The Association of American Literary Agents (previously known as the Association of Authors’ Representatives) has revised its Canon of Ethics. Under the new standards, there is one striking change. Agents may now provide editorial services for a fee to writers as long as those writers are not clients. (However, agents may not steer querying writers toward paid services.) If the writer should later become a client on a project for which they paid for the agent’s editorial services, the agent must refund payments.
The flowchart at the bottom of the Canon of Ethics page helps determine when it is and is not okay for agents to charge for editorial services. The revised Canon of Ethics also states that agents can accept payment for teaching classes and appearing at writers conferences, even if doing so involves evaluating manuscripts. The new standards also address the practice of agents who act as producers on film and TV adaptations of clients’ work. That practice is now prohibited unless the agent receives written informed consent from the client. Packaging fees are not allowed in any form. (These latter changes have been informed by efforts at the Writers Guild of America; see our 2019 item for context.)
AALA vice president Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary Agency told us there have been discussions for the past 10 years about the editorial work issue and other monies made outside of agenting itself. While authors haven’t been reporting violations of this type to the AALA, Brooks said it makes far more sense for agents to earn money by doing work within their core competency rather than working, for example, as a barista. With the new Canon of Ethics, Brooks said agents can engage in paid editorial services with “guard rails” on the process.
These changes have come out of a broad internal study by the AALA to better understand the needs of members. “Not only did we look at the demographics but how people were making money, how much they were making, and how much money they weren’t making,” Brooks said. As a result, the AALA has also shifted its membership model. Originally, the AAR was set up as a rather exclusive organization: An agent had to have a certain number of sales, and they had to be nominated by two current members. Thus, it was mainly composed of people who’ve been in the industry a long time. AALA hopes to encourage younger people to participate so they can learn best practices about the agenting business—and not be forced to wait until they’re five to eight years into their career.
Brooks said AALA membership has been growing and that the organization has benefited from moving all of its meetings from in-person to Zoom. That opened up the opportunity for people outside New York to participate. “Not only did our membership increase, but so did our committee participation, and our board members are now not only in New York. Technology was our friend in that regard,” Brooks said.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
