(Live) Notes from a founder

Thank you Rebecca Mack ☕, Julie Schmidt, Abigail Thomas, and many others for tuning into my live video with Vicki Willden-Lebrecht! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Ai Summary - thanks Claude

Here’s a summary of the conversation, which is a Substack live chat between a host and Vicky Wilder-Librett, founder of the Bright Agency (founded 2003), a literary and illustration agency with offices in London and New York.

Why Vicky joined Substack

Vicky’s decision grew from a December reflection exercise she does annually — looking back at trends and forward to the year ahead. She posted on Instagram asking: if she were setting up Bright today, could she do it the same way? Her concern was that she built the agency entirely through in-person relationships — book fairs, conferences, launches — and wondered whether that was possible in an increasingly digital world.

“If you had relationships, you could take a relationship online. Fine, no problem. If you didn’t have a relationship with someone, could you make a relationship online?”

Substack felt like a natural answer — a place to recreate those conversations.

“It’s almost like this is the conference, this is the party, this is where we need to go.”

Who the Bright Substack is for

Vicky sees it as broader than just illustrators and authors — it’s for anyone wanting to understand or work in the creative industry.

“I don’t think creativity is about drawing. I think creativity is about the way we think and the way we problem solve.”

She’s keen for the content to be responsive rather than pre-planned, mirroring how she networked in person: “You wouldn’t trot in with your ‘I’m going to talk about these things to people’... I would just be talking to people about what they’re interested in.”

The National Year of Reading

Vicky welcomed the government’s backing but was candid that it’s both exciting and alarming that such a campaign is even necessary.

“It’s a really scary time in publishing that the decline in reading, the fact that it is so needed.”

She was dyslexic and had ADHD, and credits her mother’s advice — “if you’re interested in something, read around the subject” — as formative. She’s passionate about physical books specifically for brain development:

“A book just allows the brain to rest, but still absorb... We are not robots yet. We have souls and heartbeats and brain rhythms.”

On World Book Day, she was gently critical: “From working in publishing, I get slightly irritated that it becomes fancy dress day.”

Bright’s approach to licensing and growth

Vicky was clear that licensing at Bright isn’t about merchandise — it’s about audience building and discoverability.

“Licensing for us is not about putting it on a lunchbox and a tea towel. It’s really not what we’re about at all. What we’re about is growing the readership.”

She explained that children now discover books through films, stage shows, and events rather than libraries or bookshops — and that licensing is how you meet them where they are. Even Netflix, she noted, wants pre-built audiences.

Vicky’s personal Substack: Notes from a Creative Founder

Her own Substack is about the messy reality of building a creative business — not a polished success story, but the journey, mistakes, and recovery.

“It came from making loads of mistakes. And it was about how you bounce back from them and how you grew from them... accepting that no one’s life is perfectly going to plan.”

She said she’s never felt ready to share her story before, but now feels the time is right:

“I feel in a place where I’m happy to share my war wounds.”

Her goal is to help others trust their instincts: “If they don’t believe in themselves, no one else is going to come knocking on their door and say, ‘Hey, you know that idea you’ve been thinking about — share it.’”

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