Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency opens first UK branch
thebookseller.com – Thursday November 4, 2021
The Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency will open a London branch in 2022, marking its first UK presence.
The new outlet, which follows branches in Amsterdam and Stockholm, will open on 1st January 2022 in response to the agency receiving a higher volume of fiction written in English.
Agency founder Paul Sebes said: "After a branch in Amsterdam and a second in Stockholm, this is a logical step. Both the Dutch and Scandinavian branches are doing very well, and we have been getting so many manuscripts originally written in English – not just from English-language countries but also from other parts of the world – that starting a London branch made sense.
Harper UK to Buy Pavilion Books
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com – Saturday October 30, 2021
Harper Collins UK will acquire Pavilion Books, including six of its imprints: Collins & Brown, Pavilion, Portico, Robson, National Trust and Pavilion Children’s. Pavilion owner and publisher Polly Powell will keep two imprints, Batsford and Pitkin, and operate under the name BT Batsford. (That’s the previous name, under which Batsford operated until going into receivership […]
AI Comes to Audiobooks
publishersweekly.com – Saturday October 30, 2021
Could this be magic? Over the past decade, audiobook sales, driven by digital audio, have exploded. Sales in 2020 exceeded $1.3 billion, up 12% over 2019. The percentage of Americans 18 and older who have listened to an audiobook is now 46%, up from 44% in 2019. One thing hasn’t changed, however: the arduous production process for audiobooks.
But what if it could be done in a fraction of the time, weeks instead of months? And what if it could be done for a fraction of the cost, hundreds of dollars instead of thousands?
Introducing AI-enabled automated audiobook creation.
How Amazon Changed Fiction As We Know It
esquire.com – Tuesday October 19, 2021
During my interview with literary historian Mark McGurl, I glanced out the window to see an Amazon truck rumbling down my block. It was a fitting metaphor for our conversation about Everything and Less, McGurl’s provocative new literary history about how Amazon has reorganized the universe of fiction. “Amazon has insinuated itself into every dimension of the collective experience of literature in the United States,” McGurl writes. “Increasingly, it is the new platform of contemporary literary life.”
PFD to launch Queer Fiction Prize
thebookseller.com – Thursday October 7, 2021
Literary agency Peters Fraser + Dunlop is launching the PFD Queer Fiction Prize, with author Okechukwu Nzelu among the judges for the inaugural award.
The prize will have three separate categories for Adult, YA and Children’s Fiction.Three winners will receive representation at PFD and guidance for completing their novel. The recipients of the prize will be announced in June 2022.
Azumah Nelson to open National Creative Writing Day
thebookseller.com – Monday October 4, 2021
Novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson is to open the seventh iteration of the National Creative Writing Industry Day, as the event returns to a live physical event this year.
The author of Open Water (Viking) will deliver a keynote speech to aspiring writers at Manchester Metropolitan University at a conference hosted in partnership with Comma Press. The event will also include a panel discussion on "The Paths of Northern Writers" with editor of award-nominated Aurelia Magazine Kya Buller, Desiree Reynolds and 2021 BBC National Short Story Award shortlistee Richard Smyth.
Maidment steps up to agent at Madeleine Milburn
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 30, 2021
The Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency has promoted Olivia Maidment to literary agent to build its literary fiction list.
Formerly associate agent, Maidment will be working alongside founder, director and agent Madeleine Milburn, m.d. Giles Milburn as well as agents Hayley Steed and Hannah Todd in the adult fiction department.
After graduating with a degree in English literature and classical civilisation from the University of Birmingham, Maidment’s first experience of publishing was with an internship at the agency. She then went on to roles at the Blair Partnership and United Agents before re-joining Madeleine Milburn as associate agent in 2020, working closely with Milburn across her roster of authors whilst also building her own list.
Price swaps Trapeze for DK
thebookseller.com – Monday September 27, 2021
DK has appointed Marleigh Price in the new role of acquisitions editor, responsible for narrative non-fiction in the publisher's Life division.
She will start on 11th October and report to Katie Cowan, publishing director for Life.
Price was previously at Trapeze, where she has been since Orion first launched the imprint in 2016. She has a strong reputation for building a diverse, robust and inspirational list, having acquired and published numerous Sunday Times bestsellers, including Redhanded by Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire, and Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Her list at Trapeze also focused on amplifying voices and topics that have historically been underserved by the publishing industry, with titles including Mixed/Other by journalist Natalie Morris, White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad and The Way We Survive by Catriona Morton.
Darley Anderson takes on US-focused agent Langton
thebookseller.com – Friday September 24, 2021
The Darley Anderson Children’s Agency has appointed Becca Langton to focus on the US children's market.
Langton has previously worked as a development editor for Pottermore, a consultant for the BBC and, most recently, as a literary scout for Sylvie Zannier for the past five years.
She will start her new role on 11th October and will be the first point of contact between US editors and Darley Anderson agents Clare Wallace, Lydia Silver and Chloe Davis. She will also be building her own list of US-focused clients.
‘Fight Club’ Author Chuck Palahniuk on Why He’s Publishing New Novel Via Substack
sg.news.yahoo.com – Tuesday September 21, 2021
Best-selling author Chuck Palahniuk is joining Substack, he announced Monday, and will be releasing his new novel, “Greener Pastures,” in installments on the platform. The serialized fiction novel will be part of a broader output called “Plot Spoiler,” making him the latest media and literary figure to join the burgeoning newsletter subscription service.
In a call with TheWrap, Palahniuk declined to discuss any financial terms, but said he was approached by Substack after last year’s “Consider This” memoir got “a ton of podcast attention” and great reviews.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
