Emma Layfield launches Children’s Books North Agency in Manchester
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 25, 2024
Emma Layfield has launched the Children’s Books North Agency (CBNA), which is based in Manchester and represents writers and illustrators from the north of England and Scotland.
Layfield has worked in publishing for 25 years, and will run CBNA alongside the Children’s Books North network.
CBNA represents writers and illustrators of picture books, fiction and non-fiction. The launch list includes bestselling writer, illustrator and animator Michael Whaite, from Lancashire; author Bethan Clarke from Cheshire; FAB Prize winner Lucy Farfort from Newcastle; Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award winner Rachel Plummer from Edinburgh; Oscar’s Book Prize shortlistee Francis Martin from Lancashire; and debut illustrator Jess Mahy from Yorkshire.
Felicity Bryan Associates hires agent James Gill
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 25, 2024
Felicity Bryan Associates (FBA) has hired James Gill, a founding member of United Agents Ltd, who has worked in publishing and literary representation since 1995. He is set to join FBA on 16th October.
His authors have been Sunday Times number one and top-10 bestsellers in fiction and non-fiction, and shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the Baillie Gifford Prize, the Nibbie Novel of the Year Award and the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year, as well as past winners of the Wolfson History Prize, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, the Whitbread Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Wainwright Prize and the Ondaatje Prize.
Eleanor Birne joins RCW as literary agent
thebookseller.com – Tuesday September 24, 2024
RCW Literary Agency has announced that Eleanor Birne has joined the company as a literary agent.
She was previously an agent with PEW Literary, and prior to that, a publishing director at John Murray before becoming an agent first at David Godwin Associates and latterly at PEW Literary where she has built a strong list of authors including Mary Costello, Louise Kennedy and Michael Magee.
Birne said: "I have loved my time at PEW Literary working with such talented, creative people. I have always admired RCW and the extraordinary list of writers it represents and am very excited to be joining such an impressive team."
New Magazine Listing: Riposte
firstwriter.com – Tuesday September 24, 2024
We profile bold and fascinating women who challenge power structures and stereotypes. Our interviews are honest rather than being full of media-trained responses as the women we feature candidly discuss their successes and failures, their work, their passions and perspectives. Essays and features cover a broad range of issues including art, design, music, business, innovation, politics, social justice and environmental issues.
Literary festival aims to inspire young writers
bbc.co.uk – Saturday September 21, 2024
A festival of women's writing named after the famous literary Brontë sisters aims to inspire those taking part "to keep reading and writing", its organisers have said.
The three-day Brontë Festival, which is now in its 13th year, is due to get under way in Haworth later, with leading female authors giving talks throughout the weekend.
Young adult writer and Sunday Times bestseller Bea Fitzgerald and former Children's Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson are among the speakers expected to take part in the festival based in and around the Brontë parsonage.
Angela Clare, programme officer for the museum, said: “It has been a joy to bring together such fantastic guests for the festival."
The theme of this year's festival is literature inspired by and created especially for children and young people.
Verse & Vision: Interview with Mark Gottlieb, Leading Literary Agent
v13.net – Saturday September 21, 2024
Literary agent Mark Gottlieb shares the secrets behind the success of bestselling authors, the challenges of today’s publishing landscape, and why trust, communication, and a shared vision are the keys to a thriving author-agent relationship.
Welcome back to “Verse & Vision,” the latest installment in our ongoing series, where we explore the multifaceted world of writing and publishing (check out the last instalment in case you missed it).
Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to our latest interview. Mark Owen Gottlieb is the vice president and distinguished literary agent at Trident Media Group, known for securing high-profile deals and representing numerous New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors. With experience in negotiating film and TV adaptations and a background in audiobook management and foreign rights from Penguin Books, Mark is dedicated to expanding his roster of talented writers. A graduate of Emerson College, he was a founding member and president of the Undergraduate Students for Publishing Club and established the Wilde Press. Mark has also lectured at prestigious institutions, including Yale, Cambridge, and Columbia.
