Andrew Lownie was born in 1961 and was educated in Britain and America. He read history at Magdalene College, Cambridge where he was President of the Union. He went on to gain an MSc at Edinburgh University and spend a year at the College of Law in London.
After a period as a bookseller and journalist, he began his publishing career as the graduate trainee at Hodder & Stoughton. In 1985 became an agent at John Farquharson, now part of Curtis Brown, and the following year became the then youngest director in British publishing when he was appointed a director.
Since 1984 he has written and reviewed for a range of newspapers and magazines, including The Times, Spectator and Guardian, which has given him good journalistic contacts.
As an author himself, most notably of a biography of John Buchan and a literary companion to Edinburgh, he has an understanding of the issues and problems affecting writers. He is a member of the Society of Authors and was until recently the literary agent to the international writers' organisation PEN. In 1998 he founded The Biographers Club, a monthly dining society for biographers and those involved in promoting biography, and The Biographers' Club Prize which supports first-time biographers.
Andrew Lownie’s The Mountbattens, was 18th in BookAuthority’s Best British Biography eBooks of All Time: https://bookauthority.org/books/best-british-biography-ebooks?t=1163fw&s=award&book=1788702565 BookAuthority collects and ranks the best books in the world, Agency authors Lawrence James for Wellington and Robert Edwards for Henry Cooper were also recognised.
The updated paperback of Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King was serialised in the Daily Mail and chosen by Yahoo as one of ‘5 of the best books about the royal family that give an inside look at the world’s most famous monarchy
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/5-best-books-royal-family-165827205.html
Andrew Lownie’s Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess has recently be selected for the following lists:
26 Best History Books of All Time
30 must-read history books
45 Best History Books of All Time
’ If you’re a fan of thrilling spy novels, then Stalin’s Englishman is the history book for you… an exciting narrative that will keep you turning the pages.’
Andrew Lownie’s Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess has recently be selected for the following lists:
26 Best History Books of All Time
30 must-read history books
45 Best History Books of All Time
’ If you’re a fan of thrilling spy novels, then Stalin’s Englishman is the history book for you… an exciting narrative that will keep you turning the pages.’
Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor has been bought by Channel 4 for an hour’s documentary going out for the 50th anniversary of the Duke’s death in May.
Andrew Lownie has been appointed to a visiting chair at The Ulster Literary Biography Research Centre.
After four days sales, Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor has gone straight into the Sunday Times top ten for hardback non-fiction.
Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor was serialised over two weeks in the Mail on Sunday.
Pegasus have bought North American rights in Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and publish as their summer lead in May.
Bonnier buy UK rights in Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King
Pegasus have bought North American rights in Andrew Lownie’s The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves
Andrew Lownie’s Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess has been optioned by Daybreak Pictures.
According to the latest publishermarketplace Andrew Lownie is
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction; 1 in Non-fiction: Reference; 5 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs;The agency is
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction; 3 in Non-fiction: Reference; 10 in Non-fiction: True crime;Andrew Lownie has contributed an article ‘How to submit a non-fiction proposal’ to the 2019 Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.
