---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Authors don't tend to stay with the same…"
description: "\"Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and editors over their entire lifetimes, but Grafton worked with Marian Wood, her editor at Putnam, fro..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg"
---

#  Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and…

![“Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and editors over their entire lifetimes, but Grafton worked with Marian Wood, her editor at Putnam, from Kinsey's first outing, and signed with Molly Friedrich, still her literary agent, with the publication of 'B Is for Burglar.'” quote by Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg)

> “Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and editors over their entire lifetimes, but Grafton worked with Marian Wood, her editor at Putnam, from Kinsey's first outing, and signed with Molly Friedrich, still her literary agent, with the publication of 'B Is for Burglar.'”

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Authors often change agents and editors, but Grafton maintained long-term collaborations with both her editor and agent across her career.

**In simple terms:** Long-term professional relationships can be rare but valuable.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate lasting partnerships.

Themes

career relationships publishing

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

literary professional

When to use this quote

- author contracts
- career planning
- publishing negotiations

Key Concepts

literary collaboration loyalty

Questions to Reflect On

- How can creators balance loyalty with new opportunities?
- What risks exist in staying with one partner?

A Different Perspective

Changing markets may pressure breaks to switch partners.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Editor Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editor-putnam-4353789/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Grafton Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grafton-worked-4353787/) [Kinsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinsey/) [Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary/) [Literary Agent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-agent-295201/) [Putnam Kinsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putnam-kinsey-4353788/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wood/)

## Related quotes

> [The quality I appreciated most about Grafton was her loyalty. She stuck with 'Kinsey Millhone' and the alphabet series conceit for her entire career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-quality-i-appreciated-most-about-grafton-was-her-loyalty-she/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [Sue Grafton's 'A Is for Alibi', the 1982 novel that introduced the world to private detective Kinsey Millhone, wasn't seen as the pioneering achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/sue-grafton-s-a-is-for-alibi-the-1982-novel-that-introduced-the-world/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [Anuj Bahari has always been a really good literary agent for me. What a good agent does is that he manages many of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/anuj-bahari-has-always-been-a-really-good-literary-agent-for-me-what/)

[Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/)

> [Maybe I should be a literary agent. I'm good at picking up on books that become successful before it happens. I could pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/maybe-i-should-be-a-literary-agent-i-m-good-at-picking-up-on-books/)

[Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/)

> [Having a literary agent makes a huge difference in submitting work. My agent has access and tremendous passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/having-a-literary-agent-makes-a-huge-difference-in-submitting-work-my/)

[Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/)

> [My first novel took almost six years to sell and was rejected 37 times in the interim, and then finally sold for the smallest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/my-first-novel-took-almost-six-years-to-sell-and-was-rejected-37/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [Not long after I started posting the first 'Nimona' pages online, a literary agent reached out to me, and I ended up signing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-stevenson/not-long-after-i-started-posting-the-first-nimona-pages-online-a/)

[Noelle Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-stevenson/)

> [My dad's got a brilliant eye for scripts 'cos he's a literary agent. He and my agent read a load of scripts and filter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/my-dad-s-got-a-brilliant-eye-for-scripts-cos-he-s-a-literary-agent-he/)

[Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/)

> [Even the worst job has its benefits and so does being a professional literary agent, and - I know I said this at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/even-the-worst-job-has-its-benefits-and-so-does-being-a-professional/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [My advice for finding a literary agent would be first, put your work out there as much as possible and hopefully someone will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cooper/my-advice-for-finding-a-literary-agent-would-be-first-put-your-work/)

[Sarah Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cooper/)

> [A literary agent is nothing but a cheap salesman (or woman); while a writer is a cheap salesman (or woman) who also has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/a-literary-agent-is-nothing-but-a-cheap-salesman-or-woman-while-a/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [Hell hath no fury like a hustler with a literary agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-hustler-with-a-literary-agent/)

[Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/)

