The literary estate of Iain Banks has moved all of their representation to Curtis Brown UK, taking over from the Mic Cheetham Agency and others. Becky Brown at Curtis Brown Heritage will handle book rights and Alexander Cochran at C&W represents translation rights. Luke Speed represents film and TV rights, and announced a deal to adapt The Business for television with Stigma Films.
Agency News
CAA to Acquire ICM
Two leading talent agencies will combine, pending regulatory approval, as Creative Artists Agency announced Monday that it will acquire ICM Partners. A release notes, “ICM’s industry-leading books division superbly complements CAA’s content-driven motion pictures, television, and podcasting businesses, in addition to its speakers arm, and other divisions.” ICM ceo Chris Silbermann will join CAA’s shareholder board. As the announcement underscores, while CAA is by far the larger of the two organizations, ICM has a bigger books division. (In our deals database, for example, there are 115 reported US transactions for ICM from the past 12 months, versus 55 deals for […]
Dohle Pledges that PRH and S&S Will Bid Separately
In a private Zoom session on Monday, Penguin Random House ceo Markus Dohle announced to literary agents in answer to a frequently posed question that the company will allow competitive bidding between PRH and Simon & Schuster imprints in the US after the acquisition has closed. “We will treat Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster imprints as external parties in auctions for bidding purposes, post closing,” Dohle said. “This means very concretely, the auction will continue, even if the only imprints left are a PRH imprint and an S&S imprint.” He did reserve the right, “for governance reasons,” that […]
Agencies: The Literary Office
In the UK, former Canongate publisher Jenny Todd will launch The Literary Office on October 1. She said: “I am drawn to writers who dare to be different; with the potential to be published in fresh and inventive ways.”
Agencies: Hardy, June & Moore Launches
Three book publishing executives have formed a new literary agency. Hardy, June & Moore comprises Doug Hardy (a writer and consultant who also worked at Random House as an editor); Gary June (most recently head of institutional sales at Barnes & Noble Education; previously an executive at Pearson and former ceo of Dorling Kindersley); and Tim Moore (who founded ran and Pearson’s Prentice Hall Professional, Technical, and Reference division). Their agency will focus on non-fiction and influencers, starting with Eddie Bravo, a regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, who has a book ready for publication in fall 2022.
Agencies: Tauber Launches Watermark
Founder and managing director of Chronicle Prism Mark Tauber has launched The Watermark Agency. The agency will “develop and represent projects from writers, journalists, public intellectuals, authors, leaders and credentialed experts in their fields to help them reach the widest possible audience, achieve critical acclaim, effect change—both collective and personal—and endure over time.” Before joining Chronicle, Tauber was svp and publisher at Harper One.