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#186 - Hannah Weatherill
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Literary and book-to-screen agent, Hannah Weatherill is on the podcast chatting about her career in publishing, what it means to pitch books to television and film studios and building a brand new list with Watson Little.
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Ooh, a spicy question. I love it. Because the writing is sort of everything. You can fix plot holes, but if the writing... So some readers love that and some readers are like, but I wanted more of this. So it's kind of a gamble.
Introduction to Hannah Weatherill
00:00:14
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to the Right and Wrong podcast. On today's episode, I'm very excited to have literary and book to screen agent, booksellers Rising Star 2021, Hannah Weatherill. Hello. Hello, Jamie. How are you?
00:00:28
Speaker
I'm very well, thanks. How are you? Yeah, really well, thank you. Well, thanks so much for coming on and chatting with me. um Lots to cover. So I thought, let's start with um a bit about you and your career in publishing. Am I right in thinking that you're with Watson Little now, but you only joined Watson Little this year?
Career Journey and Move to Watson Little
00:00:48
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Actually about six weeks ago, almost two months now. So yeah, still super new. um It's a really lovely team and I'm really glad to be here. um I've done a few different jobs in publishing, so I started off as a scout.
00:01:04
Speaker
and Then I became an agent, and then I had a short stint at Penguin, um doing a maternity cover last year when I was looking after their film and TV rights. And then when when that finished finished, then I um came back into agency and ended up back at Watson Little. and So it's been good fun to try out a few different things and see some different parts of the industry. I know kind of scouting especially can be one of those secret industry jobs that people don't know too much about. and But it's ah it's a really good place to start your career because it means that you get to meet loads of agents and editors and get a real sense of what's selling and what and what's not. And and
00:01:48
Speaker
just knowing about all these really tiny microtrends, which are always really super interesting, like, oh, loads of editors have suddenly got books about witches. um So they've seen four of them in the last week, so they don't want any more witch books, and that kind of thing. And then the next month, it might be nuns. Or you can tell when there's been like one big news story, and then two years later, all these writers send you the same book about it, inspired by it. So that was a really good way in um And then I was the fiction agent at Northbank he Talent Management. I started there in April 2019. I just did their fiction and their children's books for a couple of years, but then um our in-house book to screen agent left. And because I'd done some scouting for production companies in my last job, and I kind of took over their book to screen rights as well. So that's how that slightly odd kind of of move happened, but it was a really interesting time and in film and TV because there was a kind of sudden boom in film and TV options and producers everywhere kind of scrambling for material.
Impact of Streaming Platforms on Publishing
00:03:00
Speaker
It was kind of at the start of the streaming boom and and suddenly Netflix and
00:03:06
Speaker
Amazon Prime and various other platforms were competing. So they needed material to kind of fill their new channels and then producers were looking for for books and known IP to do that.
00:03:17
Speaker
and So that was a really exciting time. So and then I've been at Northbank for four years and and the job at Penguin came up, which was the head of media rights for Penguin Random House UK, which was working across all of their divisions um on the books that they have the dramatic rights to.
00:03:38
Speaker
um quite often the agent reserves the dramatic rights but if and for quite a few unagented authors um and in various other situations, Penguin, Random House, like after the film and TV rights to certain books. and So I went there for a year, um partly just to see what it was like inside Penguin, which is always really interesting. I was going to say that seems like quite a big sort of change of trajectory from from the the kind of literary scout into literary agent.
00:04:06
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. um Well, the the scouting into agenting was was the first kind of big leap. yeah which was I knew when I was a scout that I wanted to work more closely with authors, and because as a scout, you kind of you see and read everything, and you have a lot of industry knowledge, but then there's unless you become a, you stay a scout for a very long time, there's, there's not really anywhere to put that, you know, you just read the next thing and the next thing. And it's all about being on top of everything and and not missing anything for your clients. But you don't get to talk to authors and say, actually, this is where the market is at the moment. And maybe you could, you know, make these editorial tweaks. So I knew I wanted to to go work more closely with authors. And that's what I i really enjoyed doing.
