The latter then not only didn't look for a publisher as they said, but strung the author along for several years with replies implying they were still working on it. Any way you look at it that's some enormous unprofessionalism.
The level of entitlement is still annoying, because again, it's the publishing industry. It's one of the most brutal commercial environments there is. Most people who send manuscripts to a literary agent never get a reply at all, because unless you're a well established author who has never produced a single commercial failure an extremely rich person who is willing to throw huge amounts of money into an obvious scam or an already famous person with an audience likely to be converted into book sales, the likelihood is you're not going to make anyone money, which is all anyone cares about.
Expecting any kind of standard of treatment from someone who holds all the cards, owes you absolutely nothing and whose soul likely left their body while they were reading five different YA novels with supernatural love triangles every day back in 2005 is naive enough to be cringe.
Most people think they can write a book. Very few of those people are actually capable of writing a book anyone will pay money to read. If you've found an audience of internet smart boys who FUCKING LOVE SCIENCE and need a substitute daddy to tell them how cool it is to be an atheist, and if you've managed to make money off them, maybe just take the win instead of pretending to be an artist.
And yeah, I'm overreacting, but this boomer shit is a pet peeve. Young people in any kind of creative industry generally learn very fast what their actual value is. Watching old men cry because the world isn't bending around them just makes me want to slap them.
If he really thought he couldn't get it published, he should have informed the author and artist immediately instead of feeding their hopes to continue getting paid.
Literary agents are paid by commission.
If you're paying an agent directly, it's a vanity publishing scam.
