http://simontrewin.com Literary Agent Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:02:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There has been lots of coverage of this story over the weekend about the Patsy's upcoming autobiography - a project I  am working on with my colleague Duncan Millership who is Patsy's theatrical and primary agent.  Here is the full story from The Press Association.... Patsy Kensit is in talks over ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/08/16/kensit-discusses-autobiography-deal/ Congratulations to Tom Vanderbilt on hitting the New York Times Hardback Non-Fiction Bestseller list with his wonderful and timely TRAFFIC - Why We Drive The Way We Do (and what it says about us). The blanket review coverage in the U.S has been extraordinary and Penguin Press are set to publish ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/08/08/get-stuck-into-traffic/ http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/30/trailer-time/ Most book launches are pretty boring - warm white wine, twiglets and a speech by a man with a beard. One man is changing all of this - Patrick Neate. Co-founder and host of London's finest literary nightclub, BOOKSLAM, Patrick has thrown away the white wine, stamped on the twiglets ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/15/why-havent-you-been-bookslamming-yet/ I am delighted to announce that Ian Fleming Publications Ltd (IFP), the Fleming family company that owns the copyright to the James Bond books, has appointed me to manage the worldwide English language literary rights in the Ian Fleming titles and Young Bond. Corinne Turner, Managing Director of IFP said, “Simon Trewin ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/07/united-agents-welcomes-ian-fleming/ The inaugural search for The Hospital Club 100 was launched at the beginning of June this year in association with The Independent Media Weekly.  In essence, it’s a search for the authentic stars and media power across London’s creative industries; film, television, music, new media, journalism, publishing, performing arts, marketing PR ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/07/there-are-83-people-more-creative-than-me-today/ I have just returned from a sell-out event at Waterstones flagship store in London's Piccadilly where the brilliant Danny Wallace launched his latest bestseller FRIENDS LIKE THESE. He talked in front of a spellbound crowd about the personal journeys he made to recapture his childhood and reconnect with his best ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/05/danny-champion-of-the-world/ We attended a great night out courtesy of Henry Jeffreys at Sceptre - the literary imprint of Hodder and Stoughton - to celebrate three upcoming novels they are publishing this Autumn. Our author Andrew Miller spoke movingly about the influences behind his much-awaited new novel 'One Morning Like A Bird' ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/04/one-evening-in-london/ Borders bookshop in Market Street, Cambridge held a joyous evening last week to celebrate the UK publication of THE EYES OF A KING - Volume 1 of Catherine Banner's world-dominating fantasy trilogy. Pictured with me and Cat are my assistant Ariella Feiner (left) and Tessa Girvan (right) from ILA who has been ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/04/the-cat-who-got-the-cream/  New client Jessica Ruston's wonderful debut novel 'LUXURY' has been snapped up by Catherine Cobain at Headline for publication in 2009. Cat has bought world volume rights and describes the novel as 'a blockbuster for the 21st century'. Jessica has written a number of children's books and non-fiction titles including ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/07/04/luxury/ [gallery]Congratulations to my two authors who won prizes last night at separate ceremonies in London. Steven Hall picked up a Somerset Maugham prize at the annual Society Of Authors ceremony at the Great Hall in Barts for The Raw Shark Texts and Fiona Neil won 'Most Loveable Heroine' for Lucy ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/19/492/ Zoe Pagnamenta, who for a number of years ran the New York office of PFD, has left to set up her own company - The Zoë Pagnamenta Agency, LLC and she will, in her own words, 'continue to handle literary fiction and a broad range of non-fiction by writers from ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/16/zoe-branches-out/ Andrew Martin’s brilliant series based around Jim Stringer – a detective on the Victorian railway system – has been shortlisted for the Library Dagger in the UK’s most prestigious crime and thriller awards – the CWA / Duncan Lawrie Daggers 2008.The winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner, to ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/13/486/ Zoe Margolis (aka Girl With A One Track Mind) wrote a blistering piece in this weekend's Observer about why she has given up on British men. It was the most popular article on www.guardian.co.uk this weekend. Read it here, buy the book here, visit  Zoe's award-winning blog here and watch her ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/09/no-sex-please-were-british/ Sigrid Kraus at John Boyne's Spanish publisher Salamandra has just emailed to say The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas has now exceeded a million sales in their edition - bringing the world-wide total in all languages and all editions to nearly 2.5 millions sales. http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/06/482/ Tom Cox's hilarious UNDER THE PAW - Confessions Of A Cat Man was launched last night in London's Covent Garden. Currently at Number One on the Amazon Pet Chart UNDER THE PAW records the chaos of Tom's life - in which owning seven of the most charismatic, idiotic and duplicitous ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/06/481/ Catherine Banner's debut novel The Eyes Of A King has hit the ground running. Yesterday's Daily Mail tipped her as 'the new J K Rowling', the book shot to Number 7 on the Amazon.co.uk Children's Bestseller List and Number 30 on the overall Bestseller list. The story was quickly picked ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/06/06/banner-headlines/ Congratulations to John Boyne, whose moving book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been chosen by Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia as his choice for the Premier League Reading Star's Scheme.  Manuel described The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as a  "gripping" and "devastating" book that would appeal to all ages. ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/27/478/ Due to the phenomenal number of recent approaches from budding authors I need to have a little time to catch up! For the time being we will not be able to respond to unsolicited emails and would prefer it if you wrote to me c/o Ariella Feiner United Agents 130 ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/23/submissions/ Robert Popper's alter-ego Robin Cooper's hilarious volume THE TIMEWASTER LETTERS is published in the US this week. To celebrate this event Robin Cooper has been making prank phone-calls to a number of establishments with bizarre requests. Oh deary me....listen here http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/19/476/ We had a great night out at the Arthur C Clarke awards for the Best Science Fiction book of the year as part of an exclusive event in partnership with the opening of this year’s SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival. . Steven Hall's The Raw Shark Texts was one of 6 shortlisted ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/19/474/ Patrick Neate and the Bookslam team (pictured) won a much coveted Sony Radio Award  last week for Best Internet Programme for the Book Slam podcast. Download the seventh episode now. It features Richard Milward reading from 'Apples' [Faber], El Crisis and the South London soul of Jamie Woon. http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/18/slamdunk-2/ It is great to see this project coming together in such a smart fashion. Val Hudson and her team at Headline are set to publish this Autumn and the early signs are that we will all have a massive bestseller on our hands. Sir Cliff Richard OBE is the biggest-selling ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/18/469/ Yesterday started early for author Janie Hampton who launched her book The Austerity Olympics: When the Games Came to London in 1948 on Radio 4's Today programme in an interview with John Humphreys. It was an appearance which helped propel her vivid, atmospheric re-telling of the extraordinary story of the ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/05/09/janies-olympic-launch/ Our clients  were much in evidence at the Irish Book Awards last week in Dublin. Robert Kirby's client Anthony Horowitz presented two awards, John Boyne was a guest of his publisher Random House Books, Robert Harris was shortlisted for The Tubridy Show Award for THE GHOST and Niamh Greene's THE SECRET ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/28/463/ Welcome to Amy Krouse Rosenthal (and her daughter Paris) who are in the UK this week to promote ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF AN ORDINARY LIFE published by Grove Atlantic. As Viv Groskop said, in the Sunday Express, 'Amy is a witty, astute observer of modern life in all its baffling guises...ENCYCLOPAEDIA makes ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/21/not-so-ordinary/ Congratulations to the multi-talented Robert Popper for winning a BAFTA last night for PEEP SHOW in the Situation Comedy category. The paperback of his hilarious book The Timewaster Diaries is published by Little Brown later this year. http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/21/461/ John Boyne's THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS has been awarded the prestigious Qué Leer prize for the best novel translated into Spanish. John receives the award at a prize ceremony held in Barcelona later today. My colleague Jane Willis here at United Agents has just sold Maltese rights for John's novel - ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/21/el-nino/ In common with most people in publishing I will be at Earls Court for the next three days for the London International Book Fair. The Bookseller's free downloadable digital daily magazine is well-worth reading. Check it out here. http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/14/london-book-fair/ Congratulations to my friend and colleague Robert Kirby for his much-deserved shortlisting as Literary Agent of the Year, to the creative team at Canongate for the StoraEnso Design & Production Award shortlisting for Scarlett Thomas' The End Of Mr Y and the marketing team at Canongate (headed by Jenny Todd) ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/11/the-heat-is-on/ Patrick Neate's Bookslam podcast was nominated for a highly prestigious Sony Radio Academy Award last night in the category of Internet Programme at a launch hosted by multiple Sony Gold winner, Chris Evans and webcast live around the country. The winners will be revealed at the 26th Sony Radio Academy Awards ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/10/slamdunk/ The quite brilliant The Internet Now Available In Handy Book Form by David McCandless has received the ultimate web-based honour, being an Official Nominee in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in the humour category. Hoorah! http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/09/webby-webby-webby-oi-oi-oi/ The Winchester Writers Conference is rapidly gaining a reputation as a great launching pad for new writers. Three years ago at Winchester I met the unagented and unpublished but clearly multi-talented Lola Jaye. I was thrilled to hear that as a result of meeting agent Judith Murdoch there she not ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/09/what-lola-wants-lola-gets/ On the eve of the London International Book Fair New York agent Daniel Greenberg  (left) has closed a great deal with John Parsley at Little Brown (US) for Danny Wallace's heartwarming book 'Friends Like These'. John said of Danny's account of his quest to Film4/track down his key childhood friends, ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/09/danny-meet-john-john-meet-danny/ I am very pleased to be a judge for an exciting new initiative launched this week by Waterstone's. They are looking for the next great writing talent to emerge from within its stores and offices. The Bookseller’s Bursary will offer two booksellers the chance to go on one of the ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/08/waterstones-launches-the-booksellers-bursary/ Fiona Neil's The Secret Life Of a Slummy Mummy is one of six books short-listed for this year's Melissa Nathan Award. Having attended the inaugural event in 2006 I can speak from first-hand knowledge that this award, set up to commemorate the tragically-short life of bestselling novelist Melissa Nathan, is a ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/04/07/slummy-mummy-shortlisted/ Joel Rickett in The Bookseller today interviews me and my colleagues Pat Kavanagh and Caroline Dawnay about United Agents and the future, PFD and the past. You can read the whole article here. There has been so much other press in recent days about the launch that I have archived it ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/30/rebel-agents-stand-united/ If you missed Paul Arnott, author of LET ME EAT CAKE, on Richard Bacon's BBC R5 show on Thursday night you can listen again here. Paul will be doing a lot of publicity and press over the next three weeks to launch his stunning new non-fiction title IS THERE ANYONE UP ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/21/paul-arnott-is-up-there/  The multi-talented Chris Humphreys has joined my list. As C.C. Humphreys, Chris has written five historical fiction novels. The first, ‘The French Executioner’  was runner up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers 2002. Its sequel, ‘Blood Ties’, was a bestseller in Canada. He has written three books about Jack Absolute ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/21/c-c-humphreys-takes-the-ua-shilling/  Venetia Thompson (pictured on the cover of the current issue of The Spectator) has joined my client list. Read her piece 'A Sloane Ranger In Gangsta land' here - Tired of Euro-Sloane bores in Chelsea, she tours the clubs of Harlesden, the UK’s ‘gun capital’, and experiences a world where ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/18/venetia-signs-on/ Congratulations to Scarlett Thomas whose novel THE END OF MR Y is on the Orange Broadband Prize For Fiction Longlist 2008 announced today. She joins United Agents client Tessa Hadley, author of THE MASTER BEDROOM,  and a host of other female authors to make up a list which aims to ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/18/the-futures-bright-the-futures-scarlett/ The most successful Irish debut of 2007, Niamh Greene's laugh-out-loud SECRET DIARY OF A DEMENTED HOUSEWIFE (Penguin Ireland), has been shortlisted for two Irish Book Awards - in the The Galaxy Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year and the International Education Services Ltd Best