By series nine of #TheTraitors it will be 20 spies all sitting round pretending to be estate agents.

Wait, Harriet Tyce is on The Traitors? Amazing! Watching someone you know on it will be such a different experience. Go Harriet!

I’ve now had the cold from hell for four days straight. Thanks to convelescing, I also finished another Lisa Jewell and can’t remember which others I’ve read…

When Harry Met Sally is possibly my favourite film (it's unchangable, perfect), and The Princess Bride well up there too. Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, Misery... So few directors can claim a purple patch as rich or varied.

I told our five-year-old that my wife and I are going on a date tonight and asked what he thinks we’ll be doing. “Um, doing crosswords? Sitting down doing crosswords and drinking tea and reading books. Boring books.” I so need to get out more.

Radiohead at the O2 last night. Jaw-dropping, hairs standing up on your arm music.

@eadbrookes.bsky.social Hello Adam - Mick Jagger is a fan of Spy Games! www.thetimes.com/uk/get-brita...

That Celebrity Traitors finale was even better than expected. It had everything you could hope for and more. Wonderful.

The latest Not-So-Secret Agents Substack from @tpbagency.bsky.social written by me, on comparison titles: why they’re a thing, how they’re used in queries, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to master them. open.substack.com/pub/thenotso...

My first takeaway from the Frankfurt Book Fair is how much I respect solo diners in hotel bars who order dessert. You do you lone wanderer!

What's Hot: Horror is our latest Substack, by me but mainly by fantastic publishers Sophie Robinson of @torbooksuk.bsky.social and Anna Jackson of Orbit. What's hot now, what's oversaturated, and what are the emerging trends? Find out here. open.substack.com/pub/thenotso...

Interesting that I received an 'opt-in' contract addendum from Bloomsbury for a book I wrote years ago with Nick Rennison which does not feature the word 'AI' in the email. Only once you open the addendum does it explain what you're opting into. Authors need this stuff to be very, very clear.

I feel like this won’t help get my crossword answer. Cheers Google AI.

New client signed! We're talking intense literary body horror entwined with Scottish folklore... Delicious.

Every publisher's nightmare. And it's happened to us all at one time or another.

RIP Robert Redford, star of one of my top ten films (All the President's Men), and producer and star of the film version of my client Nicholas Evans' smash hit novel The Horse Whisperer. He was one of the last greats of the second golden age of Hollywood.

I had the joy of acquiring this book as a publisher and did the first bunch of edits. It's unbelievably fun, the absolutely best of historical fiction while being about as accessible as it gets. Just go and buy it! Also Tony is the nicest man in the world.

I'm completely perplexed as to why Netflix made The Thursday Murder Club a film rather than a series.

For over a week the BBC has lead the news with immigration stories, culminating in a huge platform for the Farage speech today. Make no mistake, just as in the US, the UK media is, deliberately or not, preparing the ground for our own Trump-style government.

always preferred "know what you write about", since that's something you can do something about

Test cricket really is a wonder.

Every now and again I picture the Betty’s fondant fancies I’ll be eating in a week at the Harrogate crime festival and it pleases me.

What does a book editor actually do? I lift the lid on life as an editor. Great for any authors, new and experienced, wanting a peek behind the publishing curtain. @tbpagency.bsky.social substack.com/@thenotsosec...

I’m absolutely thrilled this exceptional book I published by a truly talented author is getting its dues. Katy Massey’s All Us Sinners is a terrific book, a worthy #CWADaggers winner!

Everyone has been praising Department Q but the first episode seemed fairly depressing and had the violence against women that older Scandicrime (like the original novels) tended to have. Is it worth continuing?

I had a great time talking to The Book Machine podcast about the development of fiction IP, working in partnership with authors and thinking about how ideas are created for readers. Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f... @tbpagency.bsky.social #booksky

Our new Substack is live! Authors, check out our guide on How to Find an (Amazing) Agent, courtesy of my fine colleague ‪@dearrhian.bsky.social‬ @tbpagency.bsky.social #booksky #querying substack.com/home/post/p-...

One of the strongest shortlists the #TheakstonsAwards have had in years, but I’ll be cheering on @brookmyre.bsky.social - The Cracked Mirror was one of the final books I published, and without question one of the best. It has EVERYTHING and couldn’t have been written by anyone else.

Listen to Pet Semetary, I thought. It will be fun - undead animals etc. WHY DID NO ONE WARN ME.

Thanks for clarifying, Google AI!

Good. Now change direction on the AI opt-out and go for opt-in, with payment for authors who do, @teamlabouruk.bsky.social

Our new Substack is up, by me, on what's hot for crime and thriller. Writers querying in this area, you need to read this! Views from the amazing @mirandajewess.bsky.social of @viperbooks.bsky.social, Charlotte Brabbin of @harpercollins.bsky.social, and Emily Griffin of Century. #BookSky #amquerying

We - @tbpagency.bsky.social - have launched our Substack! It's written by us and other industry experts to help authors and newcomers understand publishing. Don't let it stay a mystery - crack the code here: thenotsosecretagents.substack.com?r=ga4j2&utm_... 💙📚 #BookSky #writingcommunity #amquerying

🚨🌱 The Chancellor is reviewing all public spending from scratch. Please join me in signing the @campaignforthearts.org petition to remind the UK Govt: the arts make our lives happier & our communities stronger. Now is the moment to invest in them. www.campaignforthearts.org/petitions/sp...

This has just hit the shops, and it's an absolute treat. A huge bundle of fun.

Thrilled that my very first book deal has been announced, Daisy’s Pearce’s superb folk horror to Orbit in the UK. A very special (scary) horror thriller writer you SHOULD read. #BookSky

An incredible list but I’m over the moon to see The Cracked Mirror by @brookmyre.bsky.social on here. An utterly original book, funny, moving, magnificent. And out in paperback today.

Do other countries have an equivalent slang term to 'marmite', ie something you either strongly like or dislike?

On the 3 April we’re organising a day of protest against Meta following revelations of pirated books being used to train their large language models. More information on how to get involved 👇 societyofauthors.org/2025/04/01/s...

About 50% of my submissions use either Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train or Wrong Place, Wrong Time as a comparison, and then aren't much like them. Please read beyond the biggest books if you're submitting and including comps! (And I love those books.)

Of 1,000 responses, 96% said the government’s ’opt-out’ strategy for AI training on authors’ works said it would have a negative effect on the creative industries. 96%. Labour must listen.

We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems. As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting. But what can authors do? Read here: societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...

It’s literally impossible to hear the words ‘fully operational’ and not imagine the word ‘battle station’ after it.

I’m almost impressed my one book, a list of the best American novels written with Nick Rennison, has been used to help Meta make money from AI. That’s dedication.

Before I left Sphere, I acquired the debut novel from one of my absolute favourite people, Tony Robinson. Working on The House of Wolf was a total joy, it's like nothing else in the genre and deserves to be a massive hit. @rosannaforte.bsky.social is going to do an amazing job of publishing it.

Fantastic to see @tbpagency.bsky.social book Glasgow Boys on here. A tender novel that’s really marking its mark.

Off to my first London Book Fair as an agent, talking about my amazing clients and generally catching up with publishers from far and wide. Here we go… #LBF25

It’s Cambridge half marathon day. I’m somewhat undertrained thanks to injury, but excited nonetheless.

The combination of Trump and Married at First Sight Australia is a crack-level of constant content addiction. So. Much. Drama.

Happy World Book Day! My seven-year-old has gone as Lyra from His Darn Materials, complete with two fluffy animals she can swap throughout the day to be her changing Daemon.