Comment from the book world in December 2021

‘Quite a few of my authors have wanted to move into screenwriting which makes sense because publishing doesn't always pay them enough to keep them going in that particular way. I know publishers will disagree but I think there are some ideas that are better for screen than necessarily for books and vice versa so that actually that is the thing I think agents should start to begin pivoting towards more rather than seeing it as an adjunct... particularly because film and television companies are desperate for IP and this is kind of a glorious time...

My people and my people's experience is not a trend, the collective history and pain of my ancestors is not something that is in vogue.

People from lots of different backgrounds write about lots of different things, it doesn't have to be mining the same pain over and over again. What everybody wants is to be given the same equality of platform to voice their experiences in the world.

What I am sceptical about is this idea of a collective bandwagon or reaching a quota and thinking I've done that quota. Publish responsibly and publish creatively and look at that person as a long-term career not a short-term enterprise.

Agent Nelle Andrew of Rachel Mills Literary in London in conversation with The Bookseller's managing editor Tom Tivnan at last month's FutureBook conference.