Irish Newcomer of the Year ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/13/the-grass-is-always-greener/ The Observer has released the 2008 list of The World's 50 Top Bloggers and we are thrilled that both Petite Anglaise and Girl With A One Track Mind are both riding high. Read the full list here http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/12/petite-and-the-girl-are-top-bloggers/ Danny Wallace's forthcoming novel FRIENDS LIKE THESE has been optioned by those nice people at Ruby Films. Miramax Films and Film4 have struck a development and production deal with Alison Owen and Paul Trijbits of Ruby Films, the British company behind The Other Boleyn Girl. Overall deal is Miramax's first ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/12/ruby-ruby-ruby-ruby/ Stanley Spencer is best known for his huge paintings that treat British village life in the manner of Renaissance frescoes, such as his masterpiece The Resurrection, Cookham, in which the lives (and deaths) of ordinary folk are tenderly offered up to our gaze.  United Agents' Author and Spencer fan Sîan ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/10/sian-at-tate-liverpool/ Fiona Neil's 'The Secret Life Of A Slummy Mummy' has risen to Number Three -  its highest ever position in The Sunday Times paperback bestseller list, selling a whacking 21,000 copies in the week. http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/10/slummy-mummy-rides-high-2/ United Agents author Steven Hall  is shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2008, the UK’s premier prize for science fiction literature alongside Stephen Baxter, Matthew de Abaitua, Sarah Hall, Ken MacLeod and Richard Morgan. http://simontrewin.com/2008/03/10/arthur-c-clarke-shortlist-announced/ We had a really lovely lunch at The Hospital Club yesterday to celebrate the launch of Catherine Sanderson's wonderful book Petite Anglaise . Joining me and Catherine were Jessica Craig who is masterminding the international rights sales of the book, Alex Elam who sold the serial rights to The Sunday Times and ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/29/a-winner/ Mark Lewisohn, who is currently writing what will be the lasting word on The Beatles, is appearing at this year's Hamburg Sound Festival2. The first volume of Mark's mammoth and genre-defining biographical study has been signed up by Little, Brown for the UK, Crown Publishing for the USA, and Kawade ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/28/mark-lewisohn/ Niamh Greene, whose debut novel THE SECRET DIARY OF A DEMENTED HOUSEWIFE sold in excess of 100,000 copies is publishing a new volume featuring the wonderful 'demented' Susie Hunt in June of this year. Entitled Confessions of a Demented Housewife: The Celebrity Year it promises to be a huge smash-hit ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/20/more-secret-diaries/ The nominees for the 2007 Tähtivaeltaja award have been announced. Haiteksti (The Raw Shark Texts) by Steven Hall (WSOY) Olen legenda (I Am Legend) by Richard Matheson (Vaskikirjat) Nedut (original novel) by J. Pekka Mäkelä (Like) Marsin ikävä ja muita kertomuksia (short story collection) by M. G. Soikkeli (Turbator) Musiikkia miesäänille ja lentäville lautasille (short ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/19/tahtivaeltaja-award-nominees/ http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/17/slummy-mummy-rides-high/ I have taken some new author photos of Catherine Banner. Many of these will be used worldwide on foreign and English language editions of her long-awaited trilogy THE EYES OF A KING which is launched in Canada, the UK, Italy, Holland and the US before the year is out. To view ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/09/new-author-pics/ I am the guest speaker at an Arvon course STARTING TO WRITE A NOVEL being held at Totleigh Barton in Devon on April 19th. It is being hosted by novelists Alex Wheatle and Tiffany Murphy. As it says on the tin.......... 'An Arvon residential writing course provides a nurturing environment where ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/09/arvon-courses/ I am  thrilled to have taken over the representation of Claire Kilroy - one of the most exciting upcoming talents to emerge from the ever vibrant Irish literary scene. Her most recent novel TENDERWIRE received widespread critical acclaim and her forthcoming novel, teasingly entitled DRAFT seems set to build on ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/09/welcome-to-claire-kilroy/ With the amazing news reaching my office on Friday that the Spanish edition of John Boyne's novel THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS has sold an awesome 670,000 copies already we are now in a position to confirm that it has now sold well over a million copies worldwide. With ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/09/a-million-copies-and-counting/ Very sad news indeed - the literary world has lost the very lovely Kate Jones who died this morning. I have known Kate for 15 years or so from her days as a great editor at Hamish Hamilton up to the present day as the head of ICM Books in London. ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/02/01/kate-jones/ CANONGATE has three novels in contention for Le Prince Maurice Prize, to be announced in June. We Are Now Beginning Our Descent by James Meek, Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith, and United Agents client The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas are on a long lost of nine ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/31/miss-scarlett-and-the-prince/ Andrew Martin's brilliant Jim Stringer series of novels, set in the environs of the Victorian railway network, have received a rave review from Katherine A. Powers in the Boston Globe. She says (of The Lost Luggage Porter," "The Necropolis Railway" and "The Blackpool Highflyer") 'Martin could be compared, in a ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/30/andrew-martin-takes-america-by-storm/ Lisa Norman writing in the Nottingham Evening Post says of my co-authored book SHOPPING WHILE DRUNK, 'every now and again a book comes along that you just can't put down - unfortunately for whoever buys this it's not one of them'. She goes on to say that she couldn't care ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/30/lisa-norman-hates-my-book/ Danny has done it again! Another wonderful feelgood Danny Wallace book is gearing up for a July launch - FRIENDS LIKE THESE follows Danny on an epic journey around the world to reunite his best mates from schooldays. Bound proofs have just landed on my desk and they look wonderful. Watch this ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/28/friends-like-these/ On Friday night at the Centre For Life in Newcastle, Ally Kennen's BERSERK won the North-East Teen Book Award in front of a big audience of secondary school students who had voted for their favourite book out of a strong shortlist. Ally spoke brilliantly about her second novel and signed books for 40 ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/28/north-east-goes-berserk-for-ally/ Scarlett is currently Number 8 on the Italian Fiction Bestseller list with THE END OF MR Y and, in Germany (where it is called TROPOSPHERE) it has already sold in excess of 5,000 copies. For those of you German speakers out there check out this tv review of the book ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/24/scarlett-is-a-bestseller/ Steven Hall's extraordinary novel THE RAW SHARK TEXTS has won the fiction category of the Borders Inc 2007 Original Voices awards. Borders' 12th annual Original Voices Awards recognizes fresh, compelling and ambitious works from new and emerging talents of 2007 in fiction, non-fiction, young adult/independent reader and children's picture ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/24/borders-inc-original-voices/ Ian Sanders has written a fascinating and inspirational book which I highly recommend to anyone entrepenurial out there. Check out his video by clicking the image to your left, his website here and buy the book here.  Leap! shows you how to maje the most of being your own boss ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/21/leap/ Both John Boyne and Zoe Margolis are appearing at this year's Listowel Writers Week. Listowel, the cultural playground for all those with a passion for writing, is the ideal spot for a world-renowned literary Festival. The late, great Bryan MacMahon certainly knew what he was talking about when he lovingly ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/19/a-wonderful-writers-week/ Mike Gayle has been appointed Patron of the Reading Agency's new national Six Book Challenge, which launches this month to coincide with the 2008 National Year of Reading. Run in association with the Costa Book Awards, the Six Book Challenge is targeted at adults who want to improve their literacy skills ... http://simontrewin.com/2008/01/17/good-work-mike/ I have now joined an exciting new literary and talent agency - UNITED AGENTS and have been reunited with many of my friends and colleagues from PFD who joined UNITED late in 2007. I am actively seeking exciting submissions so please do be in touch - submission guidelines can be found here. Full ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/12/16/310/ Channel 4’s hour long documentary THE SEX BLOG GIRLS in their SEX IN THE NOUGHTIES season featured extensive interviews with my clients Bitchy Jones and Zoe Margolis. Zoe is also known as 'Abby Lee’ author of the international bestselling book GIRL WITH A ONE-TRACK MIND based on her multi award-winning blog of the same name. Zoe's book shot ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/12/15/306/ Damian Thompson's ground-breaking new book COUNTERKNOWLEDGE about how we are being swamped by dangerous nonsense (from 9-11 theories to alternative medicine and beyond) is set to cause a stir when it is published next Spring by Toby Munday at Grove Atlantic (UK), Norton in the US, Penguin in Canada and ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/12/04/counterknowledgecom-launched/ Filmmaker Claire Fowler has made a neat little film about the life of two bloggers - our