The Bookseller has released a list of the 100 most influential people in the book trade today, including J. K. Rowling, CEOs of the top publishing houses, David Walliams, and our very own Madeleine Milburn, who was among only a handful of top agents to make the list.
We were delighted, but not in the least bit surprised.
Working with her every day, we get to see the passion with which she negotiates on behalf of her authors; the uncanny knack she has of spotting the next publishing trend; the energy with which she launches debut authors into the upper echelons of the bestseller lists; and the wisdom with which she guides her clients’ ongoing careers.
Madeleine would say that an agent is only as good as the authors they represent, so really this is just as much a reflection of all of our amazing writers and their work. This is true. But without getting too gushy, and at the risk of making her cringe, we would like to say how proud we are as an Agency of all that she has achieved, and how happy we are – after all the devotion she puts into championing others – that she now gets to enjoy the limelight a little.
Here’s some of what The Bookseller wrote:
In the five years since setting up on her own, Milburn and her team have amassed a stellar list, for whom she is able to secure eye-popping advances. A canter through recent deals includes débutante Melanie Golding’s thriller to HQ for a six-figure sum, a fierce auction in the UK and US for Annie Ward’s Beautiful Bad and the seven-figure fee garnered for Gail Honeyman last year for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, 2017’s bestselling hardback fiction début in the UK. But it would be remiss to suggest it’s just about the quick buck, for Milburn is more about author development, helping YA stars Holly Bourne and C J Daugherty move into adult writing and securing a long-term deal with HarperCollins for C L Taylor.
Congratulations, Madeleine: this is so richly deserved.
