What do you think will be trends in publishing in the coming year?

One thing to remember: The trends in the coming year are the trends editors spotted in the last few years and agents, the years before that. Escapism mainly. Dark books, fairy-tale fantasy in particular: I have The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag coming in spring 2020 (Transworld [U.K.], Voyager [U.S.]) in that vein; and I think people are more receptive to funny books, or at least books in established genres (crime, science fiction/fantasy) with an element of humor. Jackson Ford’s sensational The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind (Orbit, out now) is a great example of this. We need to laugh now, more so than ever. Have you seen the news? Jeez. 

What book/genre/topic would you like to see cross your transom?

I've been looking for something nautical for a while, but then RJ Barker delivered his nautical fantasy The Bone Ships—it’s Game of Thrones meets Patrick O’Brian, one of the most stunningly original books coming out this year (Orbit, September 2019). I also have a literary novel called The Beautiful Inside by Emily Bullock, out in 2020, which plays with nautical tropes in a really provocative way. I’d love to see more books that play with gender and identity politics in a sassy way, like Maria Lewis’ work (her new one, The Wailing Woman, is out later in 2019). And I’m always in the market for some brain-melting space opera, someone with the skill/ambition to take on the mantle of Iain M. Banks. Build me a universe. That’s all I want. 

What topic do you never want to see again?

Rubbish George R.R. Martin clones from people who watched Game of Thrones on TV and have never read any other fantasy. Rubbish Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman clones by people who watched Good Omens on TV and have never…etc. Those guys are gods for a reason. There are no shortcuts. Surprise me. Do something different with your writing. Andrew Caldecott’s Rotherweird series (Quercus, out now) is a great example of a series that swims against the current and has had phenomenal success as a result.

What would you like to change about the publishing industry?

Controversial, but I think we need to publish fewer books. Or at the very least, share resources better so that new and emerging writers get more visibility. And, of course, we need to see more diverse staff, and diverse voices, in all aspects of gender/race/background to engage with the world as it is now, not how it was 50 years ago. Wheels turn slowly in publishing, they always have done so, but I feel we’re on the cusp of making a real change. Let’s make this industry fit for purpose in the 2020s, not worry too much about how things were done in the 1920s. 

Ed Wilson is a literary agent at Johnson & Alcock, a London agency running since the 1950s. His list covers fiction and nonfiction, from debut writers through to established, bestselling, and award-winning authors. You can find him on Twitter.