Curtis Brown
Curtis Brown, Ltd. is a privately held literary agency founded in 1914, with 14 agents across New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco offices, representing authors across all genres and earning commissions on book deals, film/TV rights, translation rights, and permissions licensing worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1914
- HeadquartersNew City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Curtis Brown does
Curtis Brown, Ltd. is one of the world's longest-operating literary agencies, established in July 1914 when Albert Curtis Brown opened the New York branch of his London-founded agency as World War I began. The firm represents adult and children's authors across all genres — including literary and commercial fiction, non-fiction, memoir, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, middle-grade, YA, and picture books with illustrators — through 14 agents located in New York (headquarters, 228 E 45th Street), New Orleans, and San Francisco (opened 1992 by Peter Ginsberg). Curtis Brown is a founder of the Society of Authors' Representatives (1928), the predecessor to today's Association of American Literary Agents (AALA), to which all its agents belong.
The agency's business model is commission-based literary representation with no reading or editorial fees. Revenue is generated through percentage commissions on book deals negotiated with publishers, plus subsidiary rights licensing across four channels: dramatic rights (sold directly to Hollywood through an in-house Film & Television Department headed by VP Holly Frederick, with nearly 100 client titles currently in development), translation rights (licensed through 23 territory-specific sub-agents overseen since 2023 by Director of Foreign Rights Karin Schulze), audio rights, and digital media rights. A separate Permissions division handles five distinct service lines — Print, Stage Adaptation, Musical Setting, Radio/Podcast, and Quote in Film/TV/Documentary/Stage — on a non-exclusive basis with processing times up to 8 weeks.
Curtis Brown operates as a traditional services firm with no proprietary technology platforms, APIs, algorithms, or AI/ML capabilities. The agency is privately held with no parent company, external investors, or funding rounds disclosed; separate Curtis Brown entities exist independently in London, Toronto, and Sydney. New manuscript submissions are received directly by individual agents via email or mail, with response turnaround typically 3-4 weeks and the agency does not accept screenplay submissions or represent stage plays/musicals.
Curtis Brown firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Curtis Brown
- Legal name
- Curtis Brown, Ltd.
- Website
- https://curtisbrown.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1914
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Curtis Brown, Ltd. is a privately held literary agency founded in 1914, with 14 agents across New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco offices, representing authors across all genres and earning commissions on book deals, film/TV rights, translation rights, and permissions licensing worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Curtis Brown industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Agency Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Lyrics & Text Rights Licensing (Lyric Display, Print/Digital Reproduction) (MPAIABAI), Audiobook Rights & Licensing (Territorial/Format Rights, Agencies) (MPAJAIAG), Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)
Keywords
Where Curtis Brown is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Curtis Brown business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Literary representation commissions: Traditional literary agency commissions on book deals, subsidiary rights sales, and subsidiary rights licensing. Agency represents authors and illustrators and earns a percentage of deals negotiated on their behalf.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Curtis Brown product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Curtis Brown, Ltd. is a literary agency that represents established and emerging authors across all genres, including picture book illustrators, children's, middle-grade, young adult, and adult fiction and non-fiction. The agency negotiates book deals with publishers, sells dramatic rights to film/TV producers through an in-house Film & Television Department, licenses translation rights internationally through a network of foreign sub-agents in approximately 23 territories, and manages permissions for print, stage adaptation, musical setting, radio/podcast, and film/TV quote usage. Revenue is earned via commissions on deals and licensing royalties on behalf of clients.
Product overview
Curtis Brown, Ltd. is one of the world's leading literary agencies operating since 1914, offering a comprehensive suite of services under a single agency brand. The core offering is literary representation for authors of all genres, supported by specialized departments for film & television rights sales, foreign/translation rights licensing, and permissions handling. The permissions division encompasses five distinct services: Print Permissions, Stage Adaptation Permissions, Musical Setting Permissions, Radio/Podcast Permissions, and Quote in Film/TV/Documentary/Stage Permissions. The agency also manages manuscript submissions through its fourteen agents across three U.S. offices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Literary Representation
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 100 clients' titles currently in development in Film & TV
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Curtis Brown
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Curtis Brown technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Curtis Brown partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Dar CherlincoreArabic language territories representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights department, overseen by Karin Schulze, Director of Foreign Rights.
- Eastern European and Asian Rights Agency, RigacoreBaltics/Ukraine and Central Asia representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights licensing.
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates, SofiacoreBulgaria, Croatia and Serbia representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates, BeijingcoreChina representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights department.
- Kristin Olson Literarni Agentura, PraguecoreCzech Republic and Slovakia representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- La Nouvelle Agence, PariscoreFrance representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights department.
- Paul & Peter Fritz Agency, ZurichcoreGerman language territories representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- O.A. Literary Agency, AthenscoreGreece representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights licensing.
- The Israeli Association of Book Publishers (TBPAI), Tel-AvivcoreIsrael representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Katai & Bolza Literary Agents, BudapestcoreHungary representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights licensing.
