Following my critical remarks about the lack of spectacular seminars at this year’s London Book Fair, several people have asked me what I’d suggest instead. Well guys, it’s really not too difficult to come up with a more stimulating programme. Actually, watching pond slime evolve into protozoans would be marginally more interesting than the some of line-up as it presently exists. So here is my wish list to set the cat among the pigeons…
1. O.J. Simpson Tells All! This is has been the hottest inside story in publishing in recent months. Mr. O.J. has already been a guest speaker at the Oxford Union, so there’s comforting precedent. Global headlines would be assured, and the LBF’s profile would rocket! How cool would that be?
2. Cory Doctorow. I bet that many people in publishing still don’t know who this guy is. In a nutshell, Cory is probably the most influential thinker, pundit, activist, visionary, Renaissance man, prophet, wit, hipster, campaigner and author in the world right now. Think a younger Malcolm Gladwell on steroids. He has a youthful, web-savvy fan base and he makes waves. I want Cory to tell us where the future of publishing lies: if anyone knows, you can bet he does.
3. David Young. Brit David Young is one of the most powerful people in global publishing, a brilliant strategist and a deep thinker (David was the reason I originally got into this business – but that’s another story). So what are the megatrends in the corporate publishing world these days? David Young is uniquely qualified to tell us.
4. Jade. Granted, she’s going through a bit of a career slump at the moment (I wonder how she describes her occupation on her passport – “celebrityâ€, I suppose) but that just means we might get her for a reduced fee. The Ongar girl won’t be down forever, and she’ll certainly pack in the punters. My suggestion: put her in conversation with Trevor Dolby!
5. Tom Bower. Another legend! I went to hear him speak at the Media Society the other night – really off the scale for wit and indiscretion. In an increasingly chilly legal climate, Tom manages to write the books about the great and the powerful they don’t want you to know about; a British Kitty Kelly with less froth and far more substance – quite inspiring and delightfully gossipy.
6. Anthony Cheetham. Publishing legend and serial entrepreneur, Mr. C founded two huge publishing houses, and is now doing it all over again. He knows this business inside out, upside down and sideways! Frankly, anything he has to say would be worth listening to, but I’d particularly like to hear Anthony talk about the entrepreneurial aspects of being a publisher / editor. This business continually balances on an uneasy axis between the corporate risk-averse and the inspired gamble of a gifted publishing individual. I’d like to hear how Anthony brilliantly manages to square the two.
7. Patrick Jansen-Smith. Yes, he’s now theoretically a competitor of mine, but so what? Patrick has a fund of great stories, extraordinary publishing achievements, amazing people and terrific wit. Always good value.
8. M.J. Rose. Before you or your imprint pays through the nose for some flavour-of-the-month internet consultant to give you a Big New Idea (“Wow! Let’s set up a virtual publisher on Second Life!â€), consider M.J. Rose. She’s an author who has been doing it on the ‘net since the ‘net was in nappies. M.J. knows what online wrinkles work for authors and publishers – and what doesn’t. Fly her over here, put her up in a nice hotel, and she just might share some of her hard-won knowledge with the rest of us. Cheap at any price, I’d say.
9. Peter Cox on the future of Agenting. Let’s put false modesty aside (the best place for it, I always think). Agents are the new good guys of publishing! We act as the unpaid new product development department for publishers, we bring on new talent, we solve countless problems with tact and diplomacy, and we do all that and more before breakfast (I eat quite late). Today, the role of the agent is changing massively. Here is the brief historical context: Agent 1.0 goes as far back as the job itself: a relatively simple but important deal-making and payment processing service for authors. Agent 2.0 began when several high-profile agents and even higher-profile mega-deals made fortunes (not all earned out) for a select group of authors. Agent 3.0 is now. The job has never been tougher – or more rewarding, when things go well. Agent 3.0 is a multi-skilled mediator, not just a go-between or a “closerâ€, but a coach, manager, instigator and entrepreneur. Without Agent 3.0, publishing will eventually cease to exist… better find out about it now.
10. And finally… What Not To Hear. Please… Let’s leave Richard & Judy alone for a bit. Let’s not have another “how to get published†seminar sponsored by a vanity publisher. Let’s not have anything that’s an undisguised commercial plug for a service industry. You know what I mean.
So there’s the list as I see it. What do you think?
