Cover Stories: Appointment at Ed Victor Ltd, writing competition for Bradford bid

Uber-Agent Ed Victor has made an appointment that is an industry first. He has hired Philippa Harrison, who last year retired from Little Brown after a successful decade at the helm, as editorial director of Ed Victor Ltd. Harrison is emphatic that she has no desire to become an agent. Rather, she will be working with authors, from synopsis to finished manuscript, thus providing the continuity that publishers are now unable to offer. Victor and Harrison first met in the Sixties at Cape, where the former was editorial director and the latter a lowly reader, whose future was decided when she discovered Ian McEwan and John Fowles. In those days, Victor liked to think of himself as a hippy. These days, he's scarcely out of The Ivy or The River Café – which is run by his clients.

Bradford, bidding to be European Capital of Culture in 2008, has emphasised its diversity by launching a national writing competition for youngsters between 16 and 19 in partnership with doughty independent BlackAmber, which publishes work by Britain's black and Asian community. Entries have to be based around the theme of "one landscape, many views'', after the Hockney painting. Joanna Lumley and Lord Puttnam have helped get the project off the ground and BlackAmber founder Rosemarie Hudson said it was "aimed at the broadest cultural mix" of competitors. There are five categories -- e-mail, poetry, feature, TV/film script, short story -- and the closing date is 17 January 2003. Further details from Anita Morris Associates, 01943 603311.