[John Jarrold]

Like every editor I know on both sides of the Atlantic, I've sometimes passed on authors who have been published successfully elsewhere, or been outbid in an auction. I think it's invidous to mention the former specifically, but I was the underbidder (I came second) in the UK auction for George R R Martin's original SONG OF ICE AND FIRE trilogy ten years ago, when I worked with Random House. That was for a great deal of money!