higher" would be a better comparison.
    - foldr 3y ago
      Surely a BA would be the point of comparison for literary agents. Figures that I can find for college graduates in general are not much higher: https://www.talent.com/salary?job=graduate&location=new+york https://www.talent.com/salary?job=graduate&location=new+york
jaxonrice 3y ago
The NY Times also did a profile on Andrew Wylie this week, by the excellent interviewer David Marchese. I got more from the NY Times piece than the Guardian one: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/12/magazine/andrew-wylie-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.90w.peV9.sx4gk7h0bmSj&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/12/magazine/andr...

48 points by lermontov 3y ago

> “That is how you take Tiananmen Square,” Wylie crowed, recalling his success. “You put Henry in the first tank, and you fill it with gas!” Tiananmen Square was not a great military victory. Everyone knows that unarmed protesters are no match for armed tanks. It was, however, a demonstration of utter ruthlessness, so maybe that is the vibe he is going for.

narinxas 3y ago
I read it as: he want the chinese to run tanks over him, cuz that's what really happened in Tiananmen
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

jklaewl 3y ago

[flagged]

AlbertCory 3y ago

One thing you notice about the literary agent world is: there are a lot of them. How can they all be making money? I think the answer is that they're not. There's a severe power law distribution, similar to acting, where a few agents like Wylie make really big bucks, and the rest... well, I did a little research: ZipRecruiter says her salary (they're almost all female), if she’s average, is $58,585. Salary.com puts it at $70,187. Indeed says $88,363. This survey gives a range in NYC of $52,925 to $90,024, but also says that most of their compensation comes from selling books. Agents at large agencies may receive a small salary, but they’re expected to make most of their money from sales, similar to most salespeople. Whatever figure you settle on, this is not a lot of money for an expensive place like NYC. By way of job comparison, Salary.com says the median salary for various occupations in New York is barista: $29,028 municipal bus driver: $44,502 automotive mechanic I: $57,607 literary agent: $70,187 police officer: $74,400 secondary school teacher: $76,212 librarian: $82,215

foldr 3y ago
Median household income in NYC is $67k, so it's a decent amount for an individual to make.
- AlbertCory 3y ago
  "Median household income in NYC for people with a B.S. or higher" would be a better comparison.
  - foldr 3y ago
    Surely a BA would be the point of comparison for literary agents. Figures that I can find for college graduates in general are not much higher: https://www.talent.com/salary?job=graduate&location=new+york https://www.talent.com/salary?job=graduate&location=new+york

jaxonrice 3y ago

The NY Times also did a profile on Andrew Wylie this week, by the excellent interviewer David Marchese. I got more from the NY Times piece than the Guardian one: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/12/magazine/andrew-wylie-interview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.90w.peV9.sx4gk7h0bmSj&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/12/magazine/andr...