00:04:58
Speaker
and At North Bank in my first agenting job, i had to I inherited quite a lot of authors. We did um commercial fiction, largely. and I took on a few more slightly upmarket and i literary authors as well. And I think from because of Scouting, my taste is very varied. We always had to and you know, read everything. So, yeah and I've kind of taken that into my age and career and do a lot of crime and thriller, but also, you know, rom coms, book club books, literary, coming of age, historical, a bit of everything. And
00:05:30
Speaker
and I really like working with authors and especially helping them kind of pivot into different areas. and So we had quite a few authors at Northbank that had been with the company for a long time and and maybe wrote um kind of chicklity books in the early noughties, which aren't quite where the market is now. and So we help them kind of move into slightly different areas. Or I had a few authors that would write children's books and adult books at the same time or children's nonfiction.
00:06:00
Speaker
um
Agent's Role in Author Success
00:06:02
Speaker
and or different ages within children's or a couple of them pivoted from nonfiction books into fiction. um So that was always really fun kind of strategizing with them and trying to hit on ideas that really worked for the market. and But where they kind of weren't sure what direction might work for them next. And I think that's the the kind of value adds that agents can really help with.
00:06:27
Speaker
and So yeah, and it's always just it's lovely kind of giving people good news and and mentoring them. and and And it's always much easier I find to negotiate on behalf of someone else than for yourself. and Yeah, so it's always nice to kind of be in that kind of helping in in mentoring and negotiating position.
00:06:47
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And I'm sure spending a year at Penguin, like on the publisher side of things was sort of, you must have learned a lot from, because you'd previously you've been the other side, right? Yeah. So I thought that that was part of the reason I moved and I thought it would be a very kind of valuable opportunity to yeah see what those acquisitions conversations actually are. And I kind of, I worked within the rights department. um So there was a very small team of film and TV rights people that i that I was part of. and their translation rights team is is really big, and especially when you combine adult and children, and I worked across both of those. and So it was just really interesting to kind of get a sense of what editors are looking for at the moment, and also help them thinking more of a TV way. and Because
00:07:36
Speaker
you know, quite a lot of authors do get TV deals or film TV deals now and they they can really help each other in terms of, you know, a new adaptation can really help to promote the book and vice versa. and and So I think it really helps to be thinking in a kind of 360 degree media way right from the beginning.
00:07:57
Speaker
and So yeah, it was a really interesting year, but I think um in the same way there, I was literally just doing the book to screen writes and I miss working with directly author with authors again. And like I said, talking about that strategy and and helping them and and kind of mentoring them and across their career.
Building a New List at Watson Little
00:08:15
Speaker
and So when my kind of fixed contract ended, and I was, you know, excited to come back to agenting and start working with directly with authors again.
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah. and And like you said, what's a little, are you building like a brand new you new list there? Yes, yes, I am, which is very exciting. So um on one hand, I'm doing the screen rights and they have a brilliant list there. Anyway, I know, you know, Megan Carroll and and but there's, you know, 50 years worth of authors there that and a really brilliant team of agents that in between us, we kind of cover all genres. and So lots of material for me to work with and kind of push out to producers. But then on the book side, and yes, I'm growing a brand new list, which is very exciting. It's going to be um
00:09:05
Speaker
mostly adult for now, maybe a tiny bit of children's, but i'm I'm not focusing on that at the moment. um But adult fiction and nonfiction, and which is also new for me, but very exciting. I'm a big fan of kind of narrative nonfiction, a memoir, lifestyle, self-help, well-being books. So I'm moving into that space. But on the fiction side, I'll be doing crime and thriller and kind of book clubby art market books, which is what I really love doing. So and I was going to ask you just kind of like as a general thing, what what are the genres that you you are going to represent?
Trends in Thriller Genre
00:09:39
Speaker
Yeah, so i I mean, I'm always looking for thrillers. I think on the on the book side, more standalone than kind of police procedurals at the moment. um On the thriller side, ah
00:09:55
Speaker
I think it's all over, well, half about the concept and having a really good kind of different one line hook that feels really, really fresh and exciting, which I'm sure everyone says, sorry if it's not too.
