Assistant job / Blake Friedmann Media Department

Blake Friedmann is looking for a new assistant/associate agent to work with Conrad Williams and Julian Friedmann in the agency’s media department. Conrad and Julian represent scriptwriters, directors, and playwrights, and sell film/TV rights in fiction and non-fiction books.
 
We’re looking for someone - ideally - with experience as a film/TV agent’s assistant. The assistant aspect of the work is important and will have to be done pro-actively and with team-playing zeal, but we might also consider someone with early associate agent track and a few clients. Alternatively, we would be keen to hear from anybody in the film/TV development world who has decided he/she wants to be a scriptwriter’s agent. Below are some features of the job.

-    Liaising with writer and director clients
-    Contractual admin (some experience of dealing with film/TV/theatre contracts is desirable)
-    Small amount of audio typing
-    Updating the agency website and social media pages
-    Reading and reporting on agency scripts and books, pitching projects at meetings, submitting projects to producers.
-    Dealing with unsolicited material, liaising with interns.
-    Research projects
-    Data entry (proficiency with Microsoft Office essential and experience of Bradbury Phillips Agency Manager desirable)
-    Diary management
-    Invoicing

Agenting involves an unusual mixture of skills and talents and the person we are seeking will be passionate about working for writers, editorially astute, thorough at admin, meticulous with contracts (if at that stage), keen to master the arts of negotiation and deal structuring, an eloquent presenter of clients and their work, a good salesman, a team player, a self-starter, and someone who fits well into an office where we work hard but enjoy ourselves a lot. He or she would need to be a voracious reader (of books as well as scripts) as book into film/TV is a big part of what we do

Applicants should email daniel@blakefriedmann.co.uk with a covering letter and CV by Friday 27th January. We’d be looking to appoint somebody as soon as possible. Salary on application and depending on experience.

Paperback of Charles Lambert’s THE CHILDREN’S HOME published in US today

Charles Lambert’s ‘genre-defying dream of a novel’ THE CHILDREN’S HOME is published in paperback in North America today. Pre-empted by Nan Graham and John Glynn of Scribner, Lambert’s first US publication is one of the American Bookseller's Association Indie Next Preview January 2017 Paperbacks and has received praise from writers and reviewers alike.

THE CHILDREN’S HOME was featured in a number of “Best of 2016” lists. Isabel Costello of Literary Sofa chose it as part of ‘My Year in Books’, saying that the book ‘Left me in awe of the beauty and potential of the English language... exudes gothic atmosphere and contains one of the most visually arresting and profoundly sinister scenes I’ve ever encountered.’

It was also chosen as one of the Litreactor Staff picks of 2016: ‘An ideal read for the winter season, especially if you have a fireplace and a wingback chair (but no less enjoyable if your furnishings are a bit more modern).’

Eric Karl Anderson AKA Lonesome Reader also chose it as one of his Ten Great Books of Experimental Fiction 2016, calling it ‘as seductive as it was terrifying.’

THE CHILDREN’S HOME is a beguiling and disarming novel about a mysterious group of children who appear to a disfigured recluse and his country doctor. It was published in the UK by Aardvark Bureau on 2 March and in France by Éditions Anne Carrière. Aardvark Bureau will also publish two of Charles Lambert’s novellas in a single volume, TWO DARK TALES, in time for Halloween 2017.

Born in England, Charles Lambert lives in Fondi, near Rome, working as a university teacher and freelance editor. He is the author of several novels including LITTLE MONSTERS and ANY HUMAN FACE (Picador) and the autobiographical work WITH A ZERO AT ITS HEART (The Friday Project). He has won an O. Henry Award and other prizes for his short fiction.

Follow Charles on Twitter

Visit Charles' blog.