very own Petite Anglaise and Mimi In New York. It gives a fascinating insight into the world of blogging and can be viewed by clicking the image above. It also gives you an ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/11/12/petite-tv/ What are your secret sins? A dubious new book lifts the lid on the nation's naughty goings-on. Check out what The Times had to say about it all..... http://simontrewin.com/2007/11/09/shhhh/ New research released today to mark the run-up to the next Costa Book Awards reveals that 77% of UK readers have enjoyed a book so much the first time that they've gone back to read it again! The research shows that well over a quarter (29%) of those surveyed admitted ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/11/09/oops-i-read-it-again/ Arianna Franklin was announced last night as the winner of the 2007 CWA Ellis Peters Historical Crime Award - the prestigious prize for the best historical crime novel of 2007. The award is sponsored by the Estate of Ellis Peters and her publishers, the Headline Book Publishing Group and the ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/11/06/good-luck-to-andrew-martin/ Congratulations to Neil Griffiths (pictured), John Boyne and Claire Kilroy whose novels Saving Caravaggio, The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas and Tenderwire respectively have been longlisted for the prestigious 2008 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The long list of the 137 writers nominated for the 2008 Award - a Dublin City ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/11/05/279/ John Boyne’s non-stop bestseller THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is currently Number 1 on both the Adult and Children’s Bestseller lists in Spain – confirming its huge crossover potential. John Boyne’s new Adult novel THE MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY is published next May in the UK and pace is ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/10/24/boyne-double-header/ Congratulations to Niamh Greene’s hilarious debut SECRET DIARY OF A DEMENTED HOUSEWIFE which has gone straight to Number 1 on the Irish Times Bestseller list in the week of paperback publication. The great news is that a sparkling sequel is already written and will be launched on the scene next ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/10/23/dementure-has-never-been-so-popular/ I am delighted to report that the Warner Brothers film of Danny Wallace's non-fiction memoir YES MAN has its first day of principal photography today with Jim Carrey starring and co-produced by David Heyman and Richard Zanuck. The screenplay (which I have read and which is brilliant) is by David ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/10/22/yes-man/ Andrew's wonderful 'Jim Stringer - Steam Detective' novel MURDER AT DEVIATION JUNCTION has been shortlisted for the prestigious CWA Ellis Peters Historical Crime Award 2007 alongside other authors Stef Penney, Jason Goodwin, Arianna Franklin, Philip Kerr and Mark Mills. If you are coming to Jim Stringer afresh the good news ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/10/02/andrew-martin-shortlisting/ Last week I took part in an Ask the Agent interview/conference call orchestrated by the innovative and inspirational life coach/writing tutor Julia McCutchen. Her website is well worth a visit and she offers a plethora of services to budding authors out there - including lots of free resources. The world needs ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/10/01/259/ If you enjoy trivia and pointless arguments about pointless subjects (and trivia)then you are the person I had in mind when I compiled the esteemed volume DOES COCKSHUTT BEAT SANDY BALLS?. It is based on the wonderful US book THE ENLIGHTENED BRACKETOLOGIST and is available at all good bookshops and ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/10/01/shameless-self-publicity/ I am quoted extensively in Damian Lee's excellent article entitled Will publishers take a punt on pixels with the e-book? in today's Daily Telegraph. I would love to hear from anyone who has road-tested an e-book reader and has any feedback. Do email me here. http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/29/253/ The most-excellent (and only) national comedy magazine THE FIX - edited by dj, man-about-town and mirth-meister Harry Deansway is revamping its web presence and adding various exciting new features to its print edition. As a sideline to the day job I am its inaugural Literary Editor and will be bringing on-board ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/13/get-your-monthly-fix/ I can exclusively reveal that, hot on the heels of the ongoing international success of his instant classic The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, that a new John Boyne adult novel will hit the shelves in 2008. It opens in 1787. When fourteen year-old John Jacob Turnstile sets off onto the ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/08/the-boyne-is-back-in-town/ The delightful Gus and Waldo are about to follow up the huge success of Gus and