Shelf-made men: why publishing still favours the well-connected
nationalworld.com – Wednesday December 3, 2025
In May of this year, it was reported that writing and publishing in the UK is in crisis. There was said to be a “growing marginalisation of working-class people whose stories and experiences are not being heard”, according to the backers of a new literary magazine and platform.
The Bee, edited by Richard Benson, told The Guardian that it was well known the creative industries were “massively skewed” in terms of representation, but that writing and publishing were “even more skewed”.
Their own data describes an industry shaped by the old-school-tie crowd, where opportunity tends to land with the silver-spoon set, and routes into print favour people who already move comfortably inside publishing circles. In simple terms, those born already-inside progress faster than those arriving from estates, factories and night shifts.
In 2014, for example, 43 per cent of publishing staff came from middle-class backgrounds and just 12 per cent from working-class families; by 2019, the middle-class figure had risen to 60 per cent. Sutton Trust research, meanwhile, places only one-in-10 published authors as working class. That is what happens when an entire sector drifts into the hands of the trust-fund brigade and the private-club types who can afford to wait for opportunity.
This matters to me because I know what it feels like to come into writing without wealth, contacts, or the introductions that seem to fall into the laps of toffs and well-connected insiders. I never went to university. I didn’t have family in publishing, teachers who knew agents, or friends who could guide me through the process. Like most working-class people, I had to learn the hard way how publishing works and where someone like me is supposed to stand within it. My success came from long hours of graft and stubborn persistence — the sort of work the Mayfair set rarely has to do.
Andrea Brown Alums Launch Boutique Agency
publishersweekly.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
Jemiscoe Chambers-Black (bottom), Paige Terlip (top), and Jennifer March Soloway have launched Starling Literary + Media, a boutique literary agency. The trio previously worked at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
“It has been a joy to watch Jem, Paige, and Jennifer grow as agents these many years,” said Kelly Sonnack, president and owner of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, “and we are all cheering them on as they move into this next chapter.”
Starling will represent a broad roster of children’s authors and illustrators, as well as authors of adult fiction and nonfiction.
P.S. Literary Agency launches emerging writers scholarship
quillandquire.com – Tuesday December 2, 2025
P.S. Literary Agency is capping off a month-long celebration of its 20-year anniversary with the announcement of a new scholarship for emerging writers.
The agency turned 20 in November, and announced the creation of the PSLA Emerging Writers Scholarship on Dec. 1. The scholarship includes $1,000 to help cover writing-related expenses and a one-on-one mentorship with a literary agent. Applications for the inaugural scholarship are set to open on Jan. 5, with the first recipient to be announced in summer 2026.
“While our 20th anniversary created a natural moment for reflection, the decision to launch the PSLA Emerging Writers Scholarship was driven by something deeper than the milestone itself,” agency founder B. David Gyulai said in an email. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen a growing need for meaningful support for unpublished and underrepresented writers—especially those who may not yet have access to mentorship, industry knowledge, or financial resources that can help them take the next step in their writing journey.”
Call for Applications – Publishing Scotland 2026 International Fellowship
publishingperspectives.com – Wednesday November 26, 2025
Through the fellowship program and translation fund, Publishing Scotland seeks to bring Scottish literature to readers around the world.
Last month at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Publishing Scotland made an open call to international publishers with an interest in Scottish writers and literature to participate in the program next summer. There are eight slots available.
The fellowship program, which was founded in 2015, seeks to foster relationships between the Scottish market and publishers from around the world with the goal of expanding the network, facilitating the buying and selling of rights, and broadening the reach of Scottish literature. Over the last decade, the program has welcomed 71 publishers from 19 countries for meetings, publisher and agent visits, and insight into the Scottish publishing market.
Taking place in August, the week-long fellowship coincides with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the expanded Global Ink conference at the Book Festival, and the world-famous Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.
Scotland-based literary agent Jenny Brown of Jenny Brown Associates has been involved with the fellowship since its inception and credits it for bringing Scottish literature to new markets. “The Fellowship has become a highlight in the publishing calendar: it has boosted Scotland’s international profile, enabling us to meet publishers and giving us a deeper understanding of their markets.”
Island Publisher launches Figmentum Books
iwobserver.co.uk – Friday November 21, 2025
Two years ago, I founded the Isle of Wight-based press to champion the work of local writers, and celebrate the Island’s vibrant creative community. Since then, we’ve published fourteen books, including poetry collections, chapbooks, and a guide to the wild orchids of the Island. The fifth issue of our popular literary magazine, The Figlet, is out in January, once more featuring more than 50 IW contributors.
As we move into our third year, Naked Figleaf Press is taking a natural next step with the launch of its new imprint, Figmentum. If the parent press champions the Island’s distinctive storytelling, Figmentum reaches toward the experimental writing that crosses thresholds and explores the spaces between genres, forms and histories. It will be open to submissions from across the UK.
