Literary agent Andrew Wylie launches e-book venture

The literary agent's plan to produce e-books and sell them via amazon.com causes a stir in the publishing world.

Literary agent Andrew Wylie ’70, recently profiled in Harvard Magazine, has announced a publishing venture called Odyssey Editions that will offer e-book versions of works by some of the Wylie Agency's biggest clients through amazon.com's Kindle store, the New York Times reports. The Harvard Magazine profile, which the Times cites, describes Wylie's dissatisfaction with his negotiations on electronic rights with publishers and quotes him sketching out a plan for such a venture. The day after his announcement, the Times followed up with a report on the reaction of publishing houses to the plan; the most forceful counter-response came from Random House, which not only claimed ownership of the relevant e-book rights, but announced that it would stop doing business with the Wylie Agency until the matter is resolved.  

You might also like

America’s Past, Opera's Future: 11 New Books from Harvard Authors

These newly released novels, histories, and memoirs grapple with identity in all its forms.

The Year a Beat Poet Squatted at Harvard

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

How Adam Ehrlich Sachs Writes Absurd and Beautiful Fiction

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.

Most popular

To Promote Healthy Habits in Patients, Start with the Doctors

Why Harvard Medical School is training physicians to think more like coaches

Harvard Law School Announces $31.4 Million Donation

The school’s largest-ever gift comes after a year of record fundraising.

How Philosophy at Harvard Saved Itself

As humanities shrink across higher education, one department is flourishing. Is its success a fluke, or a roadmap?

Explore More From Current Issue

Collage of book covers featuring various titles on a vibrant orange background.

These newly released novels, histories, and memoirs grapple with identity in all its forms.

Black and white portrait of a woman with medium-length hair, smiling softly.

The outgoing executive director and Harvard Business School graduate went from dancing The Nutcracker to growing a ballet company.

Ancient Egyptian painted sarcophagus with detailed hieroglyphs and a woman's face.

A rare Egyptian mummy case is on display at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.