LBF 2025 FROM IVAN

On tireless work, genuine passion and power plays ❤️

My Dear Agent Secret Reader,

Here are Ivan’s thoughts on London Book Fair this year, as promised.

For the aspiring writers: it should give you some clarity on how your book is sold when you’re not in the room.

For the publishing people: you might enjoy reading about your selves in a career affirming way.

Our best,

My Agent Secret

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Ivan Mulcahy on London Book Fair 2025

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DAY 1

It's 5:25 PM and I'm waiting for my last meeting of the day at our agency's table in the International Rights Centre (IRC) at London Book Fair (LBF). The first meeting was at 9 AM. They then happened in thirty minute intervals all day. It will be the same tomorrow and Thursday. There are rare gaps in my schedule. Someone cancelled because of Covid. Another put the wrong time slot in their calendar. I shouldn't delight in illness or error. But the surprise spaces to think are a little joy for anyone attending LBF.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the fair. Forty-five formal meets, another dozen or twenty random encounters with people in the corridors, plus the drink meets and the dinners—and everyone talking books. It's why I came into this industry twenty-two years ago. I adore chats about story, writing style, industry trends and random gobbets of gossip. Happy days.

Not just any books either.

We're talking about books by authors my colleagues and I admired enough to sign up to the agency. We admire what they write so much we want to present them to publishers and get publication deals in as many countries as possible.

Today I met publishers from France, America, Korea, Italy, as well as the UK.

Every publisher is hunting down their next big thing or a special gem they see fitting their list.

If you, as a book writer or reader, wonder what really happens for us at the Book Fair: this is it. We’re selling. All day.

I relish the whole game of sales. That's a big help. Many find it a chore or even find it alienating. They prefer editing or planning the publication or figuring out how to reach readers. Those parts of the work have their pleasures, but for me selling is the essence.

DAY 2

I have another little gap between meetings.

I wasn't planning to say more about selling but Tilly says the readers who are writers (the ambitious ones) will be interested in how their books are sold.

Most of our agency's meetings here are with publishers from the US, Europe and Asia. We also see quite a few London publishers at the Fair.

Agency-Publisher meetings are a two-way sales dialogue.

The publisher wants ensure, even if they've no interest in our current titles, that we understand what books they seek and what successes they’re having. Their goal is to ensure that when Sallyanne or Edwina or I have a cracking book to sell that has obvious potential, we think of them. We're keen to demonstrate the range and quality of our list, even if we are not pressing any title on them this Fair.

These presentation exchanges are routine. The meetings you remember though are when a publisher is pressing you to know more about a specific book.

We respond to their interest and provide more details about the author, their talent and any other qualities likely to help the sale.

We also broaden the discussion around the book to bring all our thinking around it to the editor. We might have been preparing to sell this book for six months or longer, so we've got reflections on why readers might love it, what others books it might compare with (“COMPS”) and what other publishers have said about it (or at least hints).

It's good to make the publisher feel there are others hovering around because if a publisher is bidding against a rival they can often get a winning bid approved in a matter of hours. If they know they're the only (likely) bidder then the financial offer can take weeks to appear. Slow when it suits them, that's publishers—no I'm not being fair, we agents also play games with time when we're trying to squeeze the maximum advance and best deal terms for an author.

The question to always ask yourself when selling is where the power lies.

When you’re the agent chasing interest from publishers, they have the power. When you have two publishers bidding, you have the power. When you only have one bidder they have the power – BUT if you play a canny game, sometimes you can take the power in that situation. You'd need buy me a drink to learn how.

Back to my next meeting.

DAY 3

Hello from LBF on the final day.

The place is buzzy but only half as busy as Tuesday and Wednesday. Lots of people do meetings for only one or two days. We've a lot of people to meet so Edwina, Sallyanne and I have meetings sometimes as a team, sometimes alone every 30 minutes, all day.

A writer has asked me how we create our sales pitch for each book? Is the writer involved?

Often not much, in truth.

A lot of writers don't enjoy thinking about their book as a product (an entity with named features, competitors and a market value.) That's understandable, even natural.

Other authors do want to get involved—in order to make sure I'm highlighting everything important. I'm glad for the input but I take my own view on how best to present their book.

My pitch can change from day 1 to day 3 of LBF. Talking with publishers often reveals an opportunity to heighten interest in the book by comparing it with another title I had overlooked. Or by doubling down on a specific quality of the writing that's resonating with editors right now.

Occasionally there's a big learning moment.

For example I was pitching a memoir set in the world of radical politics yesterday.

An editor with deep specialist experience in publishing books by radical activists gave me her insights—so valuable. It's made me rethink how this author is framing their life story which they’re still in the process of writing. I was hoping for useful feedback on the approach, but then I got even more than that.

You are always learning in this job. The day you feel like a know-all is the beginning of the end.

As ever,

Ivan

[ENDS.]

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🚨ACTION POINT🚨

Would you buy your own book?

YES/NO

Why?

(Having ideas is useful. Your literary agent is your partner.)