About half of UK novelists fear AI will take their work entirely – study
ealingtimes.co.uk – Thursday November 20, 2025
About half of published novelists in the UK fear that artificial intelligence will replace their work entirely, a report has suggested.
Cambridge University researchers surveyed 258 published novelists, 32 literary agents and 42 professionals who work in fiction publishing, doing so on condition of anonymity, earlier this year.
In responses, 59% of novelists said they know their work has been used to train AI large language models (LLMs) without permission or payment.
More than a third (39%) of novelists said their income has already taken a hit from generative AI, for example due to loss of other work that facilitates novel writing.
Most novelists surveyed (85%) said they expected their future income to be driven down by AI and 51% fear that “AI is likely to displace their work entirely”.
New platform BookBindr launched to 'connect publishers and authors with freelancers'
thebookseller.com – Wednesday November 19, 2025
A new platform, which aims to connect publishers and authors with "skilled, vetted industry freelancers", has been launched by Simon Appleby, founder of Bookswarm, alongside Justine Solomons, founder of Byte the Book.
The new dedicated website platform will feature a "carefully collated" database, enabling users to search for and contact freelancers who are currently open for work, covering essential services such as editing, publicity, design, marketing and more. To be included on the site, freelancers must meet defined criteria, including having a business that does the majority of its work for authors, publishers, agencies and other publishing-related clients.
Other features include search and filter functions, allowing users to choose options based on skill set and genre expertise, and direct contact, so they can reach out directly to freelancers through the platform.
A global publishing scam assisted by AI has targeted Australia. Here are 5 tips to avoid scammers
theconversation.com – Tuesday November 18, 2025
Aspiring authors in Australia are among those who have been scammed by a global network of publishing houses using cloned websites and AI tools. Some boast testimonials using the images and names of real authors, or listing real books they didn’t publish as their own. Several target the Australian market, trading under names such as Melbourne Book Publisher, Sydney Book Publishing, Aussie Book Publisher and Oz Book Publishers.
I’m a publishing expert, and looking at what happened, I can spot red flags in how these publishers operated and targeted aspiring authors, vulnerable to exploitation in their desire for success.
David Tenenbaum, owner of trusted publishing house Melbourne Books, established in 2000 (and specialising in nonfiction), was the first to sound the alarm. He’d received calls from authors who believed they had been dealing with his business – but had actually been speaking to the similar-sounding Melbourne Book Publisher (which even gave out his ABN).
One of the scammed authors, “Andrea”, an aspiring fantasy romance novelist recovering from cancer, told the Guardian she had a video conference with a publishing executive, “Marcus Hale”, who outlined detailed publishing and promotion plans for her novel, down to getting “a presence on TikTok” and a launch at her local bookshop. She realised what had happened when she called Melbourne Books.
Both Andrea and another Australian author, Peter Ortmueller (who also dealt with Marcus Hale), found Melbourne Book Publisher on Facebook. Ortmueller, who lost A$150 he believed was a first down payment on a publishing package, said he thought it was a traditional publisher. Andrea lost A$88, which she was told would buy her an ABN.
Eve White Literary Agency and Spread the Word launch programme for non-fiction writers
thebookseller.com – Tuesday November 18, 2025
Spread the Word, London’s literature development agency, is launching There Is Only Narrative: Non-Fiction Demystified with the Eve White Literary Agency. The aim of the programme is to find and develop new non-fiction writers from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in UK publishing.
There Is Only Narrative will launch on 18th November 2025 with an online survey to better understand the barriers to writing non-fiction and the support writers require from the publishing and agenting industries. The survey will also include a sign-up link to a document helping writers develop a book proposal.
A free online panel event with editors Beth Eynon, Assallah Tahir and Shammah Banerjee, chaired by Eve White and Ludo Cinelli, will be hosted on 9th December. The session will explore opportunities in the non-fiction market, with the aim of demystifying the processes of acquiring and commissioning non-fiction books. A further agents’ online panel event will take place on 22nd April.
"We have followed Spread the Word’s crucial work closely for many years and we are delighted to partner with them on this project," White said. "We aim for it to be a springboard for many future non-fiction classics."
Bright Agency promotes Georgia Tournay-Godfrey to literary agent
thebookseller.com – Friday November 14, 2025
The Bright Agency has promoted Georgia Tournay-Godfrey to literary agent.
Tournay-Godfrey first joined Bright in 2019 as an assistant, before becoming an associate agent. She works across picture books, preschool, non-fiction and graphic novels.
She said: “I’m all about ideas. I’m looking for picture books that take risks but that trust children to notice, question and feel. I’m drawn to creators who resist neatness or convention, whose work is oddly funny and imaginative, or unusually profound. I’m drawn to stories that exist at the edge of the ordinary, that hold space for both the strange and the beautiful.”
Tournay-Godfrey added: “I’m especially eager to champion creators from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The voices too often left unheard, yet rich with perspective, humour and truth.”
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