Wednesday 29 June 2011

news

Will Atkins wrote me this morning to inform me that he is leaving Macmillan. Will's support and guidance has been life changing for me, as I suspect it has for many of you. For me, it has been a long-distance relationship, but a once-in-a lifetime relationship nonetheless. 

Godspeed, Will. 


doug worgul

7 comments:

Deborah Swift said...

I also have heard the same news from Will.The fact that he was the first to believe in my writing enough to want to publish it has made a massive difference to my life. Not to mention his skill, insight and expertise in the editing process. But I'm sure his talents are already in demand elsewhere, and hope other writers who work with him in the future will appreciate them as much as I have.

David Jackson said...

Yes, I think the news has spread like wildfire. I had a long telephone conversation with Will this morning. He is planning to return to freelance editing, and seems quite upbeat about it. I think we all feel that we owe an enormous debt to Will for believing in us and offering us a chance. As a relative newcomer to MNW, I have not known Will for as long as many of you have, but I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him. One other thing he told me: MNW will continue without him, with plans for its development in light of the new digital publishing age. Will, if you're reading this, I wish you the very best for the future, and I hope you'll stay in touch with those of us whose lives you have changed.

Eliza Graham said...

Will will be greatly missed by me.

Len Tyler said...

I would echo all of the above. Will has been incredibly supportive - from his first email to me telling me that Herring Seller had been accepted all the way through to the editing of the latest book in the series. He is a brilliant editor and has become a good friend to all of us. He will, as they say, be a hard act to follow. Will, we shall miss you.

mattfwcurran.com Web Admin said...

Same from me.  A little surprised considering Will has only moved into this role less than 2 years ago, but I'm sure the freelancing will mean he continues to do what he loves (and isn't that what all of us want?).  Like everyone here, Will has been a great companion on my publishing adventures and I hope that I get a chance to work with him again in the future. 
 
So maybe with Will being freelance, it won't mean a "goodbye" quite yet?

Frances Garrood said...

LIke everyone else, I shall always remember Will with gratitude and affection. I hope he finds fulfilment and happiness in his new career, and am only sorry that I shan't be seeing him at Len's launch this week.

Ann Weisgarber said...

I, too, am feeling a great loss at the thought of Will's departure from Pan Macmillan. It's quite a tribute that so many of us feel such affection and gratitude to him. I also appreciate his patience, and his calm and reassuring presence. He responded to e-mails and took the time to answer my questions. Editorial comments were phrased as kind suggestions. I dug in my heels about changing the title, but Will smiled his way through that process. (I eventually went with his suggestion.) When I came to London for the release of Rachel DuPree, Will and Sophie met me at the hotel with copies of the book. My husband, Rob, was with me but apart from him, I didn't have any family or friends along to celebrate the event. Will understood that and organized a small but lovely dinner.

Will leaves quite a legacy including his willingness to help get this blog off of the ground. It's a rare thing for authors of one imprint to communicate with one another, but Will has encouraged us to get to know one another.

He's one of the good guys. I have no doubt that Will's future will continue to shine.