Laura B. McGrath's book, "Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction," challenges the traditional view of literary history by highlighting the central, yet often invisible, role of literary agents in shaping what readers encounter. McGrath, an English professor at Temple University, examines the evolution of literary agents in the United States from the 1950s to the present day. Her research combines archival studies, data analysis, and interviews with over 75 agents and other publishing professionals, including prominent figures like Sterling Lord and Andrew Wylie.
The book illustrates how agents function as more than mere intermediaries. They act as advocates, matchmakers, negotiators, and tastemakers, balancing artistic value with the commercial demands of publishing. Agents are often the first and most critical gatekeepers, deeply involved in developing manuscripts, sometimes even performing line edits, before submitting them to publishers. This behind-the-scenes work includes strategizing an author's long-term career and ensuring a manuscript is presented in the most appealing way to editors.
McGrath demonstrates that agents have been instrumental in the creation of entire literary categories, such as the debut novel, short story collections, postmodernism, and multiethnic fiction. They've also played a decisive role in the success of celebrated works like Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" and Colson Whitehead's "The Intuitionist." The book further explains phenomena like the prevalence of New York novels, why some debut novelists don't publish again, and why agents champion short story collections despite their poor sales, attributing these trends to agent influence and industry dynamics.
A significant finding is that approximately 80% of literary agents are women, challenging the traditional "middlemen" stereotype. McGrath's work reveals how agents advocate for writers of color in a system that often prioritizes whiteness. By exploring the influence of agents, "Middlemen" offers an entertaining and eye-opening account of how literary fiction, and consequently the literary canon, is constructed and consumed.