What inspired you to become a literary agent?
Mark Gottlieb: “My inspiration to become a literary agent at Trident Media Group stems from my lifelong passion for books and storytelling. Growing up in a family deeply involved in the publishing industry, I was exposed to the world of literature from an early age. This, combined with my experiences at Emerson College and founding the Wilde Press at the college, ignited a desire to help talented writers bring their works to a wider audience. The opportunity to discover new voices, nurture creativity, and shape the literary landscape is what inspired me to pursue this career path.”
New Publisher Listing: SmashBear Publishing
firstwriter.com – Friday September 20, 2024
We specialise in urban fantasy, fantasy, and paranormal romance but will also consider horror and Sci-Fi.
New magazine announced for writers and readers in Wales
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 19, 2024
A new literary periodical for Wales called Folding Rock focused on creative prose will launch its first issue in Spring 2025. The new magazine, which plans to support new writing in and from Wales, will launch after securing funding from the Books Council of Wales.
Co-founders of the publication—editor and designer Robert Harries and writer, editor and creative producer Kathryn Tann—describe it as "a magazine to pay attention to", similar to the likes of The Stinging Fly in Ireland, England’s Granta, and Gutter in Scotland.
Folding Rock: New Writing from Wales and Beyond aims to be "the catalyst needed to usher in a new era for Welsh literature". The founders are aiming to "tirelessly develop talent, grow skills, advocate for authors and open as many doors as we can, this magazine will give the UK-wide publishing industry—and reading population—no choice but to pay attention".
How We Find and Develop Writers
bbc.co.uk – Thursday September 19, 2024
The Head of New Writing for BBC Drama Commissioning and BBC Writers explains our team's work to develop talented storytellers for television.
There is a constant hunger for brilliant, original stories and storytellers at the BBC and for that reason the team here at BBC Writers are dedicated to finding, nurturing and uplifting writers at every stage of their careers. We endeavour to make BBC Writersroom a home for writers where individuals can learn, share, experiment with their craft and take risks in a supportive environment. We’re unique in the industry in that we’re a dedicated team of 15 individuals based out of five BBC hubs across the UK, solely committed to finding and championing writers. Our goal is to be an approachable open door to the BBC, and we strive to create a democratic, safe and inspiring space for writers. We want to encourage writers to feel empowered to tell the stories they want to tell and for their craft to be nurtured to its fullest potential.
BBC Writers is an integral part of the BBC Drama Commissioning team and has a direct link to the many exciting opportunities this presents for writers. Our Drama Commissioning colleagues are committed to working with the broadest range of storytellers from backgrounds and experiences that represent modern life across the whole of the UK. And so, we work closely to introduce them to some of the most exciting emerging voices that we identify during the course of our work.
Launching Discoveries 2025
womensprize.com – Thursday September 19, 2024
Entering its fifth year, Discoveries our pioneering writers development programme launches with the search to uncover the writing stars of tomorrow.
Run in partnership with Audible, the Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency, and the Curtis Brown Creative writing school, Discoveries aims to inspire unagented and unpublished women in the UK and Ireland to write their first novels, providing a host of resources designed to support women at all stages of their writing journey, with an ongoing commitment to reach writers currently underrepresented in the UK publishing industry.
The 2025 judging panel will be chaired by Kate Mosse CBE FRSL, the international bestselling writer, playwright, performer and Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Kate Mosse is joined this year by author and musician Claire Kohda (Woman, Eating); international bestselling and award-winning author Dreda Say Mitchell MBE (Say Her Name, Trapdoor, Gangland Girls series, DI Rio series, Flesh and Blood series and Spare Room with Ryan Carter); journalist, author and podcaster Chloe Timms (The Seawomen); Curtis Brown literary agent Jess Molloy; and Founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, Anna Davis.
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