LITERARY AGENT OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: THE ORION PUBLISHING GROUP
WINNER: CATHERINE CLARKE FELICITY BRYAN ASSOCIATES
Catherine Clarke is an agent who puts in the hard yards for her authors, resolutely focused on not just their next bestseller but their whole careers. Since making the switch from academic publishing to agenting in 2010, Clarke has specialised in serious non-fiction and children’s authors, many of them seeking their first deals. Her nurturing role is balanced by firmness at the negotiating table and a vision for how her books should be published and sold. In 2016 her dedication paid off with two notable successes: Peter Frankopan’s acclaimed The Silk Roads, the year’s biggest-selling history paperback, now sold into more than 20 territories; and a first adult novel by children’s author Meg Rosoff. The first showed her tenacity with books that might initially seem to have limited interest, while the second was an example of her ability to keep moving her clients in new directions. “Catherine is everything an author could want from an agent . . . an absolute superstar,” said one. The Bookseller’s judges agreed. “Catherine sticks
with her authors through the downs as well as the ups, and the effect her interventions have on their careers is obvious. You get the sense she has been building up to something big, and this was the year it came together.” They also admired Clarke’s contribution to the wider profession of agenting, through work on the Association of Authors’ Agents’ committee. As founder of the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize, she has been a vocal champion of women in publishing too.
KEY STRENGTHS
◆ OXFORD-BASED AGENT WITH A DIVERSE LIST ACROSS NON-FICTION, CHILDREN’S AND YA ◆ WELL-EARNED SUCCESSES IN 2016 INCLUDING PETER FRANKOPAN AND MEG ROSOFF ◆ CONSTANTLY REINVIGORATES AND REINVENTS HER AUTHORS ◆ PROMINENT CAMPAIGNER FOR AUTHORS’ RIGHTS VIA THE ASSOCIATION OF AUTHORS’ AGENTS
17. BRITISH BOOK AWARDS - WINNERS 2017
The Orion Publishing Group is one of the UK’s leading publishers. Orion Books was launched in 1992 and publishes commercial, award-winning popular fiction and non-fiction, with an excellent record of publishing Sunday Times top-10 bestsellers.
THE SHORTLIST
JULIET MUSHENS, CASKIE MUSHENS AGENCY High-profile agent to Jessie Burton, Mushens is now running her own agency.
RORY SCARFE, FURNISS LAWTON Publisher-turned-agent who has turned up young new non-fiction talent and BAME voices in particular.
CAMILLA SHESTOPAL, PETERS, FRASER & DUNLOP A backlist and estates specialist with a knack for exploiting new rights.
SARAH SUCH, SARAH SUCH LITERARY AGENCY Shortlisted for a third year. “Compassionate, galvanizing and pugnacious,” says one author.
EVE WHITE, EVE WHITE LITERARY AGENCY With a list ranging from picture books to dark thrillers, her 2016 hits included Ruth Ware and Yvvette Edwards.
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