I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as to believe that a book will make it merely because it's good.

I do send out information about my books. Very few people buy the books that way, but I always feel that if they want to know more about the process, they can get the information from my books.

I have no problem selling books to media franchises and we do it all the time. The author must understand that he/she is a writer for hire and has no control over copyright or over editorial changes made to the text.

The key factor is whether the agent is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives, which screens its members and requires them to uphold a Canon of Ethics.

You have to remember that in addition to running a literary agency, I am also an ebook publisher.

We are taking a business-as-usual position at my agency, though business before 9/11 wasn't that hot either!

Except for a few small presses, most publishers are north of Ground Zero.