00:10:07
Speaker
ah not obviously not the easiest thing in the world to come up with. that's say yeah No pressure. But and that is what we need is a new and fresh hook, but also a really strong voice. um Funny voices work quite well at the moment. But you know, just anything that feels very kind of convincing and exciting and really makes you want to read on. and But also I think people are looking for slightly different structures. um I think um wrong place, wrong time by Gillian McAllister worked really well and felt very different and because of that kind of Groundhog Day aspect of it. i And then also kind of puzzle-y things like the appeal by Janus Hallett is always um
00:10:49
Speaker
I like the the the emails and um the WhatsApp groups and and that kind of thing, that I think it can work well when it's done in a really great way, and but kind of publicly authentic thrillers that kind of challenge the reader at the at the same time and and feel like feel very intelligent and like that the authors really kind of thought it through.
00:11:13
Speaker
yeah So that kind of thing, I think I'd say nothing too dark and bleak at the moment as well. And I think that's where the kind of, the trend for quite funny thrillers comes in and because everyone's looking, I mean, everything's so bleak generally, but I think everyone wants a bit of escapism even in their thrillers. So that's where you get things um like, oh, examples now.
00:11:40
Speaker
So, you know, like how to kill your family and that kind of thing. Like a little bit tongue in cheek. and yeah But then on the outside of crime, I'm quite open to various things. I really like, I mean, they all need a really good hook still across everything, but um I generally like quite kind of upmarket writing, but with a kind of a commercial angle. say in and like the rom com space, for example, I really like like romantic comedy by Curtis Sitterfeld. I love love stories in general. So any kind of big, well, big or intimate feeling love story and will always be interesting to me.
00:12:24
Speaker
But it still does need a kind of big hook and it needs to feel fresh and exciting. So I really like romantic comedy. um I recently read I'm Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Waite, which is a really great book about complex families. and It's about two sisters that um aren't talking to each other at the moment.
00:12:44
Speaker
but it kind of opens when they they meet again at a family funeral. But it's also the story of their quite difficult mother and it flashes back to when she was growing up in her marriage and that kind of thing. So it's just, it's it's funny, but it's also very sympathetic to very kind of complicated characters. So any kind of exploration of family dynamics and that kind of thing. I think also that something that feels like it has something to say about the world, whatever that may be,
00:13:12
Speaker
um is is always really interesting. And I think if that's you know talking about different types of relationships or about social issues or you know the the way we live in in various parts of the world today, and then that's always interesting. And then I guess I'm looking at a little bit of historical, it's always a little bit more tricky and in the market is smaller. and yes So I'll probably only take on kind of one or two historical authors and I do get submitted quite a lot of it.
00:13:39
Speaker
Right. But in in that space as well, it's just things that feel exciting and pacey and have a really good voice and a great setting. Essentially, if that's not too long, then answer. Just that. And I will say this is on the Watson little web website. ah in in From the other side, of it does you have written that you are not the right author for sci-fi fantasy action thrillers. Yes.
00:14:06
Speaker
just that's a simple one of being like not this is almost an easier way of saying yeah it's yeah always always helpful i know i know fantasy is big at the moment it's just not not funny well my understanding was that fantasy obviously romanticy is the the big thing at the moment but traditional fantasy from what i've heard is actually very quite a difficult set at the moment Yeah, I think that's that's probably true as well. I think it's it's in a weird spot where it's kind of, there's a lot of very popular authors in that space, but they are almost writing enough books that it's very hard for a new author to break into that space. That's kind of the the sense I get as a big fantasy reader.
00:14:48
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think that's probably very true. It's when you get these massive brands that break out and when they're so prolific, and you know which they have to be at the moment to kind of keep keep the readers engaged. Well, just to keep up with Brandon Sanderson's output. Everyone needs to write at least a million words a year.
00:15:06
Speaker
Exactly. But no, it can make it really hard for new authors to break out. And I mean, that's, to be honest, the same in, in rom coms and romance and thrillers as well, and and has been for a long time. So, you know, the bar's very high, but it it should never kind of put people off trying.
00:15:24
Speaker
And I think in terms of what you were saying about what you're looking for, you like that the you the emphasis being on like the hook is still very important and you want it to be voiced and stuff. I think a lot of the, if you're writing within genre, so if you're writing like we say fantasy or romance or like a psychological thriller is very, very popular at the moment. yeah There's so much going on in those spaces that you do need to have a sort of very unique perspective to kind of break through the noise.