More praise for THE CHILDREN’S HOME:

‘A beautiful and uncanny novel by a writer who never ceases to surprise.’ – Jenny Offill, author of DEPT OF SPECULATION

‘Sometimes heart-stopping, sometimes heart-warming, it is a provocative tale, ripe with intrigue and atmosphere. I loved every weird moment of it.’ – Nuala O’Connor, author of MISS EMILY

‘Dark and nuanced, eerie and quiet, THE CHILDREN’S HOME creeps behind the curtains of your imagination. This book stays with you.’ – Amelia Gray, author of THREATS AND GUTSHOT

 ‘THE CHILDREN’S HOME is a not-nice sort of fairy tale, where the magic doesn't sparkle prettily but boils and oozes, where the Prince has a face of tatters, where the children take grown-up revenge on their monsters. It's also, somehow, a searching, empathetic narrative about forgiveness.’ – Owen King, author of DOUBLE FEATURE: A Novel

 ‘A thoroughly original entry into the tradition of ghost stories, eschewing convention …compulsively readable…A one-of-a-kind literary horror story.’ – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

‘Lambert carefully constructs the restricted sphere that Fletcher inhabits, leaving the chaotic larger world and the source of his family fortune largely a mystery. After slowly unfolding Fletcher’s story, Lambert then accelerates the pace to a breathtaking climax. THE CHILDREN’S HOME is a magical, mesmerizing tale about the courage it takes to confront the unknown.’ –Booklist, Starred Review.

Bang2Write a finalist in the UK Blog Awards

Lucy V Hay’s blog Bang2Write is one of only eight finalists in the UK Blog Awards in the PR, Media, Marketing and Communications category. The finalists were chosen by popular vote and the overall winners will be selected by expert judges Heather Fell and Dan Holt. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony in April.

Bang2write is a blog by a script editor and writer, FOR writers. Lucy Hay has been a script editor for five years and a script reader for nearly fifteen. She’s also a scriptwriter and novelist herself, so knows what it's like to be on BOTH sides of the table. B2W is also the place to find advice on genre; novel writing; grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes; writing careers; taking meetings; dealing with feedback; using social media and much much more.

Known best for its critique of female characterisation, B2W leads the way on SENSIBLE and REALISTIC breakdowns of characters. B2W stands for inclusivity and the 'alternative view', writing about diversity and representation wherever possible. B2W boasts members from all communities, marginalised and not, and tries to make ALL feel welcome and their voice heard. B2W also provides moral and emotional support via a huge network of highly engaged, positive and approachable 'Bang2writers', especially in the dedicated Facebook group. There are also lots of FREE resources available, including PDF downloads, ebooks, reference guidelines, cheat sheets and checklists.  You can join the community here.

Lucy Hay’s thriller debut, THE OTHER TWIN, will be published by Orenda Books in July 2017, as well as in audiobook by Audible. Her young adult novels, THE DECISION series, are also available on Amazon Kindle and Lizzie’s story was published in Germany by Rowohlt.

Follow Lucy on Twitter.

THE DEAD WOMAN OF DEPTFORD published in paperback today

Today sees the return of Ann Granger’s popular Victorian crime-solver, Inspector Ben Ross, with THE DEAD WOMAN OF DEPTFORD published in paperback today by Headline. This is the sixth Inspector Ben Ross mystery set in Victorian London by much-loved crime writer Ann Granger.

‘Ann Granger is a crime writer of extraordinary versatility…Ann’s sense of time and places is as immaculate as ever, her central characters of Lizzie and her companion sleuth Inspector Benjamin Ross as credible and warmly human as you could wish them to be. Another winning pairing? I think so.’ – Val Javin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

On a cold November night in a Deptford yard, dock worker Harry Parker stumbles upon the body of a dead woman. Inspector Ben Ross is summoned from Scotland Yard to this insalubrious part of town, but no witness to the murder of this well-dressed, middle-aged woman can be found. Even Jeb Fisher, the local rag-and-bone man, swears he's seen nothing.

