In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Lauren Rothery's Television, "an ironic narrative of a disillusioned movie star who hatches a harebrained scheme to lottery off his royalties for an upcoming film to lucky moviegoers."

Here's how the book came together:

Lauren Rothery

Author

“When Covid happened, I couldn’t make short films anymore, so I wrote short stories. I found that it suited me, and I kept writing them even though I wasn’t getting published and didn’t know anyone in publishing. The team at Ecco has been wonderful, Deborah is brilliant. I have the best agent in the world. My approach has been to let them all do their jobs, and focus on my own.”

Jim Rutman

Agent, Sterling Lord Literistic

“This was a more intimate submission process than is typical, as the book felt like it deserved a bespoke approach. I wanted to start a conversation with precisely the right would-be advocate, and my conversation with Deborah, and the hyper-eloquent command of the book’s virtues she demonstrated shortly after receiving it, was precisely the reaction we’d dared hope for.”

Deborah Ghim

Senior Editor, Ecco

“This acquisition happened the old-fashioned way: in a fit of serendipity and synergy, over a hearty lunch. When Jim Rutman told me about a new client of his, an indie filmmaker cum debut novelist with a style reminiscent of early Joan Didion, I was immediately intrigued. And then came the manuscript. I was completely humbled.”

Vivian Rowe

Senior Designer, Ecco

“There was a lot of back-and-forth with the author, and she decided she wanted to depict the book’s setting, Los Angeles. She had a specific photograph in mind that she wanted us to use—a film still of her own movie. It feels nostalgic and classically Hollywood without being too obvious. And type was very important; it needed to feel bold but still have some element of softness.”