Andrew Lownie (Andrew Lownie Literary Agency | UNITED KINGDOM) 23 deals in this category in the last 12 months | 12 in the last 6 months | 253 overall | 10 six-figure+ deals
Caspian Dennis (Abner Stein | UNITED KINGDOM) 8 deals in this category in the last 12 months | 3 in the last 6 months | 54 overall | 6 six-figure+ deals
Top Imprints involved in this agent’s 254 International rights: UK Non-fiction deals since January, 2004: Harper UK (30) | Icon Books (16) | John Blake Publishing (13) | Elliott & Thompson (9) | Head of Zeus (9) | Simon & Schuster UK (9) | Oneworld (9) | Constable & Robinson (9) | Weidenfeld & Nicolson (8) | Biteback (8) | Sidgwick & Jackson (8) | Hodder & Stoughton (8) | Michael O’Mara Books (7) | Ebury (6) | Little Brown UK (6) | Orion (6) | Bloomsbury UK (5) | Pan Macmillan (5) | Osprey (4) | Piatkus (4) | Haynes (3) | Quercus (3) | Atlantic Books (3) | Aurum (3) | Virgin (3) | Mainstream (3) | Macmillan (3)
Andrew Lownie remains the top-selling non-fiction agent in the world and second top-selling agent overall according to publishersmarketplace. He is also no 1 in UK and biography worldwide
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 1 in Non-fiction: Biography 2 in AgentsJill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency) Top category: Fiction: Mystery/Crime (10) 36 deals
Andrew Lownie (Andrew Lownie Literary Agency | UNITED KINGDOM) Top category: International rights: UK Non-fiction (21) 31 deals
Allison Hellegers (Rights People | UNITED KINGDOM) Top category: International rights: Children’s (14) 23 deals
According to publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie is the top selling non-fiction agent in the world with 51 recorded deals over the last year. He is also no 1 in biography.
The agency is no 1 for UK non-fiction and no 2 world wide in biography.
According to Publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie has 46 recorded deals over the last twelve months making him the top selling non-fiction agent in the world and second overall. He is
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 1 in Non-fiction: BiographyThe agency is also the third top sellling agency in the world for reference.
According to publishersmarketplace, over the last year Andrew Lownie is the second top selling agent in the world and the top agent for non fiction .
Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency) view details | Most recent deal: November 7, 2017 Top category: Digital: Fiction: Women’s/Romance (13) 64 deals
Andrew Lownie (Andrew Lownie Literary Agency | UNITED KINGDOM) view details | Most recent deal: November 13, 2017 Top category: International rights: UK Non-fiction (25) 43 deals
According to publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie
1 in Non-fiction: Biography 1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 3 in Non-fiction: ReferenceHe has 41 recorded sales for the last twelve months .
Acording to publishersmarketplace Andrew Lownie is
#1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction #1 in Non-fiction: Biography #2 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs The agency is #1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction #2 in Non-fiction: Biography - one place behind William Morris #3 in Non-fiction: Reference
According to Publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie has sold 22 books in the last six months making him:
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction. 1 in Non-fiction: Biography worldwide. 2 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs worldwide.Andrew Lownie has been selected as one of twenty fellows from some 200 applications from 34 countries for the Istanbul Tanpinar Literature Festival Professional Meetings Fellowship Program this year.
The Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival holds international events for professionals in its Fellowship Program to encourage collaboration among authors, publishers, editors and translators from both Turkey and abroad. Since its first launch in 2011, ITEF has hosted 124 professionals from 30 countries in Istanbul.
This year, ITEF’s seventh professional publishing fellows program is going to give its 20 participants a chance to learn the Turkish publishing market. There will be presentations about Turkish publishing and networking events will be organized for the fellows, who will also have the chance to meet several prominent Turkish authors and ask about their career in Turkey. Fellows will visit publishing houses and share their experiencess in one on one meetings throughout the three day program. At the same time they will be able to learn about the Turkish literature market from the inside out and will be knowledgable about the works which are available for translation from Turkish into foreign languages.
2017 ITEF Fellows are:
Ágnes Orzóy (Magvető, Hungary) Anders Gronkvist Pedersen (Paraplyen, Denmark) Andrew Lownie (Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, UK) Anna Katarina B. Rodriguez (National Book Development Board, Philippines) Antonina Balashova (Ivan Limbakh, Russia) Charlotte Whiting (Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, UK) Eleni Kekropoulou (Enalios & Oceanos, Greece) Ka Bradley(Granta, UK) Laura Vesanto (Fabriikki Kustannus, Finland) Luke Frostick (The Bosphorus Review of Books, Turkey) Madalina Bucsa (S.C. Humanitas, Romania) Marta Rossich (EDICIONES B, Spain) Maya Feldman (Am-Oved , Israel) Mohamed El-Baaly (Sefsafa, Egypt) Nacera Khiat (SEDIA, Algeria) Nilli Cohen (The Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature, Israel) Pablo Alonso Cotrina Cardenas (César Vallejo University Press, Peru) Parisa Ebrahimi (Penguin Random House, USA) Sarah Houtermans (Hoffmann und Campe Verlag, Germany) Zeynep Beler (Freelance Translator, Turkey)
According to publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie is
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 1 in Non-fiction: Biography worldwide 2 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs worldwideHe is no 5 top-selling agent worldwide across all categories with 37 announced deals over the last twelve months.
Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess has won the St Ermin’s Intelligence Book of the Year award. Adam Sisman’s John le Carre: The Biography was the runner-up.
According to Publishersmarketplace Andrew Lownie is worldwide
1 in Agents 1 in Non-fiction: Biography 1 in International rights: UK Non-fictionAndrew Lownie single handed is a top ten world agency according to Publishersmarketplace, with forty-one deals in six months, ahead of major companies such as Sterling Lord, William Morris and Janklow & Nesbit.
The agency worldwide is
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 3 in Non-fiction: Biography 4 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current AffairsAccording to publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie continues to be the top selling agent in the world with thirty-five books sold in the last six months, five books ahead of his nearest rival.
He is also
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 2 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current AffairsJohn Buchan biographer Andrew Lownie discusses the great man’s life and work in this interesting interview.
According to publishersmarketplace, Andrew Lownie is the second top selling agent in the world with thirty three deals in the last six months just behind Jill Marsal , who specialises in women’s romance, at thirty six.
He is also
1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 2 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs 2 in Biography 3 in ReferenceHartswood Films, the makers of Sherlock, have optioned drama rights in Andrew Lownie’s Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess.
The Independent has selected Andrew Lownie’s Stalin’s Englishman as one of its 10 best history books.
The Agency has two books in the top three ( from seven titles) in this year’s Times Biographies of the Year - Stalin’s Englishman and No More Champagne.
“Awful human beings make for splendid biographies, and the traitor Guy Burgess was a terrible specimen of humanity…This terrible man is brought back to vivid life by this well-researched, finely written book.”
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/books/non-fiction/article4632411.ece
Both books figured in the Guardian Books of the Year last week
Andrew Lownie is interviewed about his biography Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess for BBC History Magazine’s November podcast starting at 30 minute mark
http://cdn.immediatecontent.com/bbchistory/audio/HistoryExtra201511_19.mp3
Andrew Lownie talking about Stalin’s Englishman on TV can be seen at:
Andrew Lownie talks about the obstacles facing historians trying to use the Freedom of Information Act to access government files in a podcast for History Today.
https://soundcloud.com/historytoday-1/the-history-today-podcast-october-2016
Andrew Lownie talking about his book Stalin’s Englishman.
Andrew Lownie will be speaking at the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera 24th to 27th September taking part in masterclasses and panels on thriller writing. More details here.
Andrew Lownie is one of London’s thousand most influential people according to the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 announced today.
Andrew Lownie - Literary agent
The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency describes itself as a “boutique” operation, representing an astonishing range of books, from Oxford reference dictionaries to Towie offshoots. President of the Union at Cambridge, Lownie worked in publishing before becoming an agent and setting up his own business. He has not only written a biography of John Buchan, but also has created the Biographers’ Club to support first-time biographers.
The full literati list can be found here.
Andrew Lownie’s new biography of Guy Burgess, Stalin’s Englishman, has been generating huge media interest, including the following piece in the Telegraph.
The Sunday Times runs today with a story from Stalin’s Englishman about how close Guy Burgess was to Winston’s Churchill’s niece Clarissa Churchill http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/People/article1606355.ece The Times diary has reported the book’s launch at Hatchards http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4554790.ece The Independent on Sunday review concludes ’ ‘Not every question has been answered, but most have, and those that remain probably never will be.’
