What Trident Media Group does

Trident Media Group (TMG) is a New York City-based literary agency founded in 2000 by Robert Gottlieb and operating as Trident Media Group, LLC. The firm represents authors of literary fiction, commercial fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and graphic novels, providing end-to-end author representation including publishing deal negotiation, international rights sales, film/TV rights packaging, audiobook rights, business affairs contract review, digital marketing, and royalty accounting. Its roster includes multiple Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Booker Prize, and Nobel Prize in Literature winners, alongside commercial bestsellers such as Catherine Coulter (FBI series, 80M+ copies sold), Sherrilyn Kenyon, Robin Cook, and Mark Greaney (The Gray Man, adapted by Netflix).

TMG operates without proprietary technology products; its core platform is its agent bench and its relationships with the Big Five publishers (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachette) plus W.W. Norton, as well as recurring presence at the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs and a dedicated LA film/TV pitching cadence. The business model is commission-based: 15% on North American publishing and film/TV sales, 20% on foreign rights (25% in some small foreign markets), earned on advances and royalties processed from publishers, entertainment companies, licensees, and electronic retailers worldwide. The agency has approximately 30 staff including agents, assistants, business affairs, accounting, and international rights personnel, with a senior leadership team drawn from William Morris, ICM, Viking Penguin, Basic Books, and Penguin Random House. The firm grew via the 2002 merger with Ellen Levine Literary Agency and has continued to expand its service lines (digital marketing, formal online submissions portal) while adding new agents and verticals such as wellness and memoir.

Name

Trident Media Group

Legal name

Trident Media Group, LLC

Website

https://tridentmediagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trident Media Group is a New York City-based literary agency founded in 2000 that represents award-winning and bestselling authors across fiction and nonfiction, monetizing through commissions on publishing, foreign rights, film/TV, and audiobook deals with major global publishers and studios.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Agency Services

NAICS

Publishing Industries (513), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB), Children’s Licensed & Media Tie-In Publishing (MPAJAFAK)

Keywords

• Literary agency services
• Author representation
• International rights sales
• Book-to-film rights
• Audiobook rights

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Literary Agency Commissions: The agency earns commissions on sales made on behalf of authors. Commission rates vary by territory and rights type: 15% for North American sales, 20% for foreign sales (25% in some small foreign markets), and 15% for film and TV sales. The agency processes advances and royalties from publishers, entertainment companies, licensees, and electronic retailers worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Trident Media Group is a full-service literary agency representing authors across fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and graphic novels. The agency negotiates publishing deals, foreign translation rights, film and TV adaptations, audiobook licenses, and provides marketing, business affairs, and royalty administration services for its author clients worldwide.

Product overview

Trident Media Group is a leading literary agency headquartered in New York City, founded in 2000. The company operates as a unified literary agency offering a comprehensive suite of services including Literary Agency Services (core author representation across fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and graphic novels), International Rights (global rights sales through Director Sam Birmingham and Chairman Robert Gottlieb), Marketing & Business Strategy (digital marketing, branding, and career positioning), Book-to-Film & TV Rights (VP Erica Silverman oversees entertainment deal-making), Audiobook Rights (deal negotiation with audiobook publishers), Business Affairs (contract negotiation and review), Accounting & Administration (royalty processing and HR functions), and an Online Submissions Portal (web-based query system). These services work together to provide end-to-end representation and career management for authors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Literary Agency Services Core literary agency representation services for authors across fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and graphic novels, providing deal negotiation, career management, and rights management with leading publishers.
• International Rights Global rights sales and representation for UK and translation markets, working with publishers in every major and minor market worldwide, led by Director of International Rights Sam Birmingham.
• Marketing & Business Strategy Digital marketing guidance, branding expertise, social media marketing, audience development, and long-term career positioning for authors and their publications.
• Book-to-Film & TV Rights Film and television rights representation and deal-making, with VP of Filmed Entertainment Erica Silverman overseeing pitching projects to studios, production companies, and high-profile buyers in LA and New York.
• Audiobook Rights Securing audiobook deals with top audiobook publishers, negotiating licensing advances, competitive royalty rates, and premium author narration fees.
• Business Affairs Review of publishing agreements and contracts, negotiating publishing contracts, drafting U.S. and foreign language first and second serial rights agreements, and other publishing-related agreements.
• Accounting & Administration Financial processing of client advances and royalties from publishers, entertainment companies, licensees, and electronic retailers; human resources functions including health insurance, office operations, and professional development.
• Online Submissions Portal Web-based query submission system allowing authors to send query letters to literary agents, with Terms & Conditions agreement and commission information (15% North America, 20% foreign sales, 15% film/TV).