- Santachiara Literary Agency, PaviacoreItaly representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Japan Uni Agency, TokyocoreJapan representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights department.
- KCC, SeoulcoreKorea representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Marianne Schönbach Agency, AmsterdamcoreNetherlands and Scandinavia representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights licensing.
- Macadamia Literary Agency, WarsawcorePoland representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Tassy Barham Associates, LondoncoreBrazil representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights department.
- Ilidio Matos Agencia Literaria, LisboncorePortugal (adult titles only) representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- International Editors Co., BarcelonacorePortugal (children's titles) and Spain representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights licensing.
- Simona Kessler International Copyright Agency, BucharestcoreRomania representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Synopsis Literary Agency, MoscowcoreRussia representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights department.
- The Grayhawk Agency, TaipeicoreSoutheast Asia representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
- Bardon Chinese Media Agency, TaipeicoreTaiwan representative for Curtis Brown's foreign rights licensing.
- Akcali Copyright Agency, IstanbulcoreTurkey representative for Curtis Brown's translation rights licensing.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Curtis Brown competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- William Morris Endeavor (WME): WME is one of the largest talent and literary agencies globally, with a substantial book publishing division. It competes with Curtis Brown for premium authors and film/TV rights but operates as a diversified entertainment conglomerate far beyond literary representation.
- United Talent Agency (UTA): UTA is a major talent and literary agency with a significant book publishing division representing bestselling authors. As a much larger full-service entertainment agency, it competes with Curtis Brown for premium authors but operates at vastly greater scale across film, TV, and music.
- Creative Artists Agency (CAA): CAA is a leading global entertainment and talent agency with a literary division representing major authors. It overlaps with Curtis Brown in literary representation and film/TV rights sales but competes as a much larger, diversified incumbent.
- ICM Partners: ICM Partners (now part of CAA following acquisition) was a major literary and talent agency representing bestselling authors. It competed with Curtis Brown in author representation and dramatic rights sales as a broader entertainment industry incumbent.
Direct peers
- Writers House: Writers House is one of the largest US literary agencies, representing bestselling fiction, non-fiction, and children's authors across all genres. It is a direct peer to Curtis Brown in literary representation scope and client caliber, with a comparable full-service subsidiary rights operation.
- Trident Media Group: Trident Media Group is a major literary agency representing commercial and literary fiction, non-fiction, and children's authors, with an integrated film/TV rights division. It directly competes with Curtis Brown for both author clients and film/TV adaptation deals.
- Janklow & Nesbit Associates: Janklow & Nesbit is one of the most prestigious literary agencies in New York, representing award-winning literary fiction and non-fiction authors. It directly competes with Curtis Brown for top-tier literary talent and offers comparable foreign rights and film/TV services.
- Sterling Lord Literistic: Sterling Lord Literistic is a long-established New York literary agency founded in 1952, representing literary fiction, non-fiction, and memoir authors. It is comparable to Curtis Brown in agency heritage, client pedigree, and full-service author representation model.
- Foundry Literary + Media: Foundry Literary + Media is a New York-based literary agency representing literary and commercial fiction, non-fiction, and children's authors, with a robust film/TV rights department. It directly competes with Curtis Brown across author representation and subsidiary rights sales.
- InkWell Management: InkWell Management is a major New York-based literary agency representing literary fiction, non-fiction, and memoir authors. It directly competes with Curtis Brown for premium literary authors and offers similar subsidiary rights services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Curtis Brown social profiles
Digital presenceCurtis Brown financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Curtis Brown leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Curtis Brown funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Curtis Brown M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Curtis Brown
What does Curtis Brown do?
Curtis Brown, Ltd. is a literary agency that represents established and emerging authors across all genres, including picture book illustrators, children's, middle-grade, young adult, and adult fiction and non-fiction. The agency negotiates book deals with publishers, sells dramatic rights to film/TV producers through an in-house Film & Television Department, licenses translation rights internationally through a network of foreign sub-agents in approximately 23 territories, and manages permissions for print, stage adaptation, musical setting, radio/podcast, and film/TV quote usage. Revenue is earned via commissions on deals and licensing royalties on behalf of clients.
Is Curtis Brown a public or private company?
Curtis Brown is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Curtis Brown founded?
Curtis Brown was founded in 1914. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Curtis Brown based?
Curtis Brown is headquartered in New City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Curtis Brown make money?
One revenue line is on record: literary representation commissions.
Who are Curtis Brown's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are William Morris Endeavor (WME), United Talent Agency (UTA), Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and ICM Partners. Direct peers are Writers House, Trident Media Group, Janklow & Nesbit Associates, Sterling Lord Literistic, Foundry Literary + Media and InkWell Management.
Does Curtis Brown have an API?
No public API is recorded for Curtis Brown.
What industry is Curtis Brown in?
Curtis Brown's product category is Literary Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAK, Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties), with a secondary code of MPAIABAI, Lyrics & Text Rights Licensing (Lyric Display, Print/Digital Reproduction). Its NAICS code is 51313 and its SIC code is 2741.