> [The syndicates take the strip and sell it to newspapers and split the income with the cartoonists. Syndicates are essentially agents. Now, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/the-syndicates-take-the-strip-and-sell-it-to-newspapers-and-split-the/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [“Y'know, if anyone happens to know the name of a good literary agent that will actually return phone calls...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-steele/y-know-if-anyone-happens-to-know-the-name-of-a-good-literary-agent/)

[Rob Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-steele/)

> [“An author is free, even here in hell, if he knows that the literary agent is almighty and that he by himself is impotent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duff-tom-fahy/an-author-is-free-even-here-in-hell-if-he-knows-that-the-literary/)

[David Duff Tom Fahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duff-tom-fahy/)

## More by Sarah Weinman

> ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [America in the 1800s isn't quite the historical mystery hotbed as the same period in the country it bested in the War of Independence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/america-in-the-1800s-isn-t-quite-the-historical-mystery-hotbed-as-the/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [While every historical era has its unique appeal as a setting for tales of crime and detection, the 19th century is exceptional - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/while-every-historical-era-has-its-unique-appeal-as-a-setting-for/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [After so many attempts to mount a musical version of 'Lolita,' the project was well and truly dead by the summer of 1971. Chief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/after-so-many-attempts-to-mount-a-musical-version-of-lolita-the/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [My one criticism of Vertigo Crime to date is that it's been a boys' club, reveling in violence that, while entertainingly lurid, lacks depth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-one-criticism-of-vertigo-crime-to-date-is-that-it-s-been-a-boys/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-focus-will-always-be-crime-but-it-might-not-always-be-fiction-nor/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [First, a confession: I liked 'The Da Vinci Code.' This news is even more of a surprise to me than it might be to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/first-a-confession-i-liked-the-da-vinci-code-this-news-is-even-more/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [Having set its tonal template, Vertigo Crime laid low for a few months before starting in earnest at the beginning of 2010.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/having-set-its-tonal-template-vertigo-crime-laid-low-for-a-few-months/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> ['The Chill,' by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi, was both a wise and nervy choice to start the year: Starr's standalone novels, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-chill-by-jason-starr-and-mick-bertilorenzi-was-both-a-wise-and/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [The interior nature of 'Basic Black' is central to its unfolding. Shirley Kaszenbowski, regarded from the outside, is the embodiment of the invisible woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-interior-nature-of-basic-black-is-central-to-its-unfolding/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [The 'Vampire of Ropraz' claims to be based on a true story, but the name of Rosa's father matches that of a notable Swiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-vampire-of-ropraz-claims-to-be-based-on-a-true-story-but-the-name/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [In the summer of 1997, a little more than half a lifetime ago, I got my first proper summer job. The job, with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/in-the-summer-of-1997-a-little-more-than-half-a-lifetime-ago-i-got-my/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [As I considered Parker and his absurdist reflection in the Westlake-authored 'Dortmunder' novels, I wrote, 'His natural ability to observe human behavior and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/as-i-considered-parker-and-his-absurdist-reflection-in-the-westlake/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [The abundance of Roman historical mysteries contrasts with the surprising paucity of crime novels set in classical Greece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-abundance-of-roman-historical-mysteries-contrasts-with-the/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

> [Writers of historical fiction are often faced with a problem: if they include real-life people, how do they ensure that their make-believe world isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/writers-of-historical-fiction-are-often-faced-with-a-problem-if-they/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

[Explore all 89 Sarah Weinman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and editors over their entire lifetimes, but Grafton worked with Marian Wood, her editor at Putnam, from Kinsey's first outing, and signed with Molly Friedrich, still her literary agent, with the publication of 'B Is for Burglar.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Weinman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same-agents-and-editors-over/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same-agents-and-editors-over/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/sarah-weinman-7655_books_authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same_2124969.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and editors over their entire lifetimes, but Grafton worked…” — Sarah Weinman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sarah Weinman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Authors don't tend to stay with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same-agents-and-editors-over/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/authors-don-t-tend-to-stay-with-the-same-agents-and-editors-over/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
