Feature Rising Stars at FBF


this new awareness, which will lead to so many more diverse books being published. It will beter serve both authors and readers, whether in the BAME or LGBTQ+ area. Children’s and YA is already leading the way in this inclusivit, as young people expect more of their reading material and publishers are rising to meet that. The Bologna Book Children’s Fair’s current exhibition, Nurturing Youthful Humanism—an exhibition of 200 children’s books that talk about equalit, rights, free- dom, love and life—is just one example of the excellent outcomes from this kind of inclusive thinking. Like many people in the UK and Ireland, I’m concerned about the effect that Brexit will have on the book trade. A return of hard borders could be devas- tating, especially for publishers in Ireland and North- ern Ireland if tariffs are introduced, and could spell


C+W’s Pike hoping to make a splash


Richard Pike, an agent at C+W, will be attending his first Frankfurt Book Fair, and he’s “excited to see if all the stories are true…!” After a spell working for an invest- ment bank, Pike moved to Orion and then onto Hodder, where the role of rights man- ager was a prelude to a move into agenting. He joined Curtis Brown in 2012 as an assis- tant to Gordon Wise, and became a fully- fledged agent a couple of years ago.


“We’ll be heading out in force and, like the rest of the team, I’ll mainly be meeting translation publishers to discuss our upcoming projects for 2018. “I’m particularly excited to be talking


Gráinne Clear chats to fellow Rising Stars Sam Fisher left and Nick Ackland at a networking event held in July for the Class of 2017


the closure of some houses. The Sterling/Euro rate has already had some wild fluctuations, and this is likely to continue, affecting publishers on all sides—the UK is a market for Irish publishers, but Ireland is also a market for UK publishers. It may be that warehousing, pricing and distribution routes will have to change, with opera- tions on both islands, which will of course increase costs. One of the most worrying aspects is the insular thinking and circling of the wagons that Brexit implies, and the only action publishers and booksellers can take against this is the continued production of books that are diverse, inclusive and open-minded. I would go so far as to say that this is an important social role for publishing to play, and one that we need to take on board in publishing decisions.


A margin call In terms of what I hope for in the future, I’m wish- ing almost daily for something similar to the Net Book Agreement being introduced, not just to help endangered indie publishers and booksellers, but to help remedy the real economic problem that publish- ing has. Discount rates are soaring and every part of the publishing machine is being squeezed more and more, until there’s almost nothing leſt. Fair prices and fair discounts for books need to make a comeback, or publishing houses, authors and the books produced will


38


about: The Flash Crash, an incredible financial narrative by Bloomberg journalist Liam Vaughan, the UK’s answer to Michael Lewis, for which we have lots of exciting news to announce; Welcome to Boomtown, a smart business proposal on principles of trust and empathy from one of the found- ers of WeTransfer; The Obvious Edge of the Optical Sea, a completely wonderful lit- erary début; and Just Eat It, a smart and important book on intuitive eating from


nutritionist Laura Thomas. “As an agency, we’ll be highlighting Trust


Me, a gripping new suspense title from Lisa Ballantyne (agented by Sophie Lambert); another literary début, Testament by Kim Sherwood, winner of the Bath Novel Award in 2016 (Susan Armstrong); and an insight- ful guide to the world of cryptocurrency by Christina Frankopan (Clare Conville). “For me, a book fair is a great chance to


make new international contacts and a chance to catch up with editors you may only see once or twice in each year. There may be less pressure to close deals than in previous years, and more focus on discuss- ing new projects and upcoming trends. “It’s been a mixed outlook for interna- tional markets in the past year, but there are lots of reasons to be optimistic, particu- larly with non-fiction. In terms of trends, there isn’t a particular stand-out theme, but there remains an appetite for engaging narrative non-fiction, such as Christie Wat- son’s The Language of Kindness, expert voices to guide us through uncertain times, and upbeat, feel-good stories to make readers laugh.”


suffer. As it stands, many publishing houses are under- staffed and many of those staff are underpaid, with reli- ance on free interns growing all the time. The industry cannot produce its best work or seek to grow on such unsteady foundations. Feminism is a subject that we’re seeing surface every- where, from picture books to YA, and all the way up to adult fiction and non-fiction, and it’s a beautiful sight. My hope for this is that it most certainly continues, but also that it will encompass gender equalit in a wider sense, and that we start to see more books for boys and young men that demonstrate a masculinit that is not just hard, emotionless and violent. Young men in Ireland and the UK are struggling with the expectations being placed on them by our culture, and helping them to access the right books could be key to helping them ease this pressure. Books such as Robert Webb’s How Not to be a Boy are an excellent start, and let’s hope such publishing continues.


Gráinne Clear is Dublin- based Little Island’s publishing manager and art director. She previously presented two children’s literature series for RTE Radio, was president of the Interna- tional Board on Books for Young People’s Irish brand and a board member for Publishing Ireland. She is speaking today at My Industry Vision, Inter- national Stage (Hall 5.1, A128) at 4 p.m.


11th October 2017


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