Felicity Bryan Associates
Felicity Bryan Associates is an Oxford-based independent literary agency, founded in 1988, representing fiction and non-fiction authors with a six-agent team and a global network of sub-agents for international rights sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Felicity Bryan Associates does
Felicity Bryan Associates is an independent literary agency founded in 1988 in Oxford, United Kingdom, and incorporated as Felicity Bryan Associates Ltd. It is the largest independent literary agency outside London, operating with roughly ten staff: six literary agents and four support roles covering contracts, rights, royalties, and social media. The firm's core service is literary representation — manuscript evaluation, contract negotiation with publishers, and long-term career management for both fiction and non-fiction authors whose output ranges from literary and historical fiction to narrative history, biography, and investigative journalism.
The agency has no proprietary technology platform; its intellectual property is concentrated in its accumulated brand reputation, its catalog of prize-winning bestsellers, and the personal relationships held by its named agents. Authors are sourced through a dedicated online submissions portal that accepts fiction manuscripts and non-fiction proposals, supplemented by a New Voices writing programme for emerging writers from underrepresented backgrounds. Revenue is generated through standard literary agency commissions on domestic book sales (typically 15-20%), foreign rights, and subsidiary rights (film, TV, audio, translation), with international rights monetized through a network of 14+ sub-agents spanning Europe, the Americas, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East.
The agency's go-to-market is hybrid: sales-led through direct agent-to-publisher pitching and major book fair attendance (Frankfurt, London, Bologna, New York visits), and community-led through its social media presence and industry relationships. The agency was founded by Felicity Bryan MBE, who died in June 2020; the firm has continued operating independently under its existing agents, with new talent development arms (the Felicity Bryan Publishing Mentorship Scheme and a paid internship programme) created in the founder's honor.
Felicity Bryan Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Felicity Bryan Associates
- Legal name
- Felicity Bryan Associates Ltd.
- Website
- https://felicitybryan.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Felicity Bryan Associates is an Oxford-based independent literary agency, founded in 1988, representing fiction and non-fiction authors with a six-agent team and a global network of sub-agents for international rights sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Felicity Bryan Associates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Agency Services
- NAICS
- Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF), Manuscript Development Services (Coaching, Developmental Editing) (MPAJAJAF)
Keywords
Where Felicity Bryan Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Felicity Bryan Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commission on book sales and rights: The agency generates revenue by taking commission (typically 15-20% for UK sales, higher for foreign rights) on authors' book sales, royalties, and subsidiary rights (film, TV, audio, translation). The agency handles contracts, negotiates deals with publishers, and manages author royalties.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Felicity Bryan Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Felicity Bryan Associates is a literary agency that represents fiction and non-fiction authors. Its core service is literary representation, including manuscript evaluation, contract negotiation with publishers, international rights sales through a global sub-agent network, and long-term career development for authors. The agency also operates an online submissions portal, a paid internship programme, and a publishing mentorship scheme for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds.
Product overview
Felicity Bryan Associates is a literary agency offering author representation services for fiction and non-fiction authors. The agency's core service is literary representation, which encompasses manuscript evaluation, contract negotiation with publishers, rights management, and career development support for authors. The agency operates an online submissions portal for manuscript submissions and manages international rights through partnerships with sub-agents worldwide. The agency also runs a paid internship programme and a publishing mentorship scheme for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. The agency was founded in 1988 and is based in Oxford.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Literary Representation Services Core literary agency service for fiction and non-fiction authors, including manuscript evaluation, contract negotiation with publishers, international rights sales, and long-term career development support. Offered to authors seeking professional representation.
- International Rights Sales Service selling authors' book rights internationally through a network of sub-agents across Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, USA, Canada, Korea, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and many other territories. Available to the agency's represented authors.
- Internship Programme A four-month paid internship based in Oxford offering hands-on experience across all aspects of literary agency operations, including reading submissions, social media support, office administration, and assisting agents and authors. Open to individuals seeking entry into publishing.
- Publishing Mentorship Scheme A three-month programme designed to support individuals from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing a career in publishing, with industry placements at partner organisations. Honours the agency's founder Felicity Bryan.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple Sunday Times top-5 bestsellers and award-winning authors represented
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Felicity Bryan Associates
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Felicity Bryan Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Felicity Bryan Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Andrew Nurnberg AssociatescorePrimary sub-agent for international rights sales covering Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, Brazil, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This is a key relationship for the agency's international rights business.
- Curtis Brown San FranciscocoreUS-based literary agency handling American rights sales for the agency's authors.
- The Gernert AgencycoreUS-based literary agency handling American rights sales for the agency's authors.
- Inkwell ManagementcoreUS-based literary management agency for American rights representation.
