I should have been an agent

I think I should have been an agent. Not only am I spending a lot of my time these days (a) reviewing deals that I'm being offered and (b) negotiating deals with other authors for books under my Robert J. Sawyer Books imprint -- but I'm finding I'm actually enjoying the wheeling and dealing.

At the Nebula banquet, Harlan Ellison made a comment about how many authors in this field just ignore the business aspects, to their peril (and, I'd add, to the peril of authors in general, since they create a climate in which publishers and producers are used to being rapacious and getting away with it), but I actually dig all this stuff.

So far this week, I've written detailed memos to my agents about two new film option proposals and a request from one of my older publishers to modify the ebook clause in a contract we did years ago, plus done a lot of work (including doing up some accompanying spreadsheets) on a lengthy memo about my next book project, and provided some additional paper work related to my upcoming writer-in-residence gig in Kitchener, Ontario. It's all kind of fun, actually -- I can see why my agents enjoy their work. :)