The Bent Agency
The Bent Agency is a privately held transatlantic literary agency representing 200+ authors across fiction, non-fiction, and children's books, with offices in the US and UK and a 20+ country co-agent network for international rights sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersRichmond, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Bent Agency does
The Bent Agency is a privately held transatlantic literary agency that represents authors across fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and children's books. The firm operates a dual-entity structure — The Bent Agency Inc. (USA, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama) and The Bent Agency UK Ltd. (incorporated in England under company number 09600381, with its office in Richmond, London) — and runs with a small team of five literary agents (President Jenny Bent, VP Victoria Cappello, John Silbersack, James Mustelier, and Zoë Plant) supported by a handful of administrative staff. Its roster spans more than 200 authors across major commercial genres including fantasy, YA, romance, thriller, and literary fiction, with clients that include multiple New York Times and international bestsellers.
The agency's service offering is standard literary representation: evaluating manuscript submissions, pitching to publishers, negotiating book deals, and exploiting subsidiary rights (translation, film/TV, audio). Its differentiated capability sits in rights distribution — the agency runs an in-house international rights team and has assembled a structured co-agent network covering more than 20 countries (Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Japan, Korea, China, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Israel, Turkey, the Middle East, and others), and it maintains publisher relationships through attendance at the Bologna, Frankfurt, and London Book Fairs. Industry commissions (typically 15% on domestic sales and 20% on foreign rights, though not publicly disclosed by TBA) are the primary revenue mechanism, supplemented by subsidiary rights and licensing income.
The agency acquires new clients through a query submission process on its website, explicitly excluding simultaneous queries to multiple agents within the firm. It is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and reports no proprietary technology platform; its competitive position rests on agent relationships, the author catalog, and the international co-agent network rather than on technology infrastructure.
The Bent Agency firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Bent Agency
- Legal name
- The Bent Agency Inc.
- Website
- https://thebentagency.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Bent Agency is a privately held transatlantic literary agency representing 200+ authors across fiction, non-fiction, and children's books, with offices in the US and UK and a 20+ country co-agent network for international rights sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Bent Agency industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Agency Services
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Talent Agency & Representation Services (HSACAHAK)
Keywords
Where The Bent Agency is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Richmond
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Bent Agency business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Author Representation and Commission: Literary agency revenue is generated through commissions on book deals, subsidiary rights sales (translation, film/TV, audio), and other licensing arrangements on behalf of represented authors. The agency takes a percentage of advances, royalties, and rights sales.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
The Bent Agency product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bent Agency is a transatlantic literary agency that represents authors of fiction, non-fiction, and children's books, providing full-service author representation including manuscript submissions to publishers, contract negotiation, and subsidiary rights management. The agency operates from offices in Birmingham, Alabama, and Richmond, London, leveraging an international co-agent network to sell translation, film/TV, and audio rights across more than 25 countries. Its roster includes New York Times and international bestselling authors as well as recipients of major literary awards.
Product overview
The Bent Agency is a transatlantic literary agency offering comprehensive representation services for authors. The agency operates from offices in both the US (Birmingham, Alabama) and UK (Richmond, London), providing literary representation across fiction and non-fiction genres. Services include manuscript submissions to publishers, contract negotiation, rights management including translation rights handled in-house, international co-agent partnerships for worldwide rights sales, and career guidance for authors. The agency represents a diverse roster of authors ranging from debut writers to New York Times bestselling authors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Literary Representation Services Full-service literary agency representation for fiction, non-fiction, and children's book authors, including manuscript submission management, contract negotiation with publishers, editorial guidance, and career development. Intended for debut through New York Times bestselling authors across genres including fantasy, YA, romance, literary fiction, mystery, thriller, and commercial fiction.
- International Rights Management Subsidiary rights sales and management for represented authors, covering translation rights, film/TV rights, audio rights, and other licensing arrangements, supported by an in-house international rights team and a network of co-agents across Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Japan, Korea, China, Poland, Scandinavia, Israel, and other markets.