00:15:49
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. and I mean, new takes on on tried and tested settings, structures, ah characters are still always really interesting. So you don't have to totally reinvent the wheel. And actually, it's, you know, useful if you compare some sort of domain on the market that that work in a similar space. So I think you know, there will always be a space for kind of toxic relationships and thrillers and toxic families and mother daughters and equally kind of locked room thrillers, there are like a lot, a lot of rap of them around at the moment, but you know, if you have a really interesting new one, the reason that they work is because
00:16:31
Speaker
the locked through structure creates tension in itself. So it works through a thriller because you know that it's already built in. So yeah, it's it's not about something totally, totally new that that completely re reinvents the wheel. It's it's about finding a point of difference and yeah running with that.
00:16:56
Speaker
it's's It's keeping what people what fans of the genre like about the genre whilst adding kind of so a new twist or like a new kind of aspect to it, which maybe subverts what they're expecting or just like takes it in a different direction. Yeah, absolutely.
00:17:11
Speaker
Yeah. um So like I said, building a brand new list.
Advice on Submission Process
00:17:16
Speaker
Let's talk about submissions, always something we like to talk about with agents here on the podcast. um And lots of my listeners are writers who will be looking to find themselves an agent and a huge part of that is the submission process.
00:17:27
Speaker
yeah So it is, as of recording this, it is July, 2024. You are currently open to submissions. yeah um Watson Little's submission is is pretty, pretty par for the course. It's a cover letter, one page synopsis and a writing sample, three chapters, approximately 10,000 words. um When you open up a submission, what order do you go through the parts and what are you looking for within each of those?
00:17:56
Speaker
Yeah, so um I read the cover letter first. um That's the most useful thing to get a sense of the concept and the hook, and if there is one, which is why the cover letter is is useful and important.
00:18:16
Speaker
And then I tend to look at the chapters because it really, ah you know, at the end of the day it is all about the writing. um I see quite a lot where the the concepts are really great. and But that the execution doesn't quite um stack up. um Or alternatively, you know, if if it's hard to get a sense of whether there's a great concept in in the cover letter, but the writing is really amazing, then yeah Well, hard to say, i obviously, I consider everything carefully ah anyway and would always have a look at the writing. And then if it's hard to get a sense of the hook in the cover letter, that's when I tend to go to the synopsis after I've read the chapters. okay Just so I can see where it's going. and And then especially if it's something like a thriller, just to see where the where the plot goes and just in case it goes really off-piste at the end.
00:19:08
Speaker
and So I'd say each part is important. The writing and the chapters are the e most important. the The cover letter and synopsis are very useful tools to give the agent as much information as possible.
00:19:27
Speaker
and which will help us make a decision. um At the end of the day, it does come down to the writing and and the story and and the chapters. but and But is it useful for me to go kind of go into detail on umc cover letters and that kind of thing? Oh, absolutely. yeah yeah Yeah. Okay. So what I what i find most useful structure wise, and also if it's hard It's hard to get a balance, isn't it? Because um none of this is a rule, and there are lots of different ways to write them. And I don't i wouldn't want writers to get too bogged down in worrying about whether they've written the cover letter right, because at the end of the day, if it just kind of gets the information across, then it it functions fine. But I think the most effective way of structuring a cover letter is to, it's basically in three parts, you have the, say, dear Hannah,
00:20:17
Speaker
excited to be submitting my novel. This is the title of the novel, roughly this many words. And then you have the brief kind of one line description or hook, but I think it's really useful to pack into that the the setting, the age of the character. So you might say this is my novel, it's called Blah Blah Blah. It's about a 25 year old woman who gets locked in a room with a possible serial killer. So then then I know roughly where what to expect in terms of tone and character and I can start kind of positioning it in my head.
00:20:56
Speaker
and and that's just within the first sentence then, so you've really packed a lot in there. And then you do a paragraph or two, which is a slightly longer blurb, and all about you just kind of go into the story in a little bit more detail. It's it similar to what you'd see on a ah kind of book cover or Amazon page. But again, I would try and pack in a reasonable amount of detail. I always think of it like a ah job cover letter where you want to say as much as you can in very few words. So I'd really make them kind of work hard. and If that makes any sense at all. Yeah, I know what you mean. So, you know, you could pack in the setting, the age, people's relationships in one word, you know, then then that's really useful.
