Spotlight on Skylight: all about a new imprint looking for fresh voices!

An insight into job-sharing, developing ideas and why AI cannot replicate humans, with Sophie Wilson and Sam Eades of Simon & Schuster

Morning everyone!

Today I am thrilled to be talking to Sophie Wilson and Sam Eades, who together run a new imprint at Simon & Schuster, called Skylight. For full disclosure they are part of my team so obviously I am very much behind them in this, and I thought it would be useful for you all to read as they are operating in a slightly different way. They’re both brilliant advocates for commercial fiction, great ideas and strong writing, and they also talk below about the benefits of working on a job-share model, too, which I’m really glad we could offer them. Job-shares are becoming a little more common in publishing and I think it’s great to have that flexibility.

Over to Skylight!

Hi Sam and Sophie. Welcome to The Honest Editor! To start with, please tell us a bit about Skylight as an imprint - what makes you different?

We are a boutique, elevated commercial fiction imprint. Our biggest point of difference is how those books are created. Between the two of us, we originate the concept and find the perfect writer, working in a way that is supportive, nurturing and creative, all the way through. We are inspired by the way TV companies work, in close and respectful collaboration with writers.

You are both very experienced fiction editors - can you each tell us a bit about your backgrounds?

Sam: I was a publicist for ten years working at Transworld, Headline and Macmillan before pivoting into an editorial role at Orion. I loved my years as a publicist and still draw on those skills of pitching and networking as a publisher. Sophie affectionately calls me her canary(!) as I draw my creative energy from meeting people. I worked my way up the career ladder at Orion into a management role and worked on authors including Sunday Times bestsellers Cathy Bramley, Harlan Coben, Sarah Pinborough, Sharon Bolton and Lorraine Kelly. After experiencing burnout, I went freelance. Going freelance taught me so much about the challenges facing authors today and the privilege editors have in being an author’s first reader.

Sophie: I started at Transworld, first as a PA, then moved into editorial. I spent several years working as a freelancer and living abroad (the dream), where I worked on creative, developmental edits for publishers and agents. I love that early-stage development process: it is so exciting and so creative to shape something. I also ghostwrite projects as well as working on my own fiction, so hope I always understand the writer’s perspective too – in terms of our spirit bird animals, Sam likes to compare me to an owl, as I draw my energy from coming up with ideas, reading and re-reading an edit, and defo need that quiet time! (And yes, often the best ideas arrive at midnight…). On my return to the UK, I worked as editorial director at headline, on the crime & thriller list, and then at Wildfire, where I looked after a list of book group and literary fiction.

What kind of books are you looking for at Skylight, and what do you base this on?

We want to publish books that entertain and inspire the reader, that are easy to read but hard to forget. We are looking for something with a point of difference - an interesting setting, a great concept or hook, an unusual perspective or structure. We base this on a mix of our own instincts - what are we excited to work on, that ‘aha’ idea moment - and input from our brilliant colleagues.

How many books do you hope to publish per year?

We are aiming to publish around eight titles per year, keeping the list tight so we can bring these books to market with energy, focus and care.

If authors are interested in writing for Skylight, what should they do? Do you need an agent to work with Skylight?

We are currently working with agents to find authors for our projects as we are building a list from scratch at speed! The authors we are working with are a mix of authors we have existing professional relationships with or authors that might be new to us but have been pitched to us by their agents. We are receptive to working with unagented authors in the future, but this agented approach is how we are operating so far. If you are interested in writing for us, you can pop a comment below this post.

Tell us a little about the books you have bought so far?

We cannot say too much yet, but it is safe to say we love them! We have a brilliant book group novel with an unforgettable heroine; a twisty medical thriller; and a festive love story. As well as loving the stories themselves, the writers on each one are just as important. Each brings such creativity, flair and insight, and we cannot wait to see what they create.

You are working on a job-share model - how does that work and why do you think it is important?

Our favourite topic! We love the job share model so much. For those who are new to the term, a job share is a form of flexible working, where employees share the responsibilities and remuneration of a full-time position. We work three days a week each and overlap for two: it is important to us to have creative collaboration time protected. The job share combines our strengths and differences: we already had a very strong working relationship and track history in working together on edits, and we each have slightly different tastes and specialities in terms of what we read and our in house experience, so we can bring a huge amount of breadth to our publishing knowledge. It is always a huge benefit to have two minds on a project: thinking of a storyline, deciding a cover approach; figuring out a publishing strategy. Often the other person will ask the question you hadn’t thought of or think of another approach. It is also hugely energising and supportive to have a job share. We really do look out for each other and consider what the other person needs to work at their best.

You are also hosting writers’ rooms - what are these?

After a project is signed, they are an online or in-person meeting between us and the author to brainstorm the plot, work out any tangles, hear their suggestions for where characters might go, and the aim is that our writer leaves feeling clear on their direction and inspired to get going! What we want is for authors to feel supported and clear on their direction but also have the freedom to make the book truly their own. They have been our favourite part of the process so far!

How much input do the wider teams in your publishing house have in your projects?

A huge amount - we are so lucky to have such brilliant teams at S&S and we value their experience and expertise. Many of our projects are geared for international potential, so our rights director’s wish list forms a big part of how we come up with ideas. Sales, marketing, digital and publicity also have a big role to play in devising and deciding projects, and we have a marketeer for Skylight who we love brainstorming ideas with (and often comes up with titles!). This collective input means we bring forward books that everyone is really excited about publishing.

What does the name Skylight mean?

We wanted something that has the connotation of a different perspective. A skylight in a room is a small thing but makes a big difference. We also liked the notion of light and transparency; open and clear communication is something that is very important to both of us. Lots of the S&S imprints refer to buildings - Gallery, Atria, so we wanted this to tie in with that too.

Would you ever consider using AI to bring your ideas to life?

No. One of the great joys of the job has been seeing how different writers handle our ideas in a way that is truly unique to them. We will get two or three writers to write a sample for each idea, and it is incredible to see what they focus on, their different voices and perspectives (this has created some impossibly hard choices in choosing the perfect writer). AI cannot replicate that: the individual voice, perspective and difference is what matters most.

Thank you so much team Skylight! And to all of you for reading. Enjoy your weeks! As always, if there is anything you’d like to see The Honest Editor cover, just drop me a DM or comment below. And remember to subscribe so that you never miss a newsletter (paid subscribers get access to competitions to win writing critiques).

Phoebe x