A lovely first Amazon review ‘The book arrived today and I haven’t been able to put it down. Brilliantly crafted with lots of suspense, the many unknowns and unanswered questions about Guy Burgess have finally been revealed in Andrew Lownie’s ground-breaking biography. A must read for everyone who loves a damn good biography but also for readers following general twentieth century history. This colourful and honest portrayal of Burgess makes an important contribution to the public’s enduring fascination with the Cambridge spies and traitors.’
An interview with Andrew Lownie on his book Stalin’s Englishman can be heard 150-2.00 at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074hf7/episodes/player
The Daily Telegraph have given a 5* review to Stalin’s Englishman under the heading ‘An assured Life of the Cambridge spy overturns the view of him as a weak link’ …a comprehensive, fascinating and startlingly revisionist life. Far from being the joker in the pack, Lownie shows that Burgess was actually the ace in the hole…surely the definitive account of Burgess’s career as a spy, and a fully rounded biography, which is inevitably damning, but also necessarily sympathetic…Lownie’s treatment of his fiendishly complicated and revelatory material is assured, and he shapes his narrative brilliantly. Stalin’s Englishman is superb, more riveting than any spy novel.’
Andrew Lownie’s interview on Guy Burgess for Talk Europe can be heard here www.talkradioeurope.com/clients/alownie.mp3
A lovely review in the Independent of Stalin’s Englishman ‘As one of this country’s foremost literary agents, Andrew Lownie certainly knows what makes a good book, and in Stalin’s Englishman, he has delivered one of his own, many times over. This life – or, as his neat subtitle has it, "lives" – of Guy Burgess commands authority from page 1….The pace is brisk; the account of Burgess’s school days is, in its way, as absorbing as the pile-up of events surrounding his defection. The old ways of biography can still be the best.,,,a distinguished biography .’ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/stalins-englishman-by-andrew-lownie-book-review-even-the-soviets-didnt-trust-guy-burgess-10494188.html
The Guardian have reviewed Stalin’s English sayng ‘Is there anything significant left to say about members of the Cambridge spy ring, Moscow Centre’s “magnificent five”? The answer, judging by this book, is a resounding yes…Stalin’s Englishman tells the reader as much about the culture of a British elite in the 1930s, during the war and immediate postwar years, as about spying. .. Lownie has made a convincing case, demonstrating that even now the story of the Cambridge spy ring can continue to shock.’ The full review can be found http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/10/stalins-englishman-lives-guy-burgess-andrew-lownie-review
Andrew Lownie has written a short article on researching his Guy Burgess biography, to be published tomorrow, for the Hodder website http://hforhistory.tumblr.com/post/128635253439/the-author-of-stalins-englishman-andrew-lownie A longer article will follow later. More details will be found by following @guyburgessbook
The agency’s new website is launched today, with a more modern feel, and simpler navigation.
Andrew Lownie can be seen in action in a video of the The Business Club at the Frankfurt Book Fair (begins at 0:59).
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
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‘Writing At The Castle is 5 days of professional tuition and private writing time in the inspiring surroundings of a magnificent medieval Château in Gascony, South West France. Award-winning authors Amanda Hodgkinson and Tracey Warr, together with literary agent Andrew Lownie and publishing professionals including Jill Marsh author and co-publisher at Triskele Books and Anselm Audley, will be among the speakers who will lead practical workshops for a small group of writers looking to make that difficult leap from the private and often solitary writing desk, to the world of published success.’
Andrew has written an extensive piece for the latest issue of Publishing Talk.
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
If you’d like to receive it automatically each month please do subscribe.
According to Publishers Marketplace, Andrew Lownie remains the top selling agent in the world, the top agent for UK non-fiction, and second in the world for history and politics.
