16.04.15
www.thebookseller.com
Panel warns of indie arrogance NEWS
the industry right before you approach retailers. We get people turning up quite arrogantly, saying: ‘I’m a published author, what are you going to do about it?’” Layte also advised indie authors pitching books not
to send a copy, due to the volume of books he receives. “Someone once sent us a book, then three months later sent us a bill for it. It all went in the bin,” he said. O’Reilly advised authors to discover the preferences
BY SARAH SHAFFI
Self-published authors should know their book’s market and their “position in the industry” before pitching to retailers, panelists said at yesterday’s How to Sell Your Book seminar. Retailers Henry Layte, of The Book Hive in Norwich; Sheila O’Reilly, of Dulwich Books in London; and Matt Bates, fiction buyer at W H Smith Travel told indie authors to think about how their book looks and not to be arrogant when pitching it. Layte, who also co-founded Galley Beggar Press, which published Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Eimear McBride, said: “It’s quite a good idea to get your attitude about your book and position in
of retailers’ buyers before pitching to them. “Find out what they like,” she said. “There’s no point sending me a book of science fiction or fantasy because I don’t read that—and I have a phenomenal amount of books I do want to read.” She added: “Make sure your book has a spine, which sounds obvious. Make sure it fits on the shelf and has an ISBN.” Bates has bought in a number of self-published
titles for W H Smith Travel, including Piers Alexander’s The Bitter Trade and Jasper Gibson’s A Bright Moon for Fools, which he said has sold around 9,000 copies since it started stocking the title last summer. Both books were picked up because they looked impressive and professional, said Bates, adding: “I am looking for a product that looks strong and commercial.” The panel was hosted by The Bookseller associate editor Cathy Rentzenbrink (pictured with Layte).
OUP Children’s looks to cook up Creative ideas
OUP Children’s is hoping to retain rights and work more closely with authors by developing book ideas through its new Creative Kitchen. Publisher Liz Cross said that rather than acquire
completed manuscripts, she will look to develop story ideas with authors—often débuts—for books to publish through the initiative. “We felt it was ever harder to work with authors over a development process and we were heartbroken about some [writers] we had to turn down—perhaps they had a great voice but no
commercial ideas,” she said. Acquiring books through the new method will also see OUP keep the rights. “Increasingly agents want to retain rights but often our business is about selling rights and we wanted to control them,” Cross said. Cross has published three Creative Kitchen books
this year, with five books in the pipeline, including Unstoppable Max by Julia Patton and The Mouse That Cancelled Christmas by Samara Hardy. Ten projects are slated for publication by Creative Kitchen next year.
PAN MAC GIVES VLOGGERS BIG BREAK Pan Macmillan will expand Book Break, its consumer-facing b
deo
brand, through collaboration with YouTube as it rolls out a “broader dig strategy across all of its publishing divisions”.
The new strategy will see it work with booktubers and look to fill the newly created role of creative producer, tasked with “conceptualising and creating new video content” and enhancing Pan Mac’s YouTub presence. Digital and communications director Sara Lloyd said:id: “Working closely with YouTube, bringing outside expertise in- house, and nurturing strong relationships with vloggers will enable us to create content that is relevant, authentic and fun.”
ok to fill the
ptualising and ube
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Broadcasts will be cut in length from 30 minutes to 10 minutes but air more regularly, two or three times a month instead of onc the publisher will host a “Booktube Bash” for YouTubers to network
nutes but
ce. Next week etwork.
MANTLE TRAPS MELANIE
Mantle has bought UK and Commonwealth rights to The Trap by Melanie Raabe (pictured) after an “intense auction”. The novel follows a reclusive novelist who sees the man she believes killed her sister on television—and tries to entrap him using herself as bait. Sam Humphreys bought the book from Sarah Lutyens at Lutyens & Rubinstein, on behalf of Text Publishing in Australia. Mantle will publish in spring 2016.
RAVI ON THE RUN
Picador associate publisher Ravi Mirchandani has acquired world rights in all languages to Infinite by Julian Gough, in which protagonist Colt leaks the work of his mother—a university researcher—to a stem cell research conference, where her paper is rapturously received . . . until the conference is closed down and the pair have to go on the run. Mirchandani struck the deal with Charlie Campbell of Kingsford Campbell.
SIX WOMEN, TWO ROADS
book-based viideo broader digital video
John Murray imprint Two Roads has acquired Siân Evans’ Great Hostesses, which explores the lives of “six extraordinary women who helped shape the arts, politics and society during the interwar years”: Lady Londonderry, Lady Nancy Astor, Lady Emerald Cunard, Lady Sibyl Colefax, Dame Margaret Greville and Mrs Laura Corrigan. Lisa Highton acquired UK rights from Diane Banks at Diane Banks Associates; Two Roads will publish the title in 2016.
SEEDY SUNSET FOR FABER
Faber editorial director Angus Cargill has bought UK and Commonwealth rights to University of Mississippi professor Melissa Ginsburg’s Sunset City, and a second title by the author, in a pre-empt from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein. Sunset City is described as a crime noir which “descends into Houston’s seedy underbelly”.
NEWS NEWS / IN BRIEF RIGHTS DEALS
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