Literary Agent of the Year
WINNER MADELEINE MILBURN
In a closely fought category, it was a combination of prolific deal-making and long-term vision for her authors that secured this award for Madeleine Milburn. Her star books in 2017 included one of the smashes of the year: Gail Honeyman’s Costa and W H Smith Fiction Book of the Year winner Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. She handled six-figure auc- tions for débuts from Annie Ward and Melanie Golding too, and film and TV deals for Holly Bourne, C L Taylor and Honeyman. But Milburn and the team at her eponymous agency are about much
more than the quick deal. She has global visions for her authors, a knack for matching them with the right editors, and an instinct for leading them into new genres—like Bourne into adult fiction, and Taylor into YA. An- other of her skills is backlist exploitation, going back to old books to gener- ate new rights deals or rethink design and pricing. Among publishers, she is known not only as a tenacious negotiator but an excellent collaborator with a nose for commercial success. Testimonials on Milburn’s nomination emphasise her value. “Madeleine
has perfect literary instincts. She’s the best agent in the UK right now,” said one of her authors. “Working with Madeleine is always an absolute dream. She has an innate sense of how to pitch a book, as well as being one of the kindest agents in publishing," added an editor. The British Book Awards judges agreed. “It was Madeleine’s year,” they
said. “The care of her authors is exemplary. It’s clear she goes the extra mile for them. She spots opportunities that others don’t, and takes them in interesting directions.” They also admired the way she has juggled her deals with building her business, launched only six years ago, but already a major force in publishing. “Setting up your own agency definitely isn’t easy, but she’s made it look like it is."
KEY STRENGTHS
Astute handling of Gail Honeyman, one of the year’s standouts, now sold in 30+ languages
Extensive commercial list with strengths in psychological thrillers and YA
High-volume, high-value deals in film, TV, audio and digital rights as well as in print
SHORTLIST
NELLE ANDREW Has built a strong commercial list in just five years at PFD, putting her experience in publishing and as a novelist to good use with authors including Bryony Gordon and Elizabeth Day.
SUE ARMSTRONG Her eye for diamonds in the submissions pile at C+W has led to hits from M L Stedman and Ali Shaw, and she made a huge international success of Joanna Cannon's The Trouble with Goats and Sheep too.
SHEILA CROWLEY Another publisher- turned-agent, her work for Curtis Brown in 2017 included growing Jojo Moyes and
THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS WINNERS 2018
Clare Mackintosh into global brands. As a mentor to up-and-coming agents, she is a champion for her profession as well.
DAVID LUXTON A former bookseller who has carved out a powerful niche in sports books at his own agency, with star turns including Jenson Button, Damon Hill and Mark Cavendish and a strong stable of narrative writers.
STEPHANIE THWAITES A specialist in children’s books at Curtis Brown, she has helped to break out the double-act of Greg James and Chris Smith, and made the most of some major literary estates, including A A Milne.
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Superb nurturing of authors, building careers for the long run
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