‘Ghostwriting can be a rewarding experience in more ways than one, given the enduring public appetite for revealing memoirs by celebrities, sports stars and ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges. Publishers are on the lookout for smart writers who can win the trust of subjects and turn in-depth interviews into gripping writing that puts your reader in the centre of the action, whether you are writing about someone’s abused childhood, exotic sex life or rise to global power or fame. This comprehensive day course, led by professional ghostwriter Andrew Crofts and leading literary agent Andrew Lownie, introduces all the skills you’ll need to get started in this potentially lucrative field. You’ll learn how to find and recognise great stories, and how to build a relationship with your subject that enables you to get to the heart of their life story.’
In the upcoming Bookseller Industry Awards, Andrew Lownie has been shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year, for the third year running.
‘Andrew Lownie’s Complete Short Stories of John Buchan, first published in 1996-97, has made a welcome return via Thistle Publishing both in paperback and, joyously, in a Kindle edition… This is a gem of a work for Buchan enthusiasts. Containing all Buchan’s original short stories, each volume comes with an insightful introduction by Lownie and each story has a brief preface giving its publication history and context… This is a real work of scholarship that deserves support.’
Andrew Lownie’s article An Insider’s Guide to How One UK Agency Places Its Writers was one of Publishing Perspectives’ top 5 most-read articles last year.
Top 10 Articles on Rights and Licensing of 2014
There were also a number of other agency articles that were picked up in the trade press.
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
If you’d like to receive it automatically each month please do subscribe.
Is everyone now a publisher? An important single-day course for all authors
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
If you’d like to receive it automatically each month please do subscribe.
Three top editors have written a piece for the agency website, explaining the process of commissioning books within their publishers.
Andrew Lownie has retained his position as the top selling literary agent in the world over the last twelve months.
Andrew recently spoke at the Women’s Writing Festival:
‘But it was Andrew Lownie how made the boldest predictions, stating that in five to ten years from now, 75% of the books would be self-published, 20% would be publishing assisted by agents, and only 5% traditionally published.’
The agency is delighted to announce that it will be working in future with the Greek literary agency Ersilia for placing rights in Greece.
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
Andrew Lownie spoke at the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera on the subjects The Writer’s Life in 2019, and The Makings of a Fantastic Thriller.
The Agent Hunter website has carried out a study of UK literary agents, describing Andrew Lownie as ‘the busiest agent in London’. The agency is also praised for being one of the most transparent in the UK.
Andrew Lownie outlines the range of activities he is involved with in a typical agency week, from the mundane and routine, to the offbeat and extraordinary.
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
If you’d like to receive it automatically each month please do subscribe.
The latest agency newsletter is available online now:
If you’d like to receive it automatically each month please do subscribe.
The agency’s monthly newsletter is now online here.
To receive it first by email you can sign up here.
Both Andrew Lownie and David Haviland contribute some thoughts on the future of publishing to this month’s ‘Ideas Issue’ of New Edition.
Andrew Lownie spoke this week at the Getting Published event at the University of Warwick, on the subject of The Value of a Literary Agent.
Meanwhile, David Haviland was one of the guest tutors at the Paris Writers Workshop.
Andrew was one of the judges for the Guardian’s new Self-published Book of the Month competition. The winner, Dinosaurs and Prime Numbers by Tom Moran, was announced today, and reviewed in the Guardian.
Andrew will be speaking at St Hilda’s College, Oxford tomorrow at the Media Networking Conference on Publishing: here today and gone tomorrow?.
Andrew Lownie remains the top-selling agent in the world, across all categories, according to Publishers Marketplace.
He has 41 recorded deals over the last 6 months (second place has 30) and 73 deals over 12 months (second place has 64).
He is first worldwide in biography and second worldwide in the history/politics/current affairs category.
The agency also remains in the top ten in the world across all categories and first in UK non-fiction - with 34 deals in the last 6 months (with second place at 7 deals), and 54 deals over the last year (with second place at 15).
The agency’s monthly newsletter for April is now available online.
The nominees for Literary Agent of the Year, including Andrew Lownie, are profiled in this week’s Bookseller.
