So we hear that Alicia Brooks, a former editor with St. Martin's Press, was let go by her new employers, Rights Unlimited, in early October. Now, agents moving onto greener pastures isn't just common, it's expected -- but getting fired after a little over three months is a whole other story. Then again, so is going to lunch with editors at major publishing houses claiming to represent the interests of an up-and-coming writer who'd broken all ties with Brooks before signing any agent-author contract -- especially a contract that wanted 20% domestic and 25% foreign commission, a standard that's quite a bit higher than the normal 15/20 split on such things....

UPDATE: It seems the whole agent-firing thing is in the air, as word gets back that Manus & Associates gave the boot to Donna Levin a few weeks ago. Perhaps some inkling that something was up could be traced back all the way to 1996, when she gave a lecture at UC Davis and imparted the following advice to aspiring writers: "First, you have to live in Northern California. Then you have to find someone to support you."

Helpful, much?

FURTHER UPDATE: Ben Salmon of Rights Unlimited writes in with a clarification -- the agency uses standard commission rates as described above, and not what Brooks was trying to peddle to her clients.

Alicia Brooks responds: "This defamatory posting contains a number of false and misleading statements, which could unfairly damage my reputation. While I did part ways with Rights Unlimited, I was not fired. Moreover, given my high ethical standards, I am offended by the baseless claim about my 'peddling' contracts with a 20% commission for domestic rights. I have NEVER asked any author to sign an Author-Agency agreement with an inflated commission rate, and I never would. On the contrary, I pride myself on my honest, supportive and nurturing relationships with authors. I hope this statement will correct any damage that may have been caused by such vicious gossip."