Goldman Critic Dodges Agents Eager for Tell-All Book

Greg Smith, the former Goldman Sachs Group derivatives salesman whose critique of the Wall Street firm earned him $150 from the New York Times, has eluded book agents and publishers who say his story could make him a lot more, te good folks at Bloomberg report.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Esther Newberg of International Creative Management in New York who’s been a literary agent for 35 years. She said two of her colleagues have reached out to Smith. “Agents and publishers are trying to talk to him. The feedback we get is that he’s hiding for a while.”

Smith said in a March 14 opinion piece that a “toxic and destructive” environment at Goldman Sachs drove him to quit after 12 years. He reignited a debate about Wall Street that played out on televisions and in newspapers around the world. Goldman Sachs, the most profitable and highest-paying firm in Wall Street history before the 2008 financial crisis, said it disagreed with Smith’s depiction and that most employees say the company provides exceptional client service.

Goldman Sachs has also been unsuccessful in attempts to contact Smith, who e-mailed his resignation at the same time his article was published, a person familiar with the matter said. The New York Times reported that Smith, a South African and a Stanford University graduate, flew to New York this week from London, where he’s worked for about a year. Smith didn’t reply to a voicemail left on his mobile phone….

Find out more at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-16/goldman-critic-dodges-agents-eager-for-tell-all-book.html