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Christopher Little Literary Agency

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(Redirected from Christopher Little Literary Agents) Firm of literary agents in London, England

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The Christopher Little Literary Agency was a literary agency based in London. It closed in 2021 following the death of its founder, Christopher Little. Its clients have included J. K. Rowling, Darren Shan, A. J. Quinnell, Pip Vaughan Hughes, Philip Kazan, Pippa Mattinson, Cathy Hopkins, Robert Mawson, Robert Radcliffe, and Wladyslaw Szpilman. The agency managed J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, from 1995 until 2011.

History

Christopher Little

Main article: Christopher Little

Christopher John Little was born in York, England in 1941 and grew up in Liversedge. He started recruiting authors in the 1970s when looking for work in the United Kingdom after returning from a financial career abroad. In 1979, he sold his first novel, Man on Fire, written by his friend Phillip Nicholson who wrote under the pseudonym A. J. Quinnell. Later the same year, he established the Christopher Little Literary Agency. Though he considered it a hobby at first, by 1992 the literary agency grew to represent 20 authors. Little died from cancer on the seventh of January, 2021, at age 79. The Christopher Little Literary Agency permanently closed after his death.

J. K. Rowling

In 1995, Little received the first three chapters of the manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from author J. K. Rowling (then known as Joanne Rowling) and went on to represent her. Rowling is said to have chosen Christopher Little's agency because she thought his name sounded like something out of a children's book. According to Little, every major UK publisher turned the book down, but Bloomsbury Publishing had recently opened a children’s department, and, in 1996, bought UK Commonwealth publication rights for one book for £2,500. The U.S. rights were sold at auction for a six-figure sum. Foreign language publication rights were subsequently sold in over 80 languages. By July 2007, Little was estimated to have received at least £50m from the franchise.

In 2011, J. K. Rowling parted ways with Little and signed with his former business partner, Neil Blair, as he set up his own agency. Little considered legal action against Rowling, but the dispute was settled out of court. The details remained confidential until after Little's death, but surfaced in 2021 in the course of legal proceedings initiated by Blair against his former accountant, who had advised him in the deal with Little.

Other authors

The Christopher Little Literary Agency has represented numerous authors, mainly in commercial fiction, including Anne Zouroudi, Erin Kinsley, and Janet Gleeson. It has also represented individuals who wrote autobiographies, including Madeleine by Kate McCann and Soldier by General Sir Mike Jackson.Little secured numerous film deals for his clients, most prominently Man on Fire (A J Quinnell), The Lazarus Child (Robert Mawson), The Pianist (Wladyslaw Szpilman), The Vampire’s Assistant (Darren Shan) and the Harry Potter films (J K Rowling).

References

  1. ^ "About The agency - Christopher Little". Christopher Little. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  2. Risen, Clay (27 January 2021). "Christopher Little, Who Built an Empire Around a Boy Wizard, Dies at 79". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ^ Christopher Little, Who Built an Empire Around a Boy Wizard, Dies at 79. New York Times, 27 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. Chandler, Mark. "Agent Christopher Little dies, aged 79". The Bookseller. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  5. ^ "About the Agency". Christopher Little Literary Agency LLP. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. Hastings, Chris; Bisset, Susan (15 June 2003). "Literary agent made £15m because JK Rowling liked his name". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  7. "Revealed: £10m payout for Harry Potter agent after Rowling fallout". The Standard.
  8. "Christopher Little obituary". www.thetimes.com. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  9. "Christopher Little". Agent Hunter. Retrieved 24 March 2018.

External links

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