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I doubt he does. Why would he? She dropped those two names in the interview where it was talking about her new service, but that doesn't mean they use it.

Dunno for a fact that he uses it, but he did a post a while back (IIRC) where he talked about this as the e-stributor model and mentioned Dystel moving to this method. I believe he was in favor of it at the time because it let the agent handle basically everything except approval of art, cover, etc, and he thought his time was worth the 15% trade-off. I believe he, Barry Eisler and Dean Wesley Smith had a conversation about it in the post (which I am too lazy to go find).

 

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Yeah, but you can tell people you have a literary agent. You can mention it at parties.

"My literary agent has suggested I write more shapeshifter lactation porn. She feels the market's about to swing that way."

She's actually not even just any literary agent, if you're looking for cachet. I'm pretty sure Dystel repped Barack Obama on Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. Regardless of your political persuasion, I believe that carries some weight.

ETA: I still wouldn't sign that agency agreement, based on what I've read here. I mean, I have to pay for everything? Geez. I don't spend THAT much time dealing with my formatter, cover artist and editor now, and I make back what I pay them within hours of a book launch now.

 

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Sure, his political bios sold well enough. But Dreams from My Father was published in 2007 and Audacity of Hope in 2008, Change We Can Believe In in 2008 as well, while Of Thee I Sing came out in 2010.

By the time he got published properly, he was a sitting Democratic US Senator and in line to become his party's nominee for president.

Just FYI, Dreams From My Father was first published in 1995, Audacity of Hope in 2006. It was a while until he sold well, though, IIRC.

 

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I need to find that Konrath post, where DWS was chiming in on this as being a good idea, as it goes against everything he posts on his blog about the author learning to do the business stuff themselves, or hire it out for a flat fee.

Sorry, to clarify, Konrath was selling the virtues of it (as I recall) and DWS was most strenuously against it (100% sure on that).

 

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Did anyone find the post on Joe's blog where he recommends giving away a percentage? Everything I've read from him seems to be dead set against doing percentage deals and pro-flat fee deals.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2011/04/ebooks-and-self-publishing-part-2_03.html?m=1

Disclaimer: I haven't read this since it was first published, but I'm pretty sure this is it.