Easy listening
thebookseller.com – Friday December 8, 2017
Agents are on my mind. At last week’s AudioBook Revolution conference, a number of agents raised concerns about how publishers are demanding audio rights when they also buy print. The charge was led from the podium by Curtis Brown agent Alice Lutyens, backed from the floor by her colleague Cathryn Summerhayes, and informed by agent Ivan Mulcahy. It was a debate I had been told no-one wanted to have. Now it feels urgent.
Hachette UK buys Jessica Kingsley Publishers
thebookseller.com – Friday December 1, 2017
Thirty years after it was founded, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) has been bought by Hachette UK for an undisclosed sum.
The indie publisher specialising in social and mental health sciences is set to become an imprint of John Murray Press under Nick Davies. Its founder Jessica Kingsley will work with the company on a consultancy basis until mid-2018 when she will retire.
Authors accuse publisher of exploiting writers by banning literary agents
dailydot.com – Thursday November 23, 2017
Tyrant Books, a little-known New York indie publisher, has just ignited a firestorm of controversy on Twitter. Authors including Chuck Wendig, John Scalzi, and Neil Gaiman are speaking out against the publisher, all thanks to this tweet:
"Dear agents, please stop sending inquiries to Tyrant. We no longer consider agented writers. Writers w/agents: feel free to send, just know you have to drop your agent if we want to sign you. Thanks,
Tyrant staff"
Charlie Brotherstone opens own agency
thebookseller.com – Wednesday November 15, 2017
Charlie Brotherstone, literary agent at Ed Victor Ltd, is opening his own agency.
Brotherstone Creative Management will be a full service literary agency with a range of clients including Brett Anderson, Charles Glass, Kirstin Innes, Thomas Pavitte, Nuno Mendes, George The Poet, and the AA Gill Estate.
Abrams Artists Agency Adds Michael Brooks, Ryan Levee & Derek Blum As Agents
deadline.com – Saturday November 11, 2017
Abrams Artists Agency is bolstering its business verticals with three key hires, adding new agents Michael Brooks, Ryan Levee and Derek Blum to its Los Angeles office.
Dragons’ Den aims to give writers a leg up
portsmouth.co.uk – Wednesday November 8, 2017
A DRAGONS’ DEN-style writer event is being held in Portsmouth this month.
Literary agents and editors are coming to the city to sign up writers to their agencies.
Can Sweek turn free mobile stories into a self-publishing empire?
thebookseller.com – Friday November 3, 2017
Sweek is a global mobile platform for free reading, writing and sharing stories. Readers can like, share, follow and comment on stories, while writers have the opportunity to build a fanbase from scratch.
As well as mobile publishing, Sweek offers writers free services to self-publish their work - as a printed book and/or an e-book - and then sell it directly via social media, their own websites and relevant sales channels.
Veteran Lit Agent David Boxerbaum Joins Verve Talent and Literary Agency
variety.com – Friday November 3, 2017
Lit agent David Boxerbaum has joined Verve Talent and Literary Agency as a partner.
Boxerbaum comes to Verve from Paradigm where he served as one of the agency’s top lit agents. It’s unknown what clients will be joining Boxerbaum at Verve, but his long list includes a strong group of respected directors, screenwriters, and producers.
Hollywood and book publishers are turning to this online platform for their next '50 Shades of Grey'
cnbc.com – Monday October 30, 2017
Wattpad is an online platform where users upload their own stories, making it popular for romance novels and fan fiction.
Anna Todd began writing "After," a One Direction-inspired fan fiction, on Wattpad. After being read 1.5 billion times, she's scored seven-figure movie and book deals.
A.I. Take a Surprisingly Successful Stab at Writing Horror Fiction
slate.com – Friday October 27, 2017
Scientists working on A.I. development are at least trying to make sure our future machine overlords aren’t subject to the same flaws and negative habits that plague us flesh-and-bone humans. But there are some grotesqueries of the human mind we might like A.I. to emulate—for art’s sake.
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