Random House and Andrew Wylie Reach an Agreement About eBook Rights

by DorothyD on August 31, 2010

Literary agent Andrew Wylie and Random House Publishing have waged war over the rights to eBook versions of several books. While the book world divided into Team Wylie or Team Random House, readers wondered just what the outcome would offer for the rest of us.

The Super-Agent

Andrew Wylie represents some huge authors. Among his clients: Dave Eggers, Al Gore, Dennis Hopper, Henry Kissinger, Vanity Fair, Salman Rushdie, Philip Roth, Sean Penn, Larry McMurtry, and Elmore Leonard.

He also includes the estates of Norman Mailer, Robert Mapplethorpe, Arthur Miller, William Burroughs, Vladimir Nabokov, Susan Sontag, and John Updike in his client list.

The Dispute

Wylie, in late July, announced Odyssey Editions, his eBook venture designed to bypass the traditional publishing houses to make the digital rights to 20 “modern classics” available exclusively through Amazon. These works did not include digital rights in their contracts, and he was planning to capitalize on that fact.

The controversy surrounds the exclusivity of the deal. Wylie is the agent and publisher; Amazon is the distributor and seller. By taking on these roles, it has changed the process of publishing, cutting out the big houses.

The Controversy

The industry responded to Wylie’s announcement with anger. His deal with Amazon, a company with a history of discounting books at the expense of authors, elicited dismay and disappointment. The deal seemed much better for Amazon than for the authors.

The Publishing House

Random House happens to own the print rights too many of the classics in the Odyssey catalog. They disputed the claim of the eBook rights and announced that they would cut off business with any Wylie-represented clients.

The Books

The books available through Odyssey include: The Adventures of Augie March, Brideshead Revisited, Ficciones, Junky, Love Medicine, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and The Naked and the Dead.

The Agreement

Last week, Random House and Andrew Wylie issued a statement that outlined their truce. The Random House titles that were included in the Odyssey catalog have been removed. Random House will keep eBook rights to those books and will offer them through their usual eBook sellers. The publisher is resuming business with Wylie’s clients.

The Rest

Rumors are circulating that other publishers are talking with Wylie about their books that are in Wylie’s hands, most notably Penguin Books UK.

The Bottom Line

Odyssey only offers a few titles at present. After seeing Random House’s success, other publishers will likely attempt to retrieve digital rights to their works in Wylie’s catalog. It is unknown whether part of the negotiations includes better profits for his authors, but either way readers will get to read some awesome works.

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Written by :

DorothyD

AudioforBooks.com Author

Reading and writing are my passions. I read a lot of paper books as well as listen to audiobooks utilizing playaways from the local library. I listen to most of my audiobooks on my iPod. I read about one book/week and am rarely seen without one in hand. Come along and discuss this article in our friendly community forum.