Thursday, May 19, 2011

Sydney Wisdom of the Day: Where There's a Will, There's a Won't

Sydney:

Client asks Sydney today if Sydney has a will.  Sydney get's all huffy, asks what business of it is client's?  Client slinks away.  


Makes Sydney purr, because Sydney knows EXACTLY what business of it is clients: is ALL of client's business!  See, when you is making deal with agent who owns agency, you is potentially making deal with agent's estate, and everyone involved, too!


See, agency and deals don't just go aways because agent is dead!  (Or maybe worses, incapacitated!)  Let's say Sydney, cat-Gods forbid, Sydney is hit by bus tomorrow:  Okay, Sydney wins that one.  But suppose TWO BIGGER buses and a convoy of semi-truckses hits Sydney and Sydney is killeded. (Or put in coma, though that would be hard to tell!)


All contracts negotiated by Sydney become assets of the estate!  All payments: every check, every royalty payment, every subsidiary right goes through estate!  Lawyer, maybe judge, must sign off on every bit of monies that goes through!  And lawyers and judges not even PRETEND to care about you like Sydney does (did)!  Theys is just interested in keeping as many assets in the estate as possible!  And this assumes they even KNOW they're supposed to pay you!  Maybe they look at box of shredded papers that is Sydney's "filing system" and just scratch heads!  Maybe they cannot find Sydney's address books or phone book because she has hidden them under loose-board next to litter box!  Maybe (probably) they knows nothing about publishing business, and does not even understand they is supposed to send percentages to you!  (Hey, at least Bad Agent Sydney sent along about one check out of three, just to keep up appearances!)


And no matter how bad things get, your old work is still tangled up on Sydney-estate's business!  If you signed Sydney's excellent new agency agreement that gives her right to portion of all new works in any away derived from, based upon, or stored in the same room or computer or skull with represented work, then estate could be rabid monkey on yourses back for rest of life!


Of course, if you is with a larger agency, this may be lesses of a problem.  Agency more likely to continue on, though in that case, yous can have issues if PRINCIPLE in agency dies (or has nasty divorce with another principle, or gets hauled into court on sexual harassment charges, or...), even if yours agent is on macrobiotic diet and jogging six miles a day!


So Sydney just laughs at poor client, who still exists in state of ignorances and uncertainty!  Just betweens you and me, Sydney has no will!  Just poor record keeping, legacy of fraudulent accounting, large-unpaid gambling debts, and a host of semi-insane "lost" relatives who all hate each other more than they care about money.  Yours future is in good hands!!


NOT!!!


But Sydney does not care!


Sydney will be watching and laughing from Cat heaven!  (Sure, she sells her soul to Dark Forces, possible Darth Vader himself, but has 20% of all YOUR souls to cash in on!)


Is good to me me!


You, not soes much!


PURRRRRRRRRRR! 



 Bad Agent Sydney wants to hear from YOU! Please leave your queries, questions, or comments! Perhaps Sydney's response will inspire a future post! While Bad Agent Sydney is not taking on new clients at this time, she is well aware that ALL WRITERS NEED CAT SUPERVISION!  Little known fact that this instinctive talent that ALL cats have!  Writers (and everyone want to be writer!), do to local shelter and ADOPT HOMELESS KITTY TODAY!  Use this LINK to find shelter near you!  GO!  AGENT SYDNEY SAYS! If you found this post useful or fun, please be aware that Sydney has NEEDS! Toys. Catnip. TUNA! Support Sydney (and her people) by digging deep and sending a "thank-you" donantion her way. PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! (You cannot resist my hypnotic "pay up!" purr! PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!