- Manuscript Submission Management Query review and manuscript submission management service through which prospective authors email agents directly with manuscript excerpts, or submit via QueryManager, for consideration by individual agents representing different genres and categories.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple New York Times, Sunday Times, USA Today, and international bestseller placements annually
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Bent Agency
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Bent Agency technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Bent Agency partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates SofiacoreCo-agent for Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia. Contact: Kamelia Emilova ([email protected])
- Eastern European and Asian Rights Agency, Ltd.coreCo-agent for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine. Contact: Tatjana Zoldnere ([email protected])
- Tassy Barham AssociatescoreCo-agent for Brazil, Portugal. Contact: Tassy Barham ([email protected])
- The Grayhawk AgencycoreCo-agent for China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand. Contact: Gray Tan ([email protected])
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates BudapestcoreCo-agent for Croatia, Hungary. Contact: Évi Istvan ([email protected])
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates PraguecoreCo-agent for Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia. Contact: Marta Soukopova ([email protected])
- Sebes & Bisseling Literary AgencycoreCo-agent for Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden. Contacts: Paul Sebes ([email protected]), Willem Bisseling ([email protected])
- Marotte et CompagniecoreCo-agent for France. Contacts: Corinne Marotte ([email protected]), Hanna Thoren ([email protected])
- Thomas Schlueck AgencycoreCo-agent for Germany. Contact: Bastian Schlueck ([email protected])
- Read N' Right AgencycoreCo-agent for Greece. Contact: Nike Davarinou ([email protected])
- The Israeli Association of Book PublisherscoreCo-agent for Israel. Contact: Beverly Levit ([email protected])
- Daniela Micura Literary ServicescoreCo-agent for Italy. Contact: Daniela Micura ([email protected])
- Japan Uni AgencycoreCo-agent for Japan. Contacts: Maiko Fujnaga ([email protected]), Mami Nakajima ([email protected])
- Danny Hong AgencycoreCo-agent for Korea. Contact: Danny Hong ([email protected])
- Bears Factor Literary AgencycoreCo-agent for Middle East, North Africa, The Gulf. Contact: Bassem El Kheshen ([email protected])
- Macadamia Literary AgencycoreCo-agent for Poland. Contacts: Magda Cabajewska ([email protected]), Kamila Kanafa ([email protected])
- Andrew Nurnberg Literary AgencycoreCo-agent for Russia. Contacts: Olga Lutova ([email protected]), Anastasia Falcon ([email protected])
- The Foreign OfficecoreCo-agent for Spain. Contact: Teresa Vilarrubla ([email protected])
- Asli Karasuil Telif Literary AgencycoreCo-agent for Turkey. Contact: Asli Karasuil ([email protected])
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Bent Agency competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foundry Literary + Media: US literary agency with active film/TV and translation rights sales and a comparable commercial fiction roster. Closely comparable in business model, mix of NYT-bestselling commercial and literary clients, and rights exploitation approach.
- Writers House: Long-established US literary agency with a similarly broad fiction, non-fiction, and children's list. Comparable in transatlantic deal-making and genre depth; one of the standard reference points for mid-to-large traditional literary agencies.
- Folio Literary Management: Mid-sized US literary agency representing commercial and literary fiction, with strength in thriller, romance, and YA — direct genre overlap with TBA's roster. Comparable in agent count and bestseller track record.
- Curtis Brown Ltd: One of the UK's largest literary agencies, representing bestselling fiction and non-fiction with strong US co-deal flow. Closest UK-side direct peer to TBA's London office and a natural comparison for the transatlantic positioning.
- InkWell Management: US literary agency with a roster spanning literary fiction, non-fiction, and genre. Comparable in agent-driven boutique model and translation rights infrastructure.
- Sterling Lord Literistic: Long-standing US literary agency representing literary and non-fiction authors. Comparable in agent-driven boutique structure and historic industry relationships, with overlap in rights negotiation and author career development.
- Trident Media Group: One of the largest US literary agencies, representing NYT-bestselling and award-winning authors in fiction and non-fiction. Direct comparable to TBA in agent headcount, client caliber, and subsidiary-rights focus; John Silbersack's prior tenure at Trident makes it a particularly close comparator.
Broad incumbents
- United Talent Agency (UTA): Global talent and literary agency with publishing, film/TV, and brand divisions. Overlaps with TBA in literary representation and book-to-screen rights but operates at significantly larger scale and across broader entertainment verticals.
- Creative Artists Agency (CAA): Global entertainment agency with a publishing arm and integrated book-to-screen capabilities. Competes for the same author clients as TBA but offers a much broader platform across talent, content, and brand.
- William Morris Endeavor (WME): Largest global talent agency with a substantial books division. Overlaps with TBA in literary representation and book-to-film/TV packaging but with vastly greater scale and a much wider scope of services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Bent Agency social profiles
Digital presenceThe Bent Agency financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Bent Agency leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Bent Agency funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Bent Agency 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 The Bent Agency
What does The Bent Agency do?
The Bent Agency is a transatlantic literary agency that represents authors of fiction, non-fiction, and children's books, providing full-service author representation including manuscript submissions to publishers, contract negotiation, and subsidiary rights management. The agency operates from offices in Birmingham, Alabama, and Richmond, London, leveraging an international co-agent network to sell translation, film/TV, and audio rights across more than 25 countries. Its roster includes New York Times and international bestselling authors as well as recipients of major literary awards.
Is The Bent Agency a public or private company?
The Bent Agency is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Bent Agency founded?
The Bent Agency was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Bent Agency based?
The Bent Agency is headquartered in Richmond, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Bent Agency make money?
One revenue line is on record: author Representation and Commission.
Who are The Bent Agency's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foundry Literary + Media, Writers House, Folio Literary Management, Curtis Brown Ltd, InkWell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic and Trident Media Group. Broad incumbents are United Talent Agency (UTA), Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and William Morris Endeavor (WME).
Does The Bent Agency have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Bent Agency.
What industry is The Bent Agency in?
The Bent Agency's product category is Literary Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAB, Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services), with a secondary code of HSACAHAK, Talent Agency & Representation Services. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2741.