- Anne McDermid AgencycoreCanadian literary agency handling rights sales in Canada for the agency's authors.
- Tuttle Mori AgencycoreJapanese literary agency handling rights sales in Japan.
- Japan UniminorJapanese literary agency for rights sales.
- English Agency JapanminorJapanese literary agency for rights sales.
- Eric Yang AgencycoreKorean literary agency handling rights sales in Korea.
- JLMminorGreek literary agency for rights sales in Greece.
- AnatoliaminorTurkish literary agency for rights sales in Turkey.
- The Deborah Harris AgencyminorIsraeli literary agency for rights sales in Israel.
- Calligraph AgencyminorUS-based literary agency for American rights representation.
- Trellis Literary ManagementminorUS-based literary management for American rights representation.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Felicity Bryan Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- United Agents: Major London-based literary and talent agency representing authors across fiction, non-fiction, and children's publishing. Operates the same commission-based author representation business model and offers comparable international rights services, making it a direct UK competitor for new submissions and established authors.
- Janklow & Nesbit: Long-established New York literary agency representing both literary fiction and high-profile non-fiction authors. Highly comparable in author mix (literary + narrative non-fiction), commission economics, and international co-agent partnerships, and is a frequent rights-trading partner of UK agencies including Felicity Bryan.
- The Wylie Agency: London- and New York-based literary agency representing literary fiction, non-fiction, and memoir authors. Comparable in the kind of prestige/literary authors represented, the breadth of international rights trading, and the boutique-but-influential market positioning Felicity Bryan occupies outside London.
- Aitken Alexander Associates: London literary agency representing a mix of literary and commercial fiction and non-fiction authors, with active international rights sales. Comparable in author mix, boutique agency structure, and reliance on global co-agents — a natural competitor for UK-based submissions.
- Inkwell Management: New York-based literary management agency representing fiction and non-fiction authors, and an existing US sub-agent for Felicity Bryan. Comparable in author mix (literary and narrative non-fiction), boutique high-touch representation, and international co-agency structure.
- Peters Fraser + Dunlop: Long-standing London literary agency with a substantial fiction and non-fiction author list and active international rights trading. Comparable in scale (mid-sized UK agency), author mix, and commission-based economics, and a frequent competitor for new author acquisitions in the UK.
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates: International literary agency with offices across Eastern Europe, Asia, and Germany, acting as a sub-agent for rights sales. While Felicity Bryan is a client of Andrew Nurnberg rather than a pure competitor, it is the most directly comparable full-service international rights intermediary and operates in the same commission-on-rights revenue model.
- The Gernert Agency: New York literary agency representing literary fiction and non-fiction authors, and an existing US sub-agent partner for Felicity Bryan. Directly comparable in literary/non-fiction author mix and commission-based representation model, and a frequent rights-trading counterpart.
- Rogers, Coleridge & White: London-based literary agency with a strong literary fiction and translation list, including international authors. Closely comparable in editorial sensibility, author development approach, and reliance on international sub-agent partnerships for rights sales.
- Curtis Brown: One of the UK's largest and most established literary agencies, representing novelists, non-fiction writers, and other creative talent across fiction and non-fiction. Directly comparable to Felicity Bryan in author representation model, commission structure, and international rights sales, though based in London and considerably larger in agent headcount.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Felicity Bryan Associates social profiles
Digital presenceFelicity Bryan Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Felicity Bryan Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Felicity Bryan Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Felicity Bryan Associates 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 Felicity Bryan Associates
What does Felicity Bryan Associates do?
Felicity Bryan Associates is a literary agency that represents fiction and non-fiction authors. Its core service is literary representation, including manuscript evaluation, contract negotiation with publishers, international rights sales through a global sub-agent network, and long-term career development for authors. The agency also operates an online submissions portal, a paid internship programme, and a publishing mentorship scheme for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds.
Is Felicity Bryan Associates a public or private company?
Felicity Bryan Associates is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Felicity Bryan Associates founded?
Felicity Bryan Associates was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Felicity Bryan Associates based?
Felicity Bryan Associates is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Felicity Bryan Associates make money?
One revenue line is on record: commission on book sales and rights.
Who are Felicity Bryan Associates's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are United Agents, Janklow & Nesbit, The Wylie Agency, Aitken Alexander Associates, Inkwell Management, Peters Fraser + Dunlop, Andrew Nurnberg Associates, The Gernert Agency, Rogers, Coleridge & White and Curtis Brown.
Does Felicity Bryan Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Felicity Bryan Associates.
What industry is Felicity Bryan Associates in?
Felicity Bryan Associates's product category is Literary Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAHAK, Talent Agency & Representation Services, with a secondary code of MPAGAAAF, Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services. Its NAICS code is 7114.