John Wordsworth - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Zeno Clients’ Nine Worlds 2015 Schedule

Posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2015

This week, Nine Worlds holds its second convention in London, from August 7th-9th. The convention features a veritable smorgasbord of events, screenings, panels, etc., and we wanted to share the schedule for our authors.

Friday, August 7th

11:30am-12:30pm — Panel: “Monsterclass – Mechanics of Publishing” — John Wordsworth — What does it take to get your book published and how does the publishing world work? Find out from some of London’s publishing experts.
1:30-2:45pm — Panel: “Evidence Handling – Primary source work for historians and writers” — Kari Sperring — What is a primary source, and how do historians use them? Three professional historians lead a workshop on how to work with various kinds of evidence, both written and physical. Examples of sources will be provided for participants to explore and analyse.
3:15-4:30pm — Panel: “The Companions – They save the universe a lot” — Kari Sperring — Our intrepid panellists discuss the companions of Doctor Who. Which ones worked best, and which ones fell by the wayside? Who’s under-rated and who deserved a run of seven years? What companion storylines have been the most compelling? And going into the future: what do we want to see on-screen, what can we realistically get, and what new archetypes and new ideas would we like to see played out?
5:00-6:15pm — Panel: “Childhood Influences – I want to be a Wild Thing when I grow up” — Edward Cox — From the fantasy worlds of Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree to whizz-poppers and marvellous medicines of Roald Dahl, how important are childrens stories on us as adults and do they shape what authors write when they grow up?
6:45-8:00pm — Panel: “Historical Heroines – The women from history that we admire” — Kari Sperring — History is often seen as being about Great Men, but there were plenty of Great Women, from Katherine the Great to Florence Nightingale. This panel celebrates the women who have, against the odds, made their mark on history: a group of historians and writers will pick their favourites.
8:00-10:00pm — Event: “Jo Fletcher Books – Summer Party & Book Launch” — Naomi Foyle and Ian McDonald in attendance

Saturday, August 8th

9:00-9:45am — Panel: “What makes Fantasy fantastic?” — Anne Lyle — Why is it that even people who don’t claim to like genre still love fantasy? They can’t get on board with magicians and dragons but they love LOTR, Harry Potter and Twilight. So what is it that makes fantasy so fantastic?
10:00-11:15am — Panel: “The End of Author Mystique” — Edward Cox — Do authors need to be on social media to sell books and does an ability to tweet improve your chances of getting published? Are authors losing the mystery they once maintained from behind their keyboards and with blog posts and sneak peaks, have our expectations as readers changed?
11:45am-1:00pm — Panel: “Collaborative Writing – How to write with others (and stay friends)” — Naomi Foyle — Our panel discusses the trials and pitfalls of collaborative writing, examining why people write together, and the best techniques and technologies to use.
3:15-4:30pm — Panel: “Favourite Historical Movies – What we like and why” — Kari Sperring — Historians are often thought of as people who sit and watch historical movies, looking for the errors. But there are some movies set in the past that we like. Here, a group of historians will talk about their favourites, and why they are particularly loved.
5:00-6:15pm — Panel: “The dead will rise again – Resurgence of Gothic Literature” — Lavie Tidhar — Some of the greatest monsters just can’t stay dead. Here, we explore the pull of Gothic literature.

Sunday, August 9th

10:00-11:15am — Panel: “They used what? – Historical research for fanfiction” — Kari Sperring — Writing fanfiction set in a historical period can involve a great deal of research. (Possibly more than has been done by canon creators, in some cases!) And writing historical AUs can be a great way of unpacking the unspoken prejudices of a modern-day canon. Research can be immensely diverting, it can spark a renewed interest in history, and it can affect the course and content of your story. This panel will discuss how historical AUs open up some canons, and share some of the more interesting facets of their own research into various historical periods.
1:30-2:45pm — Panel: “The Stars My Destination – Exploring the Future of SF” — Naomi Foyle — We’re living in a science fiction world where technology and global warming are changing things faster than sci-fi writers can type — so where does the future of sci-fi sit?
3:15-4:30pm — Panel: “Writing the Other” — Naomi Foyle

The Nine Worlds 2015 convention takes place at the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Heathrow, 140 Bath Rd, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 5AW. (Google Maps)

Zeno Agency Hires Former Headline Editor

Posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2014

In an exciting move, former commissioning editor John Wordsworth is to join Zeno Agency Ltd as a literary agent. John previously headed up Headline’s SF, Fantasy and Horror list. Zeno specialises in genre fiction, representing major brand names such as Sunday Times bestseller Ben Aaronovitch, plus numerous award winners and literary estates. Sub-agented clients include international bestsellers Brandon Sanderson, Charlaine Harris, Peter V. Brett and William Gibson, among others.

John Berlyne, Director of the Zeno Agency, said: ‘Zeno is going through a vital period of growth. John Wordsworth is the perfect choice to further our ambitions to develop the careers of our fantastic authors, and to continue to discover wonderful new talent. I’ve been extremely impressed with John’s list-building at Headline, and am really looking forward to adding his particular flair for genre fiction to Zeno.’

John Wordsworth said: ‘Working with authors and discovering new talent has always been a passion of mine. Joining Zeno is fantastic opportunity to do this at a grassroots level. It’s exhilarating to be making the move from commissioning editor to agent. Zeno has an amazing client list and I can’t wait to start adding to it.’

Wordsworth’s arrival will double Zeno’s agenting resources, as director John Berlyne has been managing the prestigious list as a sole practitioner. Zeno sees bright times ahead, as this development opens up opportunities for further expansion.

Myke Cole’s SHADOW OPs to Headline…

Posted on Friday, December 16th, 2011

It is with great pleasure that we announce the arrival of US author Myke Cole, who joins the Zeno client roster with the sale of his fabulous, high energy military fantasy series, SHADOW OPS, described by Peter V Brett as ‘Black Hawk Down meets the X-Men’ and ‘military fantasy like you’ve never seen it before’.

UK and Commonwealth rights have been acquired by Headline, with recently appointed commissioning editor John Wordsworth concluding a five figure, three book deal negotiated by John Berlyne of the Zeno Agency on behalf of Joshua Bilmes of JABberwocky Agency, Inc. in the US.

Headline will publish the first book in the series, CONTROL POINT in late 2012 with sequels FORTRESS FRONTIER and BREACH ZONE following in February 2013 and February 2014.

‘CONTROL POINT is an absolutely thrilling, fresh take on the military fantasy novel,’ says Wordsworth. ‘Myke has drawn from his own considerable experience, which includes three tours in Iraq, to create a world with breathtaking scope. I’m just itching to see where he takes it in the next two books. I am over the moon that the Shadow Ops series will be published by Headline.’