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Booker Prize, and Nobel Prize winners represented
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers33 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Penguin Random HousecoreOthersMajor publishing client relationship; TMG represents authors whose books are published by Penguin Random House imprints including Random House, Bantam, and Penguin.
• HarperCollinscoreOthersMajor publishing client relationship; TMG represents authors published by HarperCollins including Avon, William Morrow, and custom imprints.
• Simon & SchustercoreOthersMajor publishing client relationship; TMG represents authors published by Simon & Schuster imprints.
• Macmillan PublisherscoreOthersMajor publishing client relationship; TMG represents authors published by Macmillan including Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Tor Books.
• Hachette Book GroupcoreOthersMajor publishing client relationship; TMG represents authors published by Hachette Book Group including Grand Central Publishing and Little, Brown.
• W.W. Norton & CompanycoreOthersMajor publishing client relationship; TMG represents authors published by W.W. Norton including Norton and Liveright.
• Los Angeles Studios and Production CompaniescoreOthersFilm/TV department regularly travels to LA to pitch book-to-film projects to studios and production houses; works alongside talent agencies in LA on key projects.
• London Book FaircoreOthersAnnual attendance at London Book Fair for international rights sales; TMG's International Rights team led by Robert Gottlieb and Sam Birmingham attends to meet with foreign publishers.
• Frankfurt Book FaircoreOthersAnnual attendance at Frankfurt Book Fair for international rights sales; TMG maintains year-round contact with foreign publishers to ensure substantial foreign deals.
• Top Audiobook PublisherscoreOthersTMG works with industry top audiobook publishers to negotiate licensing advances, competitive royalty rates, and author narration fees for clients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WME Books (William Morris Endeavor): Largest US talent and literary agency, now part of Endeavor Holdings. Represents authors across literary and commercial fiction and operates a deeply integrated book-to-screen business. Directly comparable to TMG as a top-tier literary agency with similar marquee author roster, but with vastly broader entertainment industry capabilities through its parent.
• Writers House: Large, long-established US literary agency representing a broad range of children's, YA, and adult authors. Comparable to TMG in full-service model but larger in scale and stronger in children's publishing segments where TMG also has presence.

Direct peers

• The Wylie Agency: Boutique New York literary agency founded by Andrew Wylie, representing many of the world's most prestigious literary authors including Nobel and Booker Prize winners. Closest direct peer to TMG in client caliber (literary prestige), New York presence, and full-service subsidiary rights approach.
• Inkwell Management: New York literary agency representing award-winning literary and commercial fiction authors. Comparable to TMG in size, prestige focus, and full-service agency model including foreign rights and film/TV deals.
• Sterling Lord Literistic: Long-established New York literary agency with deep author roster spanning literary fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. Comparable to TMG as a full-service agency with international rights capabilities and similar boutique-to-mid-scale footprint.
• Folio Literary Management: Full-service New York literary agency with strong fiction and nonfiction roster and established foreign rights and film/TV departments. Closely comparable to TMG in business model, scale, and service offering.
• The Book Group: Literary agency with offices in New York and London representing literary and commercial fiction. Comparable to TMG in services, international focus, and client caliber.
• The Friedrich Agency: Boutique literary agency representing literary and upmarket fiction. Comparable to TMG as a full-service agency with comparable client list quality and similar scale.

Regional players

• Curtis Brown Ltd: Premier UK literary agency with deep international rights capabilities and a roster of major literary and commercial authors. Comparable to TMG in services and prestige tier, but primarily UK-based; serves as a counterpart at London and Frankfurt Book Fairs.
• Aitken Alexander Associates: Leading UK literary agency representing prize-winning literary and commercial authors with strong international rights operations. Comparable to TMG in client caliber and services, serving as a co-agent and counterpart in foreign rights transactions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trident_media
• Facebookfacebook.com/tridentmediagroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/57460
• Instagraminstagram.com/trident_media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trident Media Group