Waldo's Book Of Love with the hilarious Gus and Waldo's Book Of Fame. If you have yet to discover what these cool, cheeky boys  get up to then now is your chance. In addition ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/07/the-boys-are-back-in-town/ Andrew Miller visited the office this morning to drop off the much-anticipated manuscript of his new novel, set in Tokyo in 1941, YUJI IN THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE. It will be published first by Sceptre in the UK  in the Autumn of 2008 and follows his exquisite previous novels The Optimists, ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/07/andrew-miller-delivers/ I am co-producing a film with Christina Ricci, Keifer Sutherland, Alan Cummins, Piers Brosnan, Kevin Bacon and 7743 other people. Well- sort of! It is going to be one second long and then have 90 minutes of credits.  How we are all going to fit on the podium at the Academy ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/07/the-one-second-film/ Much excitement today as bound proofs of the much-awaited PETITE ANGLAISE arrived in my office from Katy Follain at Penguin Books. Catherine Sanderson's charming, honest and beguiling blog of the same name has captivated millions of internet fans globally and 2008 sees the year in which she becomes a fixture ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/06/235/ After the huge international success of Sophie McDougall's extraordinary debut ROMANITAS, which imagined a modern world where the Roman Empire still ruled, we are delighted to see the follow-up, ROME BURNING, published this week by Orion Books. The Good Book Guide described Romanitas thus, 'A transfixing first novel in an ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/09/05/rome-wasnt-built-in-a-day/ Next year will see the worldwide publication of the much-awaited debut novel THE EYES OF A KING from wunderkind Catherine Banner - a novel which she has been writing since she was 14 and a half. Now the ripe old age of 18 Catherine (pictured here in London's Covent Garden) has just ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/08/26/catherine-banner-top-of-the-class/ Andrew Martin's wonderful new Jim Stringer mystery MURDER AT DEVIATION JUNCTION has been published to widespread acclaim and has cemented his position as a real brand name author to watch. Any fans of Patrick O'Brian, C S Forrester, Conan Doyle or John Buchan out there will love what Andrew and ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/08/03/time-to-discover-andrew-martin/ Click here to listen to a fascinating round table debate about the End Of Mr Y on Simon Mayo's Radio 5 show. http://simontrewin.com/2007/08/03/scarlett-on-radio-5/ READ MORE HERE http://simontrewin.com/2007/07/30/yes-yes-yes-yes/ Click here to see the awesome trailer for the mass-market outing of Steven Hall's The Raw Shark Texts. http://simontrewin.com/2007/07/30/raw-shark-trailer/ Scarlett Thomas' enigmatic and thoroughly enjoyable novel THE END OF MR Y has won plaudits on both sides of the Atlantic as well as being sold for publication in 11 different languages to date. It is also in the Top 30 Bestseller List for Hardback Fiction. It tells of Ariel ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/07/22/wise-up-to-mr-y/ Scarlett Thomas and Steven Hall were centre stage at the Royal Festival Hall this week to explore the whole notion of 'slipstream fiction' in a lively and sold out event, chaired by the novelist Toby Litt (centre), at the London Literature Festival. The event co-incided with Steven's return from a ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/07/04/slipstream/ It was a pleasure once again to accompany young Wilf Kennen Amos (pictured left with his Mum - Ally) to yet another award ceremony. This time his mum, Ally Kennen - author of the sublimely dark BEAST and the even darker BERSERK was up for the Brandford Boase Award along ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/06/28/and-wilfie-came-too-the-sequel/ Hello - Word reaches me from Robin Cooper, Brondesbury Villas' most famous resident, that his diaries are to be published by those clever people at Little Brown who, having published both Nelson Mandela and Ewan McGregor, know a little bit about working with iconic figures. Oh yes. THE TIMEWASTER DIARIES ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/06/22/not-a-waste-of-time/ It was a total pleasure to accompany award-winning YA author Ally Kennen, her husband Dan and their youngest son Wilfie to the Cilip Carnegie Awards on June 21st. Although Meg Rosoff triumphed it was a wonderful achievement for Ally to be shortlisted for her debut novel BEAST and the team from ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/06/22/a-berserk-beast-of-a-day/ Fiona Neill's UK bestseller The Secret Life Of A Slummy Mummy (Century/Arrow UK) has become the talk of New York as a result of an endorsement from an unlikely quarter. Anna Wintour - the inspiration for the book/film The Devil Wears Prada - waxes lyrical about Fiona's creation Lucy Sweeney ... http://simontrewin.com/2007/06/18/the-devil-wears-pyjamas/