00:21:48
Speaker
And in terms of people always kind of ask about spoilers in in the blurb and that kind of thing. And I think you want to get to a place where you set up the you know that that the context of the book. So in the example from and before, it might be that and woman X It's just broken up with her boyfriend. She's got a new job. She goes in for the first day, then she gets stuck in the lift. There's one other person in it. And then she realizes that she saw his photo on TikTok and he was, you know, wanted for murder or something like that.
00:22:25
Speaker
take just off the top of my head. So I would aim for maybe kind of six or seven lines, you know, just to, so it sets up the context around the character, so we know what to expect and kind of tonally, you can kind of gauge it from from that much information. And then you get an idea of what happens, where the tension comes from, and why we want to read on. So in that one, you know, you'd want to read it because you want to find out if she escapes or not. And if he's definitely a zero killer, and that kind of thing.
00:22:55
Speaker
you're not giving the spoiler, you're kind of setting up the question. Yeah, you're setting up the question. If there are kind of two levels of conflict, you know, you probably want that twist, and then you might have another big twist coming later on. And if if that's really important to making the book interesting and different. So if I was querying Gone Girl, for example, then I probably would say in my cover letter, but it switches perspective halfway through.
00:23:25
Speaker
And she's actually not dead after all, because that's what makes the book different and interesting and and so great. So I would go to that level of spoiler, which is more than you would do on the book cover, obviously, but it just shows to an agent that there is more in there that they should carry on reading to kind of find out. So that's that's the kind of blurb. And then you've just got a short paragraph about you. Doesn't have to be super long, just a kind of couple of sentences.
00:23:53
Speaker
just about, you know, who you are, where you live, you know, whether you've done any writing before, what you like doing, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's just to get a sense of you as a person. yeah And that's all really. Do you like to have comparison titles in the cover letter? Yes, they're quite useful, um but only a couple of them. and And again, it doesn't have to be very long at all.
00:24:21
Speaker
You could say it in a sentence, you know, you could say this is, or this would have, this is gone girl meets the girl on the train, or this would appeal to a fan, appeal to fans of.
00:24:32
Speaker
the appeal, wrong place, wrong time, or something like that. um Or if you want to put a little bit more detail, you can say, look, it's it's the setting of this book with the tone of this book, just to be kind of clear on why you're comparing them. But it doesn't have to be a really long explanation about why you've chosen each of them. um And I would, it's really useful if they're quite recent, I wouldn't get too bogged down on it. I know online there are lots of you know supposed rules about comp titles and how they're allowed to be and how big they're allowed to be and and that kind of thing. I wouldn't worry too much about it. and But you know in the last 10 years-ish, just that's where you know we just want to see where have a sense of where it sits in the market as the market is now, not as it was 20 years ago. right yeah And equally,
00:25:18
Speaker
I think it's fine to use a TV or film comp. Like I said before, I think the media world is it interacts a lot at the moment. you know if it If it's similar to Yellow Jackets or Succession or or whatever, and that' that can be really useful in terms of helping us place it as well. yeah I would have a book comp alongside it, but I think it's fine to have a TV on too. Yeah, I've heard Bridgerton gets put up as a comp title of quite a lot.
00:25:45
Speaker
yeah but But I guess it's good in terms of that you were saying, you know, if you just want to say the setting is this, to say to use Bridgerton as a reference for a setting would be a pretty quick way to to get someone's in get someone in the headspace that you want them in. Yeah, exactly. And I think it can be really effective, this especially if I think that Bridgerton, I'd expect it to be totally quite similar to it as well, because that's what makes Bridgerton stand out. Yeah.
00:26:11
Speaker
from other books that are in the same um era. um So I would make sure it it fits in those kinds of ways. But again, I wouldn't get too bogged down in it.
00:26:22
Speaker
Yeah, for sure, for sure. That's great. um Really useful for people thinking about um or currently submitting to to to you and and and I imagine any agents.
Adapting Books for Screen
00:26:31
Speaker
We'll probably come back to this in a little bit, but right now I'd love to get into um something that I know almost nothing about, and that is ah the other side of your your job, the other part of your role, which is the the book to screen writes. So as someone who doesn't really know anything about that, what does it what does it mean? what does it What does it look like to work in that space?