Meanwhile, Ben's wife Lizzie is trying to suppress a scandal: family friend Edgar Wellings has a gambling addiction and no means of repaying his debts. Reluctantly, Lizzie agrees to visit his debt collector's house in Deptford, but when she arrives she finds her husband is investigating the murder of the woman in question. Edgar was the last man to see Mrs Clifford alive and he has good reason to want her dead, but Ben and Lizzie both know that a case like this is rarely as simple as it appears...

You can read more about how Ann Granger came to write the book here.

Ann Granger is the author of the internationally acclaimed Meredith and Markby and Fran Varady detective series. The first novel in her Victorian crime series, A RARE INTEREST IN CORPSES was published by Headline in 2006. 

Entering the top 5 of the German bestseller list with each novel, she has also contributed to several short story volumes, licensed internationally. Headline has published 29 of her crime novels.

She has worked in British embassies in France, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Praise for Ann Granger:

'One of the most reliable practitioners of the crime fiction genre — her usual impeccable plotting is fully in place.' - Good Book Guide
'You can always count on Ann Granger.' - Kölner Express
‘Characterisation, as ever with Granger, is sharp and astringent’ - The Times
‘The plot is neat and ingenious, the characters rounded and touchingly credible ... a pleasure to read’ - Ham and High
‘The reader can expect a treat. Lively, different and fun’ - Yorkshire Post
‘She is on to another winner’ - Birmingham Post

FEVER CITY BY TIM BAKER OUT IN PAPERBACK TODAY

The paperback edition of Tim Baker’s debut novel, FEVER CITY (UK: Faber& Faber; US: Europa) is in stores today.

Since its initial publication in January 2016, Tim was listed in Kirkus as one of Three Authors to Watch More Closely in the Future and the book was included in Washington Post’s 10 Best Mystery and Thrillers of 2016. It was also shortlisted for the prestigious 2016 CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger.

FEVER CITY is a searing counter-factual conspiracy thriller with three intertwining narratives. Nick Alston, a Los Angeles private investigator, is hired to find the kidnapped son of America's richest and most hated man; Hastings, a gun-for-hire in search of redemption, is also linked to the case. But both men soon become ensnared by a sinister cabal that spreads from the White House all the way to Dealey Plaza and the assassination on JFK. Decades later in Dallas, Alston's son stumbles across evidence from JFK conspiracy buffs that just might link his father to the shot heard round the world.

Praise for Tim Baker:

‘…the natural successor to such hallowed crime writers as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy.’ – Stylist Magazine

‘Baker might yet become an important contributor to this literary field.’ –Kirkus

Praise for FEVER CITY:

‘[A] remarkable first novel …inspired writing, memorable characters and an exhilarating, all but overpowering story.’ – Patrick Anderson, Washington Post

‘Ambitious debut… a bare knuckle take… a noirish storm of corruption, violence and depravity…’ —The New York Times, USA

An inventive take on the great American conspiracy theory...’ —The Sunday Times, Crime Club Newsletter January Picks 2016

‘Sprawling, ambitious and atmospheric…this debut author is the natural successor to such hallowed crime writers as Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy.’—Stylist UK

'Tim Baker paints a lurid, sinister portrait of mid-century America, skilfully layering fact and fiction in a way that will forever change the way you think about the Kennedy assassination. An impressive debut.' – Peter Swanson

‘Another mighty impressive debut by a British author...Baker has the audacity to revisit the web of conspiracies surrounding the JFK assassination and despite the sterling previous contributions to the fictional subject by James Ellroy, Don De Lillo and even Stephen King, comes up trumps.’ – Maxim Jakubowski, LoveReading.com

‘Phenomenal. It's a brilliantly conceived and executed thriller that deftly combines smack-you-in-the-mouth intensity with imagery and prose to die for. It's beautifully stark, brutal when it needs to be, and thoroughly engrossing. There have been some truly great books written about the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination, and Fever City can stand with any of them.’ – Rob Reynolds, author of THE DARK INSIDE