With the London Book Fair set to open tomorrow (8th April), agents have told The Bookseller there has been a “land grab”, with some major publishers accused of refusing to publish e-books where contracts state an author royalty rate of more than 25%. The Society of Authors (SoA) has also said it is seeing “unfair” practices from publishers. But publishers denied the claims, emphasising they have strong relationships with agents and always act in the best interests of authors.
Andrew Lownie, of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, said he was “increasingly concerned about the ‘bullying’ approach of some major publishers”. “An area of concern is publishers trying to unilaterally impose a 25% rate on contracts—clearly stated in the contract to be mutually agreed—arguing that that’s the ‘standard’ rate and simply uploading the books without agreement,” he added.
Andrew Lownie is quoted in The Guardian’s profile of Tom Weldon this week:
Tom Weldon: ‘Some say publishing is in trouble. They are completely wrong’
Andrew Lownie has consolidated his position as the world’s leading literary agent, with a remarkable 44 deals in the last six months, according to Publishers Marketplace.
Andrew Lownie, the best-selling literary agent in the world according to Publishers Marketplace, and recently short-listed for The Bookseller UK literary agent of the year, explains how the agency goes about selling its authors.
For the second year running, Andrew Lownie has been shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the Bookseller Industry Awards.
Andrew Lownie was on the Agents of Change panel at last week’s London Author Fair, discussing developments in the roles of publisher and agent, and in particular the agency’s in-house imprint Thistle Publishing.
There’s an interesting summary of the discussion here.
Andrew will be speaking at the London Author Fair on Friday 28th February:
Noon. Panel - Agents of Change: the Evolution of the Literary Agent
2pm. Pitch Up
5.30pm. The Big Publishing Brain Storm: how can we get to where we want to be in 2020?
Then on Monday, Andrew will be speaking at the Biographers Club.
Andrew Lownie appeared in yesterday’s Daily Mail commenting on Les Dawson’s newly discovered romantic historical novel.
Andrew Lownie talks to JJ Marsh about all things biographical.
The agency’s annual survey of editors in the UK and US is generating lots of interesting in the publishing press and social media. Yesterday on booktrade.info, the surveys were the top two Most Popular stories.
Andrew Lownie will be one of the expert speakers at the London Author Fair on February 28.
The agency has launched its traditional annual survey of leading editors, who give a range of fascinating insights into current trends and tastes in publishing.
What UK Non-Fiction Editors Want 2014
According to Publishers Marketplace, the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency has now moved up to #6 among agencies worldwide.
According to Publishers Marketplace, among literary agents worldwide Andrew Lownie is:
No.1 in Agents
No.1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction
No.2 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs
The Agency overall is:
No.1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction
No.4 in Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs worldwide
No.8 in Agencies worldwide
In UK non-fiction, Andrew did 51 deals in 2013, 10 of which were for six figures plus. The second-placed agent in this category made 10 deals in 2013, of which 2 were for six figures plus.
Andrew Lownie will be speaking to MA Publishing students at Kingston University on Monday.
Andrew Lownie will be speaking at the NGP Self-Publishing Summit on November 9 at King’s College London.
Andrew Lownie is interviewed in the latest issue of The Harvard Square Edition:
The brave new world of agenting according to Andrew Lownie, Literary Agent
According to Publishers Marketplace’s list of agents internationally across all categories, Andrew Lownie is top with 29 reported deals in six months.
The agency is also first for UK non-fiction with 41 reported deals over the last twelve months - 27 deals ahead of its nearest competitor.
Andrew Lownie will be on a panel entitled What is the current role of an agent and how can rights to work be sold? at the Self Publishing Summit 2013.
IPR License, the global and digital marketplace for books rights, has entered into a partnership with award-winning The Andrew Lownie Literary Agency which will see an unpublished manuscript, with world rights available, selected as the monthly ‘Agents Pick’ to be featured on a special promotion to over 50,000 publishers in over 90 countries. In addition, the chosen work will also receive a professional written critique.
Andrew Lownie will be the guest speaker for The Guardian’s course on ghostwriting on 12-13 October 2013.
