Decent evening at the Wolfson Prize 💃

Absolutely delighted to be welcoming Ella Kahn to Apple Tree Literary as the company celebrates its first major expansion. Ella joins as a partner and as managing director after 12 years of running DKW Lit Agencg, and brings her stellar list of fiction, YA, and non-fiction clients with her.

America! Fuck yeah! (Great book this one. YooEssians, keep an eye…)

Well this is a little bit fucking amazing! 😱🤯😍 Honoured as fucking fuck and CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE BFA NOMINEES!!! (Bona nomination thread linked below!)

I am delighted to see The Green Man's War on the British Fantasy Society Awards 2025 shortlist for Best Novel, and Fight Like A Girl in the Best Anthology category. As always, I read all nominees thinking 'ooh, read that, it's good!' and 'ooh, interesting'. britishfantasysociety.org/british-fant...

The two foxes in my garden that decided to noisily wake me at 5am were clearly more aware of global events than I was, and thought ‘fuck it, we’d better get our freak on while we still can.’

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: Unbound is, in fact, in administration, but has not completed winding up. There is an administrator’s proposal that is seeking creditor input — AUTHORS, THAT IS YOU.

🧵A few years ago, an author I’d approached a year or so before that got back in touch with me. He’d decided after our first conversations that he’d prefer to take an offer on the table from Unbound. He came back to me because he suspected his royalties weren’t adding up 1/

Eugh. Brockwell Park festivals are vibrant, great for local businesses, and include Mighty Hoopla, London’s biggest LBGTQ-coded festival. And a small number of millionaires want to ruin the enjoyment of 100k+ ppl for a bit of inconvenience by their mansions www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

I’ve checked that Atlantic article and it appears that Meta has stolen Anti Social, the book I wrote which is still available in hardback, paperback and audiobook formats from wherever you buy books and is a great gift for friends and family alike.

Three of my clients have been shortlisted in four different categories for the @bsfa.bsky.social Award! Utterly delighted for @unamccormack.bsky.social @manuscriptgal.bsky.social and Aliya Whiteley - here’s to a clean sweep in Belfast… file770.com/bsfa-awards-...

Well blow me down with a feather, my lovely #DoctorWho book "Caged" has made the BSFA shortlist for best fiction for younger readers. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I've got onto an awards shortlist, so I'm a bit chuffed. file770.com/bsfa-awards-...

Nick - one of life’s good people - moved to Costa Rica last year, only for life to have kicked him & his wife repeatedly in the balls since. This is the latest, worst, in a string of crap they’ve had. Do help them out if you’ve a spare fiver.

Bought a house. Like, properly exchanged and everything. Blimey.

So, 13 of us are going skiing this week. Earlier today the below happened on the way to the resort. 6 hours later and we’re halfway along our 2h journey 😂😂 Maybe we’ll get there by 1am, 2am? If we’re lucky? At least it’s with good people 😂

"If you miss #TheTraitors, don't worry, The Apprentice is back next week" yeah alright, if you miss Christmas don't worry, it's Ash Wednesday next week. Fuck are you on about.

Traitors: seer was a great addition, but it should have been an episode earlier. Lost all the jeopardy by being in the penultimate…

The Bright Side by Sumit Paul-Choudhury review – harnessing the power of positive thinking

My new year’s resolution generator for @theguardian.com. Let me know what you get!

Monday people! I've put down a few words opening lines of books that I acquired. This is part of a loosely-defined, irregularly published series of posts on explaining my job. Requests, questions and suggestions of topics to cover are very welcome!

"Look honey, the neighbors put Christmas lights on their trash can!!"

Optimist: the cup is half full Pessimist: the cup is half empty Literary Agent: Cups are so hot right now, and this one has a brilliant profile, and what content it does have showcases a rare talent for holding liquid. Sorry, you’ve already seen a half empty *and* a half full cup this month???

Off the back of her inclusion in this year’s Global Dazed 100 yesterday – *the* list of the buzziest names in culture right now – I’m so chuffed that Ellen Atlanta’s Pixel Flesh has been shortlisted for the 2024 Nero Award for Non-Fiction!

“As long as the Tories exist, his book will be essential.” Brilliant to see Graham Brady’s fantastic and fascinating memoir KINGMAKER named a Times Book of the Year!

❄️ Welcome to Fairharbour—a city split in two. ☀️ CITY OF ALL SEASONS ARCs have arrived! Co-written by @oliverklangmead.bsky.social and Aliya Whiteley, this is an emotional science fantasy about cousins trapped in mirrored summer and winter cities. Request an ARC here: bit.ly/TitanARCs

I really enjoy how much of the conversation around “why are people leaving X for Blue Sky” focuses on politics, when it’s actually mostly about the sheer delight of having a functional micro messaging service again

Having spent the last two weeks dealing with a bunch of tricky, nitty gritty things, I’m well behind on my edits for clients, which is daunting and frustrating But on the positive side, I’m genuinely excited to plunge in to some of the brilliant things they’ve been sending me. To the coalface!

Old Facebook memories can be a force for good

Please read books. I’m begging you.

18mo ago I started a Substack - Representative Thinking - for occasional ramblings on both the business of publishing, and my thoughts on agenting. Sorely neglected it since - but if I were to actively post once a month minimum would people be interested? representativethinking.substack.com

Very proud of Hannah Durkin’s shortlisting for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown this evening. A worth winner in Henry Hemming, but delighted to see the recognition for Hannah’s incredible book SURVIVORS.

Alright, have at it Bluesky. Here’s hoping for the old days or something.