2015
Literary Agent of the Year SPONSORED BY: ORION
19
[ HIGHLY COMMENDED]
WINNER: GORDON WISE, CURTIS BROWN
WITH EXPERIENCE AT John Murray and Pan Macmillan before becoming an agent, Gordon Wise knows the business from both sides of the fence—and in 2014 he brought all his experience to bear on the bestseller lists. He had the non-fiction hit of the year, sensitively handled, in Lynda Bellingham’s There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You; another big bestseller with Boris Johnson’s The Churchill Factor, made possible by his role as agent for the Churchill estate; and a big fiction breakout with Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites. There was a lot going on beneath those star names though, including energetic work on licensing deals and the revival of many authors’ backlists. Judges admired Wise’s care of his clients, many of them over long periods, as well
KEY STRENGTHS
There is a lot going on beneath those star names . . . including energetic work on licensing deals
as his influence beyond Curtis Brown as vice-president of the Association of Authors’ Agents, in which capacity he has lobbied for authors’ rights and the protection of Intellectual Property. “You could see Gordon’s long-term investment and hard work coming through in a lot of areas in 2014,” said the judges. “He’s a fully-fledged and rounded agent, and he keeps dishing up great débuts as well as the big-brand authors.”
Big non-fiction successes with Lynda Bellingham and Boris Johnson Smart estate agenting (Churchill) and backlist mining (Mary Renault) Excellent relationships with publishers: “a rare talent,” said one Champion of authors and copyright, inside and outside the trade
Juliet Mushens (The Agency Group) had one of the breakouts of 2014 on her list: Jessie Burton and her bestselling début The Miniaturist. But she brought on other novelists too, and through engaging social media use and events Mushens has become one of publishing’s most visible agents. “She has passion and drive, and she’s great for the industry as a whole,” said the judges.
[ TH E S HORTLI ST ]
Eugenie Furniss’ eponymous agency Furniss Lawton has quickly made an impact thanks to some big cross- media clients
Andrew Lownie (Andrew Lownie Literary Agency) is a vastly experienced agent with more than 200 authors, many of whom spent dozens of weeks on the bestseller lists last year
Anna Webber, a star of United Agents, excels in bringing overseas talent to the UK
Eve White of The Eve White Literary Agency is a versatile and cross-genre agent. Jane Shemilt was among her star authors of 2014
The Orion Publishing Group is part of the Hachette UK group of companies. It publishes under the imprints Orion Books, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Gollancz, Orion Children’s Books and Phoenix paperbacks. Its major bestsellers in 2014 included Gillian Flynn, Ian Rankin, The Hairy Bikers, Malala Yousafzai, Maeve Binchy, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Ben Aaronovitch, Henry Marsh and Roy Keane.
www.orionbooks.co.uk
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