Creating a literary agency succession plan is an extremely personal endeavor. Agency heads must consider the timing of handing off their agency, the “purchase price” (whether the agency is bought outright or paid out over time), and keeping their clients, while also navigating the less visible aspects of retirement, such as making sure their agency maintains its ethos, keeping connections with beloved authors, and stepping back from work when their work is so closely tied to their identity. As we’ve reported, each plan is unique, though they usually fall into one of three categories—an agency employee taking over, merging with […]
