List of UK literary agencies

This is a list of the major UK literary agencies, by order of the year of their establishment, including selected notable clients.

Literary agencies

Year founded Agency Management Notable clients Website Notes 1875 A P Watt Caradoc King (chairman and joint managing director), Derek Johns (joint managing director) Philip Pullman www.apwatt.co.uk www.unitedagents.co.uk/ap-watt Oldest literary agency in the world. In December 2012 A P Watt joined the United Agents Partnership. 1898 (US) WME (UK) Simon Trewin (head of UK Literary Division)Charlotte Williams, "Trewin made literary head at WME", The Bookseller, 18 June 2012. www.wmeagency.com Formerly William Morris Endeavor. The largest talent agency in the world, having been created in 2009 by the merger of the William Morris Agency and the Endeavor Agency. 1899 Curtis Brown Jonathan Lloyd (chief executive), Jonny Geller (managing director, books division) Bonnie Garmus, Bono, Monica Ali, John Le Carré, Daphne du Maurier curtisbrown.co.uk 1919 AM Heath Bill Hamilton (managing director) Hilary Mantel, George Orwell (estate) www.amheath.com 1924 Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD) Caroline Michel (chief executive) Simon Schama, Jeanette Winterson, C. S. Forester (estate) www.petersfraserdunlop.com Part of the Rights House Group, which was established in 2010, PFD is the result of a 1989 merger between the A. D. Peters Agency and the Fraser and Dunlop Agency. 1932 Eric Glass Ltd ericglass.agency Founded in 1932 by Eric Glass. 1935 David Higham Associates Anthony Goff (managing director) J. M. Coetzee, Roald Dahl (estate), Stephen Fry, Eric Hobsbawm, Jacqueline Wilson, Rosemary Sutcliff www.davidhigham.co.uk Originally Pearn, Pollinger & Higham; David Higham Associates since 1956. 1956Writers' Copyright Association, Directory of Literary Agents. Johnson & Alcock Michael Alcock, Andrew Hewson Candace Allen, Beryl Bainbridge (estate), Lawrence Scott, D. M. Thomas www.johnsonandalcock.co.uk Created in 2003 by the merger of Michael Alcock Management and the John Johnson Agency.Johnson & Alcock, Agents . 1961 Roger Hancock Ltd Lucy Hancock (director)Lucy Hancock, LinkedIn.com. Tony Hancock, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Annie Leake Founded in 1961 by Roger Hancock. 1962 Sheil Land Associates Sonia Land (chief executive)Sonia Land, LinkedIn.com. Peter Ackroyd, Melvyn Bragg,Sheil Land Associates, Authors A–E. Susan Hill,Sheil Land Associates, Authors F–L. Patrick O’Brian (estate)Sheil Land Associates, Authors M–R. www.sheilland.co.uk Based in London, UK. Incorporates Richard Scott Simon Ltd (1971) and Christy & Moore Ltd (1912). Overseas associates: Georges Borchardt, Inc. (USA).”Sheil Land Associates Ltd” Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2016 (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016). 1963Greene & Heaton, About Us - The Agency . Greene & Heaton Carol HeatonMichael Frayn, Richard Reed www.greeneheaton.co.uk Founded by Elaine Greene, who was later joined by Carol Heaton.Greene & Heaton, About Us - Carol Heaton . 1967 Rogers, Coleridge & White Gill Coleridge (chairman), Peter Straus (managing director)David Aaronovitch, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Nick Hornby, Kazuo Ishiguro, James Kelman, Ian McEwan, Caryl Phillips, Zadie Smith, Meera Syal, Donna Tartt www.rcwlitagency.com Founded as Deborah Rogers Ltd by Deborah Rogers who was soon joined by Pat White and in 1988 by Gill Coleridge when Rogers, Coleridge & White was formed. Representing adult fiction and non-fiction, and children's and YA.1970Watson, Little LtdJames Wills (managing director)Lynne Reid Banks, D. J. Enright, Margaret Mahy, James Wong, Evie Wyldwww.watsonlittle.comFounded by Sheila Watson and Mandy Little. Based in London, UK. 1973 (US)About, Janklow & Nesbit (UK). Janklow & Nesbit (UK) Will Francis (Managing Director, London office)Janklow & Nesbit (UK), People - Claire Conrad. Alan Rusbridger, Rebecca Stott www.janklowandnesbit.co.uk London office opened in 2000. 1974Sathnam Sanghera, Agent Provocateur , The Financial Times, 29 January 2002. Independent Talent Group Duncan Heath (co-chairman), Sally Long-Innes (co-chair and managing director),Mandy, Independent Talent Group. www.independenttalent.com Founded as Duncan Heath & Associates, which was bought by ICM in 1985.Sanghera, Agent Provocateur . In 1991, ICM merged Duncan Heath & Associates with its UK office and, in 2002, a management buyout took place. The agency was renamed Independent Talent in August 2007.1974MBADiana Tyler (joint managing director), Laura Longrigg (joint managing director)www.mbalit.co.uk Represents writers in all media, including books, and scripts for film, television, radio and theatre. 1976Ed Victor Literary Agency, Welcome . Ed Victor Literary Agency Ed Victor (executive chairman), Sophie Hicks (joint managing director), Margaret Phillips (joint managing director) www.edvictor.com Acquired by Curtis Brown in 2017. 1976 Aitken Alexander Associates Gillon Aitken (chairman), Clare Alexander (joint managing director), Sally Riley (joint managing director) www.aitkenalexander.co.uk Originally Gillon Aitken Associates, and operated for a time as Aitken & Stone. 