thebookseller.com WEDNESDAY 11 10.2017 At the Frankfurt Book Fair WORDS Tom Tivnan C104


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Wylie blasts ‘bewildering’ global publishing A


NDREW WYLIE HAS labelled HarperCollins and other conglomerates’ models of acquiring world rights in order to publish writers in all territories “bewildering”, claiming it is not in authors’ best interests. During a keynote speech at yesterday’s (10th October) “Frankfurt Book Fair: The Markets” conference, The Wylie Agency founder rounded on the larger publishing groups, singling out HarperCollins and its Global Publishing Prog- ramme as the company that “has pursued [all-territory publish- ing] the most vigorously”. Wylie added: “I do think the HarperCollins model is more bewildering than anything else. And the authors it has chosen are so ridiculous... No one else would want to publish them [glob- ally]. Most of them are romance authors, right? But ultimately, what it does is take authors off the table in a lot of territories. God bless competition.” The agent’s speech touched


Penguin Random House c.e.o. Markus Dohle was in positive mood at the fair’s opening press conference, saying that the book trade was at its strongest point for “50, maybe 500 years”. He cited a number of reasons, including international markets’ “slow but continuous” growth; the abating of digital disrup- tion in mature territories, with a “healthy coexistence” of physi- cal and e-books; and the fact that the children’s and YA sectors are driving sales in many markets, which he said was promising for the future.


on a variet of trade issues and what impact the rise of populism and nationalism, particularly in the US, would have on the trade. Wylie argued that read- ers were looking more than ever for stories that cross borders and that “local is global”, claim- ing authors’ world views can strike a chord globally, such as Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishig- uro’s British/Japanese perspec- tive, or Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “daily concerns in Norway and Sweden, which are similar to


what we experience in Chicago, Lagos, Shanghai and Dubai”. He also argued forcefully for diversit, stating: “So-called ethnic minorities are the major- it of the world. We need to publish their stories. People see things differently; the popu- list view is that they do not [and there is only one way of thinking], there is no apprecia- tion for another’s perspective. But that difference stimulates readers, sells books and resolves conflicts.”


Six-figure Flatshare for PRH editor O’Leary


Quercus has pre-empted The Flatshare, a début novel by Penguin Random House Chil- dren’s editor Beth O’Leary. Editorial director Emily Yau bought UK and Commonwealth rights to the title, and a second novel, in a six-figure pre-empt from Tanera Simons at Darley Anderson. International rights have been sold in the Netherlands, and auctions are under way in Spain, Italy and Germany (where 11 publishers are involved). A love story with a twist, The Flatshare follows two cash-strapped twentsome-


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Dohle argued that digital was still a challenge, albeit more in terms of how publishers market themselves, and not in terms of book formats. He said the industry must switch from being B2B marketers and go direct to consumers. “Given the way that the e-commerce market for books of all formats is develop- ing and growing, we need a new approach to marketing books. We have to be able to generate demand for our books, directly and at scale,” Dohle said.


things who agree to share a room: Leon, a night-shiſt worker, occupies the bed during the day, leaving Tiffy the run of the place the rest of the time. The book explores their blos- soming relationship as they communicate through Post-it notes, and asks if you can fall in love with someone you’ve never met. Quercus will publish the novel in 2019. It is Bookseller Rising Star Yau’s first buy in her new role; she leſt Ebury’s fiction team in August. Yau said O’Leary was “a writer to watch”, adding: “Readers are crying out for genuine, heartwarming, relatable fiction, and this is it. I’m thrilled.”


Débutant seals six-figure deals on both sides of Atlantic p06 · Sobriety storms the Messe p09 · Global bestsellers: part one p10 France: Guest of Honour analysis p23 · Bodleian offers first glimpse at Tolkien exhibition p31 · Rising Stars at FBF p37


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