Blake Friedmann Literary Agency

What Blake Friedmann Literary Agency does

Blake Friedmann Literary Agency is a London-based literary, TV and film agency founded in 1982, operating as a private limited company registered in England (company number 01203671). The agency provides author representation services across three core verticals: book deals, film and TV rights (including book-to-screen adaptations), and international translation rights. It represents hundreds of authors across multiple genres — fiction, crime, romance, literary, historical, children's, cookery, and non-fiction — at every career stage from debut writers to internationally best-selling authors with multi-million-copy sales. Notable clients include Peter James (No.1 crime author, 23M+ copies, ITV's GRACE series), Deon Meyer (30 territories, 28 languages, Netflix adaptations), and Joseph O'Connor (An Post Irish Book of the Year 2025). The agency is led by Directors Julian Friedmann and Isobel Dixon (Managing Director), with Daisy Way as Executive Director overseeing finance and operations.

The agency operates a commission-based revenue model, charging industry-standard rates (typically 15% domestic and 20% foreign) on author earnings from book deals, translation rights, and film/TV licensing. There are no submission fees and no consumer-facing pricing. Distribution is direct: authors submit manuscripts to individual agents via email, and the agency sells rights to publishers and producers worldwide through its translation rights department (with periodic Rights Guides such as the Spring/Summer 2026 edition) and its Film & TV department. The stated technology stack is described as a literary agency operations platform for manuscript management, rights administration, and author career development, with no proprietary AI/ML features disclosed.

Customer acquisition is hybrid: a sales-led model built on individual agent-author relationships with decades-long client tenures, combined with a community-led approach that includes open submission windows (BFLA Open Week), the Carole Blake Open Doors Project for under-represented voices, and active social media presence. Marketing channels are primarily organic: the agency website, PR coverage of author achievements, and industry event participation. The agency does not appear to use paid acquisition, external funding, or partnerships beyond publisher and producer relationships.

Name

Blake Friedmann Literary Agency

Legal name

Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Ltd

Website

https://blakefriedmann.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blake Friedmann Literary Agency is a London-based literary, TV and film agency founded in 1982 that represents hundreds of authors internationally across books, film/TV rights, and translation rights, earning commission on author earnings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commission on Author Earnings: The agency earns commission (typically industry standard 15% domestic, 20% foreign) on book deals, translation rights sales, film/TV rights, and other licensing revenue generated for represented authors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blake Friedmann Literary Agency is a London-based literary, TV and film agency that represents authors, screenwriters, playwrights and directors across three service lines: book publishing deals, film & TV rights (including book-to-screen adaptations), and translation rights sold globally. Agents provide individual, hands-on career guidance, evaluate direct manuscript submissions, negotiate publishing and licensing deals, and manage contracts and royalties on behalf of represented clients.

Product overview

Blake Friedmann Literary Agency is a literary agency providing author representation services across books, film & TV, and translation rights. The agency offers literary representation, submissions handling, film and TV rights management, and translation rights services for its client authors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book Author Representation Full-service literary representation for fiction and non-fiction authors across many genres, covering manuscript evaluation, agent assignment by genre preference, negotiation of publishing deals, and long-term career development. Clients are individual writers from debut through bestselling, including literary estates.
• Film & TV Rights Representation Representation for screenwriters, playwrights and directors, plus book-to-screen adaptation pitching, handled by the Film & TV department. The department represents over 30 scriptwriters, directors and playwrights led by Conrad Williams.
• Translation Rights Sales Global translation rights management and sales for represented book clients, packaged into a biannual Rights Guide (e.g., Spring/Summer 2026) and distributed to international publishers across multiple territories and languages.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WME (William Morris Endeavor): Global talent and literary agency representing authors and screenwriters at much larger scale — overlaps in book-to-screen and literary representation but operates far broader across entertainment and sports.

Direct peers

• Curtis Brown: One of the UK's oldest and largest literary and talent agencies, representing authors, screenwriters, and directors across book, film, and TV rights — a directly comparable full-service UK literary agency with similar commission model.
• The Wylie Agency: London-rooted literary agency with a strong translation and international rights focus — directly comparable on rights administration and international book-to-screen representation.
• United Agents: Major UK literary and talent agency handling book, TV, film, and theatre rights for a large roster of authors and writers — comparable in scope, geographic base (London), and rights-representation model.
• Aitken Alexander Associates: London-based literary agency offering author representation across book, film/TV, and translation rights — closely comparable boutique competitor with overlapping author categories and similar commission economics.
• Rogers, Coleridge & White: London-based literary agency representing authors in translation, film/TV, and book rights globally — a directly comparable boutique UK literary agency (the BFLA Finance Manager previously worked here).
• Susijn Agency: Amsterdam-rooted literary agency with translation rights, film/TV, and book rights across European markets — comparable independent agency with comparable rights-administration scope.
• Aevitas Creative Management: International literary agency with dedicated film/TV, translation, and book rights departments — comparable boutique offering with similar multi-rights commission model.
• Folio Literary Management: US-based literary agency representing authors for book deals and subsidiary rights including film/TV and translation — comparable independent competitor with similar commission structure.
• Andrew Nurnberg Associates: International literary agency specializing in translation rights and cross-border rights sales across 30+ territories — directly comparable on the translation rights and foreign sub-publishing axis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/finlayreadsetc
• Xx.com/BlakeFriedmann
• Facebookfacebook.com/blakefriedmannliteraryfilmtv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Blake Friedmann Literary Agency