00:26:51
Speaker
Sure. Well, i' what I do is I spend a lot of time um going out and talking to producers in the same way that literary agents go and talk to editors and and say, you know, what are you looking at ah for a moment? And do you have any gaps on your list for certain stories or equally, you know, what are you seeing too much ah of? And what are you not interested in at the moment? You know, so we can get a sense of of the trends in in TV and make sure we're sending them and submissions that are interesting to them. um Because obviously, they get um inundated all the time in the same way as editors from, um you know, not just from literary agents with book IP, but also with script um from script writers as well. So it
00:27:38
Speaker
You know, the pitching process is is very similar to to editors. When we've got something good, we just you know send it to them with a cover letter that I would tailor more to TV than I would to book publishing. So I would use more kind of TV content or film, you know, things that have done really well in the in the last couple of years. So I mean, which fit would it be useful to start with? Because I can go into kind of how the deals are structured, or I could go into what what producers are what the kind of TV market is like at at the moment. let's do Let's do the first part. It's like how the deals are structured and stuff.
00:28:14
Speaker
Yeah, sure. So when we talk about film and TV deals, we talk about options, and which is where if a producer is interested in a book, then they make us an offer. um And that offer is to option the book for a period of time, which is usually these days about 18 months. And that just gives them the exclusive right for that period of time.
00:28:44
Speaker
to do some development work on the book. So that could mean... um creating a pitch deck and i'm kind of getting an idea together of how they would adapt it. Because of course, you know, TV or film adaptations can be very close to the book or they can be inspired by it and change loads and loads of things. So it's basically unrecognizable. So if they can start doing that creative work, they might get a script writer attached, and then they would go out to, you know, the the channels, so BBC ITV, Channel 4,
00:29:20
Speaker
ah Sky, Netflix, and the the other platforms, which are what what they call buyers who are the ones that would kind of commission the program and give them a lot of funding for it. So they they do a lot of that in and the first 18 months. and And so for that, they would pay an option fee. And and the amount for that really varies depending on and the book itself. and And whether it's new or old, or, you know, currently, having a massive publishing global publishing deal, you know, or has lots of hype, or if there are lots of US producers involved in Hollywood studios and and that kind of thing. Okay, an option fee, and we usually build into the the deal and extension because
00:30:11
Speaker
you know, TV takes a really, really long time to come together. yeah So ah very, very unlikely that it will go from the option to yield to being green lit, which is where the the studio or channel goes. Yes, this is ready to go into production imminently. This is definitely happening. Beyond the, so once it's optioned, for example, if the book is being adapted,
00:30:38
Speaker
And it goes into, if you've optioned a book and it's being adapted, it's going into production, do you have any involvement beyond that?
Author Involvement in Screen Adaptations
00:30:43
Speaker
Or does your you and the publisher's involvement, but you and the agent's involvement, that kind of ends at the optioning? It's really case by case. So it depends on what the producer wants, what the eventual channel or streamer wants in terms of their vision for the adaptation. and Some producers are very happy to have the author's input or um you know creatively
00:31:21
Speaker
And they might attach the author as a consultant or maybe some kind of ex exact producer role. And in in that case, i the author gets a lot more input on them you know how the work is adapted and you know how how close it stays to the original. Would you be the point of contact for the author to talk to the studio?
00:31:41
Speaker
Yeah, generally, I try and manage it in a similar way to an author in the editor's relationship. Yeah, exactly. yeah We're kind of on hand and like to be, we like to know what's going on just in case anything goes a bit wrong. oh and you know Or if there's a slightly thorny issue, and it's always good for us to be kind of involved in those conversations and to make sure that everyone's on the same page. Yeah.
00:32:09
Speaker
Authors never, it's very almost impossible to get final approval over everything. So the author might have creative input, but they would not be able to veto um what happens to it, even if they don't like it or like the direction it goes in.
00:32:27
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's true even of like super famous authors because I know Alan Moore famously hates all of his adaptations. Sure, yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's so difficult to see something you've been, you know, something that came out of your head, go into a totally different medium and might possibly get changed completely. But I think it's always worth keeping in mind that that you but really don't get approval over it and once you sign the rights they really can essentially do what they want with it and obviously we always want to keep a good relationship between the author and the producer.
