Agent Quote by Raymond Chandler
“The agent never receipts his bill, puts his hat on and bows himself out. He stays around forever, not only for as long as you can write anything that anyone will buy, but as long as anyone will buy any portion of any right to anything that you ever did write. He just takes ten per cent of your life.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Big Sleep, 1939
Agents take a small share of an author's life and earnings.
In simple terms: Agents claim a portion of creative output.
Key Takeaway
Beware of costly contracts.
Themes
publishing
contracts
exploitation
Mood
cautionary
critical
Type
advisory
philosophical
When to use this quote
- book deals
- film rights
- music publishing
- software licensing
Key Concepts
Author‑agent power dynamics
intellectual property
Questions to Reflect On
- What terms are essential in a publishing contract?
- How can creators protect their rights?
A Different Perspective
Contracts may be necessary for exposure.
![“Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of [The Glass Key] is the record of a man's devotion to a friend. He was spare, frugal, hard-boiled, but he did over and over again what only the best writers can ever do at all. He wrote…” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/882/raymond-chandler-629_dashiel-hammett_hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said_20171.jpg)
![“He [James Cain] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and a board fence and nobody looking.” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/614/raymond-chandler-629_cain_he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i_41185.jpg)