This week’s Bookseller includes a feature on agency publishing imprints, focusing on Thistle Publishing:
Agents are reporting strong sales for in-house e-book ventures, with their success helping to generate better publishing deals for their clients.
Lownie said: “We are still selling 50 titles a year in the conventional way, but we’re now a hybrid agency.” He added: “It’s quite lucrative. Some books are getting into promotions, some are free. The most successful are those priced at 99p, but we’re pricing a lot at £3.50.”
To mark the agency’s 25th anniversary, Andrew Lownie held a small celebration last night at Westminster Abbey, to thank all the writers, editors and friends whose talents have contributed to this milestone. Here’s to the next 25 years!
Andrew Lownie has two appearances in the current issue of Words With Jam:
Andrew Lownie will be speaking at the Editech conference in June, contributing to a session on the subject of ‘Authors, publishers and agents in the self-publishing era’.
At this year’s London Book Fair, Andrew Lownie took part in a panel discussion on The Future of Literary Agents, which has been usefully summarised and reviewed.
A report in Publishers Weekly on Andrew Lownie’s panel discussion at the London Book Fair ‘Defining the New Role for Literary Agents’ can be found at:
Andrew Lownie continues to top the agent lists on Publishers Marketplace:
1 in Agents 1 in International rights: UK Non-fiction 3 in Non-fiction: Biography“We also all need to look at limited licences — I suggest ten year licences as with translation — to allow greater control of rights at a time of rapid technological change. It is wrong to sign away rights, many not even known, forever, now that books never go out of print. Naturally, publishers and agents will be reluctant to do so arguing that they should reap the benefits of what they have sown, but ten years should be sufficient to recoup the investment made.”
The full Publishing Perspectives piece can be found here.
The agency is gearing up for the London Book Fair.
Andrew is profiled here .
And there are some author tips from Andrew and David on Novelicious.
Andrew Lownie will be judging the Earlyworks Press Biography Challenge.
“I’m a great believer that all history is really biography as it’s people who generally shape events rather than inexorable historical movements. All of us, I think, are fascinated by what makes people ‘tick’ and hence our traditional love of biography.
“What I look for in a biography, though it has to be totally accurate and well-researched, is what I also want in a novel – a strong narrative arc, a compelling story, the ability to set a scene, to create a sense of place and to delineate character.
“What I love about biography is it can be used to humanise almost any story and it can take many forms from “the cradle to the grave” approach to the “slice of life”. In the hands of a pro, it can be the most satisfying of any genre.”
Earlyworks Press Biography Challenge
The closing date for entries is the 31st March 2014.
Andrew Lownie’s Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess has recently be selected for the following lists:
26 Best History Books of All Time
30 must-read history books
45 Best History Books of All Time
’ If you’re a fan of thrilling spy novels, then Stalin’s Englishman is the history book for you… an exciting narrative that will keep you turning the pages.’
Three top editors explain the process of commissioning books within their publishers. Hugh Bar...Read more
Andrew Lownie continues his occasional blog about his working week. MONDAY Phone message ...Read more
By popular demand, Andrew Lownie begins a regular blog giving a flavour of his week. MONDAY ...Read more
A few recent submissions with original spellings which show the faith some people have in an agen...Read more
Andrew Lownie offers some submission tips with examples from recent submissions of what not to d...Read more
Authors – as indeed am I - are often fascinated at how writers come to the agency and I as...Read more
January's article 'The Books of 2009' on what editors were looking to buy in 2009 and what they t...Read more
Andrew Lownie looks at some recent articles on publishing trends. The daily e mail newsletters B...Read more
Andrew Lownie describes part of his working week in a new 'A Week in the Life of a Literary Agenc...Read more
In February and November 2006, I reproduced as articles some of the author comments on their auth...Read more
Last February I ran an article about how authors heard about the agency and thought readers might...Read more
My January article covering some of my activities during an average week attracted a great deal o...Read more
Authors come to the Agency for a variety of reasons - recommendation by another author, agent, ed...Read more