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.
Rachel Richardson launches the Rich Lit literary rights agency
thebookseller.com – Saturday September 14, 2024
Rachel Richardson, previously of Watson, Little, has launched the Rich Lit literary rights agency, specialising in children’s books, commercial and upmarket fiction for adults and select non-fiction. The agency will also specialise in international titles, representing global rights on behalf of literary agencies and independent publishers.
Rich Lit will handle foreign rights on behalf of Storm Publishing and Richardson will continue to represent rights for ASH Literary, Holiday House and Little Door Books.
Richardson began her career at Rights People, a rights agency focused on children’s books and has more than 15 years of experience in the industry.
Bridport Prize Memoir Award 2024 competition nears deadline
bridportnews.co.uk – Thursday September 12, 2024
Writers are getting their pens and keyboards at the ready as the deadline is fast-approaching for a prestigious town writing competition.
The Bridport Prize is an international creative writing competition which began more than 50 years ago.
It has a £20K prize fund across different literary forms including novel, short story, poetry and flash fiction. In 2023 the Bridport Prize added memoir to the competition's genres.
The deadline for this year's memoir writing contest is fast approaching on Monday, September 30.
The contest asks what stories we have to tell about ourselves, the good, bad, and how we ended up where we are. The award celebrates life stories, a look back into what was and is.
Entries must be between 5,000 to 8,000 words, including a 300 word overview.
The top prize will be £1500 plus a mentoring package from The Literary Consultancy. The winner is also invited to attend an industry day with London literary agents and publishers and take part in a discussion with the University of Exeter’s Creative Writing Department.
This Online Writing Platform Wants Budding Authors to Plot an Elaborate Murder
lbbonline.com – Wednesday September 11, 2024
The Novelry, the world’s top-rated online writing school, is inviting should-be authors to plot murders and start covens in its first major advertising campaign, by St Luke’s, the London-based, independent creative agency.
'You’re a writer. Make it official' showcases how The Novelry’s courses enable students to make significant progress on their novels in just an hour a day simply by transforming everyday moments during daily tasks or downtime - into thrilling creative adventures.
St Luke’s does this with a series of animations that begin with intriguing propositions. In one, the line “Plot an elaborate murder…” appears alongside a bottle of poison and skull. Another reads “Start a witch coven…” paired with a pointy hat silhouetted against the moonlight.
Authors report 'worst ever delays' with advances and royalties as some forced to survive on loans — survey
thebookseller.com – Monday September 9, 2024
More than half of respondents to The Bookseller’s survey on advances and royalties revealed problems, with some describing decade-long delays due to "financial terrorism", and some reporting a reliance on loans, hardship grants, and foodbanks.
One author, with 15 years’ experience, revealed the "delays now are the worst I’ve ever known" while another described chasing £30,000. Overall many expressed frustration with the lack of transparency and accountability from publishers and literary agencies.
Across 262 respondents, 52% (137 people) reported issues with receiving advances or royalties with the average delay of over a year though many reported several years delay or even stretching back decades.
Of those who had experienced issues with payment, around 18% (48 people) experienced problems with both advances and royalties, 17% (45) only with advances with around the same number (44) experiencing problems only with royalties. 48% reported no problems at all and there were some notable examples of good practice.
New Literary Agent Listing: Maria Napolitano
firstwriter.com – Monday September 9, 2024
Represents a broad range of fiction, from commercial rom-coms to radical speculative fiction, subversive thrillers, and upmarket book club fiction. She is drawn to character-driven stories, unusual perspectives, genre-bending works, and supremely pitchable high concepts.
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