1982 Blake Friedmann Carole Blake (joint managing director), Julian Friedmann (joint managing director) www.blakefriedmann.co.uk Created by the merger of Julian Friedmann Literary Agency and the Carole Blake Literary Agency, which were founded in 1976 and 1977 respectively. 1985 Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency Caroline Sheldon John Agard, Patrice Lawrence www.carolinesheldon.co.uk Representing a roster of authors and illustrators, the agency's particular areas of interest are fiction and all types of children's books. 1986 Artellus Limited Gabriele Pantucci (Chairman), Leslie Gardner (managing director) Anthony Burgess, Robert Aickman (Estate), Harold Acton (Estate), Roger Lewis artellusltd.co.uk 1988 Andrew Lownie Literary Agency Andrew Lownie (managing director) www.andrewlownie.co.uk Founded in 1988, a boutique literary agency with about two hundred non-fiction authors. 1988 Darley Anderson Darley Anderson (founder and proprietor)Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency, Darley Anderson - Proprietor . Lee Child, Martina Cole darleyanderson.com 1995 David Godwin Associates (DGA) David Godwin (director), Heather Godwin (director)DGA, About DGA. Sade Adeniran, Lucy Ellmann, Aminatta Forna, Ian Jack, Vikram Seth, Marina Warner www.davidgodwinassociates.com Based in London, DGA represent a varied list of international writers, including novelists, poets, biographers, historians and journalists. 1996 Lucas Alexander Whitley (LAW) Mark Lucas (director), Julian Alexander (director), Araminta Whitley (director), Philippa Milnes-Smith (managing director) Frank Gardner, Sophie Kinsella, Andy McNab, Kate Mosse, Condé Nast, Philip Reeve, Chris Riddell, Nigel Slater, Alison Weir http://www.lawagency.co.uk/ Based in London, UK, LAW was founded in 1996"Literary Agents", Ragged. by literary agents Mark Lucas, Julian Alexander, and Araminta Whitley. In 2001 Philippa Milnes-Smith joined the agency from Penguin Children's Books to create a children's and YA department."Agents", LAW. 1997 Annette Green Authors' Agency (AGA) Annette Green, David Smith, Adam Macqueen, Elizabeth Haynes, Maria McCann, Ian Marchant, Louis Barfe, Katherine Clements www.annettegreenagency.co.uk AGA was founded in 1997 by Annette Green. In 2001 David Smith, previously of Time Out magazine, joined the agency from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer law firm.1997BookBlast LtdGeorgia de Chamberet, Jemma Jupp, Ben Fiagbe Lesley Blanch (estate), George Elton Mayo (estate)bookblast.orgLondon-based agency set up by a commissioning editor specialising in translations,The Flamingo Book of New French Writing, "No Brie, but lots of ecstasy by Helen Stevenson", Independent, 14 July 1999. representing literature with a cross cultural focus and literary estates. Also promotes the output of independent publishers. First website launched in 2000.Bodleian Libraries, , Bodleian Libraries Archive, BookBlast. 2002"About Us", Jenny Brown Associates. Jenny Brown Associates Jenny Brown www.jennybrownassociates.com The largest literary agency in Scotland. 2003 Eve White Literary Agency Eve White (Owner, CEO and Agent), Ludo Cinelli (Managing Director and Agent) Andy Stanton, Ruth Ware, Yvvette Edwards, Eloise Head, Abie Longstaff, Tracey Corderoy, Rae Earl Johnson, Sarah Ockwell-Smith, Luan Goldie. www.evewhite.co.uk Independent literary agency founded in 2003 by Eve White and based in London, UK. Eve White Literary Agency represents authors of fiction, non-fiction and children's/YA fiction. Its authors' books have gone on to become bestsellers, win awards and be longlisted for the Booker Prize and Women's Prize for Fiction. 2005 Graham Maw Christie Literary Agency Jennifer Christie, Jane Graham Maw Raynor Winn, Vex King, Michael Foley www.grahammawchristie.com A UK agency in London specialising in non-fiction, with a host of international bestsellers and Sunday Times Bestsellers across a wide range of subjects. 2007 United Agents Peter Bennett-Jones (co-chairman), Lindy King (co-chairman), St. John Donald (managing director)Joel Rickett, Flying a United flag, The Bookseller, 3 April 2008. www.unitedagents.co.uk In October 2013 Jon Elek of United Agents sold the North American rights for Tina Seskis's debut novel One Step Too Far to HarperCollins’s William Morrow imprint for $500,000. 2008 Writers House UK Angharad Kowal (managing director) www.writershouse.com In April 2008, Writers House opened Writers House UK, a London-based office run by Angharad Kowal, dedicated to selling and supporting US Authors directly in the United Kingdom, British Commonwealth, Australia, and New Zealand. The UK office closed in 2017.2009The Bent AgencyJenny Bent, Molly Ker Hawnwww.thebentagency.comBased in London and New York. representing adult fiction and non-fiction, and children's and YA with a commitment to building bestsellers. 2012Madeleine Milburn, "Why Choose Our Literary agency", Madeleine Milburn Ltd. Madeleine Milburn Ltd Madeleine Milburn, Giles Milburn CJ Daugherty, Cally Taylor