00:33:00
Speaker
and but then the producers are always kind of beholden to the people that are financing their project as well. yeah yeah So if if you do want to see it actually made and out there, then there doesn't have to be quite a lot of flexibility on the authors part. and But again, I mean, I've worked with lots of producers that are very open and really like working with the authors. And you know if if they do take that opportunity to work with the author, then they are,
00:33:28
Speaker
getting access to, I mean, in fiction to the brain and imagination of the creator, time which is always really useful. And then in nonfiction, if it's a true story, for example, then they can access, you know, the journalists or authors' knowledge and their research. So really, I think it's a a great benefit to them as well. um But equally, you know, a producer might come along and say,
00:33:54
Speaker
And we really want to option this, but by the way, we would have to relocate it in America or somewhere else or cut out this character or actually we want to, it's it's quite, it's a book that's set in the sixties, but actually we really want to make it modern day and change this and this and this. um And I think the more we can have those conversations upfront so we know about anything really major like that as far as they can know at that stage and before we do the deal. um So if the author is really against it being set in America instead of England, for example, yeah then we can say, well,
00:34:31
Speaker
If you don't want to do it, if we should turn this down, then that's okay. It's your decision. But equally they might go, well, if there's nothing on the table and nothing else on the table and we want to you to give it a go, then let's go for it knowing that that is what they intend to do and that you won't have any control over. it Yeah, yeah. That's exactly what happened with um Not Dead Yet, which is the adaptation of Confessions of a 40-something F up, which was obviously set in London in the book. And then the to the television adaptation is in the US. We're going to come back to, you mentioned that we we could talk about what you know producers are looking for or something like that. We're going to come back to that just because in the interest of time, we're going to go over to the desert island right now. Oh, great. Yeah.
00:35:12
Speaker
And I will ask you, Hannah, if you were stranded on a desert island with a single book, which book do you hope that it would be? Oh, so tricky. I think the one that that I've come back to is a classic, ah well, modern classic, like I guess, and which is I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith. and I think partly because I haven't read it for a long time and I've been trying to find it in charity shops for ages and haven't found it yet. so it's just been on my mind and I really want to reread it. and But also I think it's just a really beautiful escapist book, I think in the same way as some of the books I was talking about before, like I'm sorry you feel that way or kind of sorry I'm blessed by Meg Mason. It's um about a complicated family
00:35:59
Speaker
living quite a bohemian lifestyle, which is always quite kind of feels quite aspirational and escapist and lovely. And, but it's also coming of age. It's also a love story. Um, and that's just, you know, everything that I like in a book. So I think I would go for that. Well, it's a great choice and very good idea to choose something that contains everything that you would like. i think who knows how long you been this says Exactly. Amazing. Yeah. I love that choice.
00:36:27
Speaker
Look, I've got some more questions about current trends in the industry and advice for anyone thinking about a career as a literary agent, but that will be, in the extended episode, exclusive to my amazing Patreon subscribers. Yeah, absolutely. um Great advice, and hopefully ah people listening, if they're interested in that kind of career path, can can take that forwards with them.
00:36:47
Speaker
And that brings us to the the end of the episode.
Conclusion and Contact Information
00:36:49
Speaker
So thank you so much, Hannah, for coming on the podcast and telling us all about um your experiences in publishing and what you're up to and and what you've what you've been doing. It's been awesome chatting with you. No problem. Thank you so much for having me. It's been really fun.
00:37:01
Speaker
And for anyone listening, if you want to keep up with what Hannah is doing, you can follow her on Twitter at HannahWeth. That's Hannah W-E-A-T-H. And of course, if you are thinking about submitting to Hannah or anyone over at What's A Little, head over to the website and have a thorough look through the guidelines to make sure that you are crossing all of your T's and dotting all of your I's. To support the podcast, like, follow, and subscribe on your platform of choice and follow along on socials. Join the Patreon for extended episodes ad free and week early. And check out my other podcasts, The Chosen Ones and other tropes.
00:37:31
Speaker
Thanks again to Hannah, and thanks to everyone listening. We will catch you on the next episode.