When political memoirists hook up with lawyer Robert Barnett, we assume their choice is based on precedent; Barnett's impressive client roster points to him being the go-to guy for big-name politicians shopping possible-bestsellers. But what if Barnett's draw exceeds his niche? And what if his appeal isn't based on who he is, but what he isn't -- an agent?

According to PW *, best-selling Little, Brown author James Patterson has traded in Jennifer Rudolph Walsh at William Morris for "attorney-cum-literati" Barnett, a move Patterson attributes to his own "business background."

Both Patterson and Rudolph Walsh confirmed the move and stressed amicability--even as Patterson, whose international and broadcast rights are many and tangled, said his stature enabled a change. "I love the William Morris people I think they're excellent, especially Jennifer. But the business relationship wasn't working, I'm a different kind of author in that I have a business background. I don't need the marketing help and other services that agents offer."

"When you think of all the people you have to pay, you have to sit back and think 'That's an awful lot of money.'" Barnett, whose fee structure is of course based on man hours and is not a percentage of the sale, declined to comment.

Rudolph Walsh disagreed about the success of the William Morris/Patterson relationship. "It's hard for me to understand because we were doing such a phenomenal job," Rudolph Walsh said, pointing to games, young-adult, TV and other arenas where the agency had sold Patterson rights. She declined to say whether there had been any attempt to negotiate the percentage to keep him at the agency, emphasizing instead what she believes is an agent's value.

"Jim feels what he's going to lose [by not having an agent] he'll gain with his own advertising experience," she says. "My feeling has always been you get what you pay for. We're not the cheapest but I do think we're the best."