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LITERARY AGENT OF THE YEAR
OVERVIEW Sat between writing and publishing, agents had to deal with double disruption in 2020, stepping up their care of authors while dealing with the havoc in schedules and promotion. These seven rose to the challenges brilliantly. In a sign of the new agenting, three— Amanda Harris, Natalie Jerome and Carrie Plitt—appear on the shortlist for
NELLE ANDREW The Rachel Mills Literary agency owes much of its early success to Nelle Andrew. A fearless negotiator and foren- sic editor, her clients include media figures like Bryony Gordon and Pandora Sykes, and commercial fiction names such as Heidi Parks, all of whom hit the bestseller lists in 2020. “The kind of agent who makes other authors jealous,” said one client.
CLARE CONVILLE Clare Conville is shortlisted after the 20th birthday of her C&W Agency, and nine years on from her last appearance. She has been instrumental in the burgeoning sales of Matt Haig, and a guiding hand to Dolly Alderton, Rachel Joyce and more. She has even found time in the pandemic-hit year to set up a publishing and film business of her own, named Cheerio.
NATALIE JEROME In her first year as an agent—and in the first year of the nascent Aevitas Creative Management agency at that—former Bonnier staffer Natalie Jerome has been an important force for diversity in publishing. Through striking deals for Sir Lenny Henry, David Harewood, Alex Holmes and others, she is giving long overdue space to Black British voices.
VICKI WILLDEN-LEBRECHT The Bright Agency that Willden-Lebrecht founded 18 years ago came of age in 2020. Her great skill is steering clients to concepts that fill gaps in the market, then maxing out media and licensing deals. Benji Davies, Yasmeen Ismail and Jacqui Lee all bagged prizes, and Willden-Lebrecht set up the Bright Foundation to donate picture books to locked- down Londoners.
29 JUDGES VERDICT
DISRUPTION IN 2020... THESE SEVEN ROSE TO
SAM COPELAND RCW director Sam Copeland is one of the widest-ranging agents around, looking after thriller writers including Alex Michaelides, literary names like Julia Armfield, and children’s authors including Holly Jackson and débutant Annabel Steadman, for whom he secured huge deals in 2020. Being published himself has given him a good understand- ing of what authors need.
AMANDA HARRIS In her first year at the YMU agency after leaving Hachette, Amanda Harris has trans- formed its publishing arm. Specialising in TV personality brands including Ant & Dec, Phillip Schofield and Ant Middleton, she secured several seven-figure deals in 2020. “Amanda has changed the game in premium brand and platform publishing,” said one publisher.
CARRIE PLITT After the sad passing of Felicity Bryan, Carrie Plitt showed the legacy of the late agent’s eponymous agency is in safe hands. Plitt sensitively dealt with the wave of interest in Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, and took her to an international audience with a host of translation deals.
SIR LENNY HENRY
WAS ONE OF THE DEALS STRUCK BY NATALIE JEROME
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