Seager and Maidment promoted at Madeleine Milburn
thebookseller.com – Tuesday September 19, 2023
Chloe Seager has been promoted to director of Children’s and YA at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (MMA). Moreover, Olivia Maidment has been moved up to the newly created position of head of books, working closely with the directors to implement strategy.
Seager has been at MMA since April 2019, regularly negotiating six- or seven-figure deals for her clients in the UK and the US. Her authors include Katie Kirby, Anna Fargher, Jo Harwood and Kathryn Foxfield. She also represents authors including Maisie Chan, winner of the Jhalak Prize and Branford Boase and Danielle Jawando, winner of the YA Book Prize, among others.
Since Seager’s arrival at the agency, her authors have also bagged five Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month slots, one Indie Children’s Book of the Month Slot and one Barnes & Noble Book of the Month slot.
I am in Print launches £1,000 writing prize with Canelo
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 14, 2023
The I Am In Print events brand has partnered with independent publisher Canelo to host its inaugural Novel Award for unagented writers of unpublished adult fiction worth £1,000.
The prize, sponsored and judged by digital publisher Canelo, is open to writers globally and entries for completed manuscripts, written in English and across eight genres. The first prize includes £1,000 and a one-hour online consultation with a Canelo editor.
Additionally low-income writers can enter for free, and those who fall within underrepresented groups and members of the I Am In Print writing community The Writing Sphere, may receive a 50% discount upon application. Submissions close on 9th October at 10 a.m.
As part of the award entry ticket, access to a selection of masterclasses will be offered by Canelo on 30th November. The winners will be announced publicly at this live event.
UK Publishers And Literary Agents Reportedly Uninterested In Working With White Or Straight Writers: “BIPOC, Queer And Minority Groups Are Always The Most Welcome”
boundingintocomics.com – Thursday September 14, 2023
According to a new report, a number of UK-based publishers and literary agents have taken to publicly announcing that rather than any white and/or straight authors, they would almost exclusively prefer to work with those who come from ‘underrepresented’ demographic groups.
This information was first brought to public attention by UK news outlet The Telegraph, whose investigation into the matter identified four publishing houses whose public facing materials promoted this rhetoric.
One such publisher was Ash Literary, the children’s book specialists perhaps best known for producing the Marv series, who on the ‘Submissions‘ section of their official website inform prospective writers that “We are actively seeking voices that have historically been underrepresented, particularly with tropes that are often said to be ‘over done’.”
“For example, we are not interested in stories about white able bodied WW2 evacuees but would welcome that story from a disabled, LGBTQ+ or BIPOC perspective,” they add. “If your book is about an identity that is not yours, we will not be a good fit. This includes books based the experiences of family members and friends.”
Simpson joins Paper Literary as subsidiary rights and literary agent
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 14, 2023
Jenny Simpson, previously at CAA, has joined Paper Literary as a subsidiary rights and literary agent. She joins founder Catherine Cho, agent Katie Greenstreet and editorial consultant Melissa Pimentel.
Simpson began her publishing career at ICM Partners in New York in the subsidiary rights department. She was promoted to agent in 2021, handling all domestic subsidiary rights on behalf of the department, with a focus on audiobook and first serial rights.
She has negotiated and sold rights at significant six-figure levels on behalf of prize-winning and bestselling authors and journalists. During her time at ICM (now CAA), Simpson worked across the publishing and podcasting departments, servicing clients in their ventures into the original audio and podcast marketplaces.
Mackintosh, Ware and more confirmed for inaugural Chiltern Kills crime writing festival
thebookseller.com – Monday September 11, 2023
Authors Frederick Forsyth, Mark Billingham, Claire Mackintosh and Ruth Ware are among a raft of crime authors confirmed as part of the programme for the first ever Chiltern Kills crime writing festival in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.
Taking place on Saturday 7th October, all proceeds will be going to youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. The one-day event, described by the organisers as a “14-hour rollercoaster of crime”, will see more than 70 authors attending the event at the historic Grade II-listed Colston Hall.
The schedule will run from 9 a.m. until 11.30 p.m. and includes book signings and interviews with authors, 20 panels across two stages, live podcasts, BBC One and Two TV shows on site, and the world premiere of a specially-written play performed by crime writers.
Phoenix Publishing House acquires Karnac Books
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 7, 2023
Phoenix Publishing House, winner of the 2023 IPG Nick Robinson Newcomer Award, has acquired Karnac Books, with Phoenix changing its name to Karnac to “encapsulate this new single entity".
Karnac Books is a publisher and bookseller of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy and related subjects such as organisations, family, child and adolescent studies titles, founded in 1950.
Evans and Virginia to launch Inkspot Publishing list
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 6, 2023
Catherine Evans and Jurcell Virginia have launched a new publishing company, Inkspot, and will be hosting a launch event in Piccadilly, London on Tuesday 26th September, to celebrate the publication of its first two titles.
Founder and publishing director Evans acquired world rights for all the titles Inkspot has acquired so far.
Evans is a trustee and long-time supporter of ChipLitFest and the founder of Fiction Junkies. Virginia started his career in hedge funds, then moved to private equity. He is an avid martial arts fanatic and has written a book with his sensei, Hideo Muramatsu, The Neglected Samurai, which will be published by Inkspot in 2024.
Viking to sponsor the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards featuring new category
thebookseller.com – Monday September 4, 2023
Exploration company Viking will be sponsoring the 2024 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, run by map and travel book retailer Stanfords.
A new category called the Viking Award for Fiction with a Sense of Place has also been introduced this year. Viking guests will have the opportunity to nominate their favourite books that have been published in the past 12 months.
Other categories for 2024 include The Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year, the Children’s Travel Book of the Year, the Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year and the Edward Stanford Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing Award, which was first presented to the author Bill Bryson in 2015.
DHH Literary Agency unveils new logo and 'extensive' website overhaul
thebookseller.com – Saturday September 2, 2023
The DHH Literary Agency has rebranded its logo for the first time since the company’s inception in 2008, and unveiled plans for an "extensive" website overhaul.
Managing director David H Headley employed the services of Leeds-based digital agency Ascensor to help with the rebrand. The company’s David Eggington also created the logo for Headley’s Goldsboro Books.
While the new logo is now up and running as part of the agency, the website overhaul will be an “extensive” project, the agency says, scheduled to take place over the autumn and winter months later this year.
Testing Google’s Newest AI Writing Tool: Text FX
medium.com – Sunday August 27, 2023
When Google Bard was released, I compared it side-by-side with ChatGPT, and Bard was the clear loser.
Google quietly released a new AI-powered writer named The Text FX Project. My first impression is that this one is way cooler than Bard. But, I know the slick branding doesn’t matter much. What matters is how it performs.
I’m testing Text FX as I’m writing this article. I saw one person mention the new tool was launched on LinkedIn, but haven’t seen any positive or negative reviews about it yet.
Here’s what the homepage says about the project:
TextFX is an AI experiment that uses Google’s PaLM 2 large language model. These 10 tools are designed to expand the writing process by generating creative possibilities with text and language.
Text FX was created in collaboration with Lupe Fiasco, a rapper who also teaches a class on rap theory and practice.
The 10 different Text FX tools are: Simile, Explode, Unexpect, Chain, POV, Alliteration, Acronym, Fuse, Scene, and Unfold.
Let’s test it out each of them and see what they can do!
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