The Nowhere Office The Business of Publishing: Agents and Book Fairs
Mar 3, 2025
Join industry veterans John Bond, founder of Whitefox Publishing, Toby Mundy, a literary agent and former publisher, and Hannah Bickerton, Managing Director of Whitefox, as they dissect the intricate world of publishing. They explore how book fairs are evolving post-pandemic and the resilience of physical books in a digital age. The conversation touches on leadership transitions, the impact of AI on creativity and marketing, and the steps needed to navigate the complexities of an ever-changing publishing landscape.
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Transcript
Episode notes
Planned Founder Transition
- John planned and managed his own succession, moving from CEO to executive chair while promoting his marketing director to managing director.
- He framed this as future-proofing the business and inviting fresh vision from someone in their 30s.
Leaving To Keep Autonomy
- Toby left Atlantic Books after selling it to new owners and chose to become a literary agent to retain autonomy.
- He apprenticed with Ed Victor and then launched his own agency, Evitas, after Victor's death.
Backlist Fuels Big-Publisher Profits
- Big publishers profit from backlists and scale, making new-books risk a spread bet.
- During COVID backlist sales and cost cuts produced unusually high profitability for large houses.
