Works of Genius<i> by Richard Marek (Atheneum: $16.95; 320 pp.) </i>

In the midst of a career as an editor and publisher, Richard Marek has written a novel of his own, observing most of the rules; breaking only those guaranteed to distinguish his book from the hundreds that have come over his transom and across his desk. Though “Works of Genius” is a tale of demonic possession, the demon here is the writer Eric Meredith; the possessed, the genial and accommodating young agent who represents him. The surprise is immediately evident in that crucial switch. Aren’t agents supposed to be ruthless flesh peddlers in cashmere blazers; writers the exploited innocents forced to prostitute their gifts in the interests of commerce? Not this time.

Tony Silver is a decent hard-working fellow who has the sensitivity to appreciate Meredith from the moment he finishes reading the first chapter of Meredith’s novel “Success.” In his early 30s, Tony has been an independent agent for a mere 10 weeks, though he’d worked for a large agency since college--the “literary man” in a shop committed to science fiction, horror stories and “as told to” biographies of celebrities. Finding himself abruptly on his own, he’s working out of his apartment, hoping to attract clients willing to trade clout for personal attention and integrity. So far, he hasn’t yet had a chance to find out if enough such writers exist to keep him in business. He’s beginning to have grave doubts when Meredith blusters in; over six feet and 250 pounds of raw talent, looking simultaneously tough and vulnerable, part bush league linebacker, part sensitive artist. He makes Tony think of “a labor union negotiator after a tough bargaining session.”

The relationship is a go from the start. Tony calls in his markers in the publishing industry, and Meredith’s book is accepted by one of the finest editors in the industry. “Success” takes off like the Concorde, straight up and Mach I almost before you can say “subsidiary rights.” Meredith is pleased, though not particularly astonished. He’s touchy about his work, convinced he’s a genius and therefore exempt from the rules governing the conduct of more ordinary mortals. At first, Meredith’s irascibility is buried in appreciation for Tony’s efforts, but as the plaudits pile up, gratitude flakes away and the underlying arrogance begins to bleed through the veneer.

Hard work and good management pay off in laudatory reviews and international fame, turning Meredith into a household word from Oslo to Haifa. The writer becomes increasingly demanding and manipulative, never allowing Tony to forget that his new prosperity is the result of Meredith’s talent.

Distraught by her husband’s sudden disappearances and generally erratic behavior, Meredith’s emotionally fragile wife Anne calls upon Tony and his bride Judy at all hours of the day and night, always sounding desperate, sometimes even suicidal. The Merediths have a young child, and the Silvers can’t refuse the requests for help and consolation, though when they arrive at the house, the problem often seems to have evaporated. The writer is contrite, his wife forgiving.

A publicity tour turns into a transcontinental debauch, with Tony playing the role of nursemaid and valet to his client. Inevitably, he realizes he’s become Meredith’s patsy, and though he doesn’t relish the role, he can’t afford to lose his star author, the man whose annual blockbusters have enabled him to move into a snazzy office suite, to pay the salaries of a growing staff, and to afford an occasional European holiday. And the books keep coming, each one building on the reputation of the last.

Eric Meredith has reached that pinnacle where bookstore customers merely ask for his latest, not even bothering to remember the title. The Merediths move out of their tacky little Long Island house to a mansion in Upstate New York, and it’s obvious that the writer relishes his fame and fortune. Neither Anne nor his son David seems to be blooming, but Tony Silver reminds his skeptical wife that Anne was always somewhat unstable; the child unmanageable even as a toddler. Judy Silver is less sanguine. In her opinion, Meredith is a brute and a tyrant, and she urges Tony to off-load him, even if it means a drastic change in their own standard of living. A few times, after a particularly outrageous incident, Tony is inclined to agree with her, but then Meredith will apologize extravagantly and beg his forgiveness. The relationship has become a symbiosis, fed by mutual need.

There’s hilarity, pathos and suspense in this book, and for readers familiar with the New York publishing world, the additional satisfaction of recognizing certain generic resemblances between the characters and actual people, living and dead. “Works of Genius” is not a roman a clef written for the delectation of an exclusive coterie, but an exceptionally original, skillful take on an enduring theme.