Russ Willey Biography

Russ Willey comes from an all-London family with roots traced back as far as an eighteenth century innkeeper on Oxford Street.

To his great regret Russ was born just outside the present London boundary but he has tried to make up for this by spending almost all his adult life in the capital, living in Chiswick, the City and Twickenham.

He studied social sciences at the University of York and has pursued a career in advertising and marketing.

Russ’s interests include literature, popular culture and football – from Arsenal to West Ham and AFC Wimbledon. He is particularly fond of rock and pop music, whether it be classics such as Waterloo Sunset or newer tracks like Razorlight’s Dalston.

How I Found the Agency

I carefully scrutinised the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, selecting the literary agents with a specialisation in non-fiction and then narrowing the list down to those who specifically mentioned reference books. I wrote to the three that I most liked the sound of, and Andrew's response was both the quickest and the most positive. Consequently, I was on his books within a week of first deciding that I needed an agent.