See if you can follow along as an Old Media giant goes after a new competitor.

The Wylie Agency, that of literary agent Andrew Wylie, has said it will publish Kindle versions (that's Amazon) of backlist titles by authors like Ralph Ellison and John Updike.   

Random House says they will kick Wylie's teeth in, legally.   Nope, says Wylie, the authors (or estates) control digital rights to works produced before e-books like Kindle existed.

Random House is having none of it, saying they won't do anything with any of Wylie's 700 clients now or in the future because he has gone from agent to competitor.  

Wave of the future or expensive boondoggle?  We'll have to see how much clout Random House has.