You may not have heard of him but you may have heard of his small clients, such as, oh, you know, only Alan Greenspan, Sarah Palin, Tony Blair and Barack Obama. In this interview, Attorney Robert Barnett explains the difference between working with a generalist and working with an agent, and what most of his clients are looking for.
You work with some of the biggest authors as well as people in politics, do you ever get star-struck?
I always remember that I am from Waukegan, Illinois. I know that I am blessed to have the clients that I have and to be able to do the legal work that I do.
How do you choose which clients to work with and which ones not? Is it solely about who can afford to pay your fees?
Representing authors only occupies about 10% of my time at Williams & Connolly, my law firm. So I handle very few projects. I take on projects that interest me, and where I feel that my involvement might make a difference. Because of the way I charge - by the hour - I only make sense for authors who receive relatively large advances.
What are the advantages of working with a generalist attorney over an agent?
I do the same things that an agent does, with three exceptions. First, I charge by the hour, not on a commission basis. Also, being an attorney practicing in a large law firm, I am bound by legal ethics and attorney-client privilege. Also, when the client wishes, I organize and help execute the rollout of the book - publicity, promotion, etc.
What are some of the common questions or concerns authors ask you?
Each client is different. Each client has different goals. Generally, they all want to find an editor who understands their book and can help them write the best possible book, work with a publisher that will believe in their book and promote it, and achieve the best possible deal.
You cut a lot of deals for authors, but have you ever given any thought to writing a book yourself?
Not in a million years - I take the attorney-client privilege very seriously.