My London Book Fair: Becky Thomas

In terms of being on the ground and doing back-to-back meetings all day, my first London Book Fair was at Earl’s Court in 2014, so this will be my ninth year as an agent. I have a knack of always starting jobs in the spring, so I remember the buzz of meetings when I was in the rights department at Faber in 2005, and my first week as an assistant at WME in 2009—a whirlwind of running rights guides to the fair the weekend before. “Attending fairs is a lot more fun than scheduling them for other people,” was my main thought of my first full one.

Nothing matches the energy and enthusiasm you can convey at a real-life book fair, and the tangible excitement of congregating with international colleagues in one place. Though sometimes I think focused trips in territories might be more cost-effective and less burnout-inducing.

For this LBF, I have an exciting début novel by a young writer called Toby Lloyd which has sold at auction in five territories so far, and I’m relishing the challenge of finding international publishers for Richard Milward’s bonkers and massively acclaimed new book, mostly written in Polari [gay underground slang] dialects and invented Milwardisms.

I think scouts throw the best parties. The Crossing Border/White Rabbit party is fast becoming a favourite—it was the last public thing I attended before the pandemic hit as all the LBF parties of 2020 were falling. They’re a hardcore, savage bunch.

The Icelandic Volcano Fair sticks in the mind as a memorable LBF. I was at WME and we soldiered on to make a party happen out of a handful of international guests not scuppered by ash.

I love catching up with Nathalie Zberro from Éditions de l’Olivier, and always enjoy a party with [Global Rhythm Press founder] Julián Viñuales. I’ve just been in New York, but any excuse to have a cocktail with some of my favourite US people is welcome. I am also keen to meet some new international faces who have bought from me recently.

I tend to leave Kensington for Soho after Olympia shuts. I host a dinner with editors who I work closely with, and that is usually at Zedel—its American Bar makes a good post-fair martini. My office has a gorgeous roof terrace for afterparties. I’m also pretty pleased the Canongate party will be 10 minutes from my home this year.

My tips for a successful LBF are: load up on ginger shots and coconut water, avoid any tricksy outfits like jumpsuits, don’t get deflated by “hot book” hype and power through on vibes. I would say don’t throw yourself into the parties too early in the week… but I never manage to heed that advice.