MB Agencia Literaria

What MB Agencia Literaria does

MB Agencia Literaria S.L. is a Barcelona-based literary agency founded in 1997 that manages the international rights of Spanish and Catalan authors and simultaneously represents foreign literary agencies and publishing houses seeking access to Spanish-speaking markets. The firm operates from its headquarters at Ronda Sant Pere 62, Barcelona, as a Spanish private limited company (Sociedad Limitada), with approximately 40 employees and no external investors, parent company, or public listing. Revenue is generated through commissions on rights licensing and royalty arrangements; no fixed pricing or subscription model is disclosed.

The agency's core services include literary rights management and author representation, foreign rights sales via direct negotiation with international publishers, film and television rights intermediation through a dedicated Book-to-Film vertical, and co-agency representation for foreign publishers targeting Spain, Latin America, Portugal, and Brazil. Distribution relies on three channels: direct rights sales to publishers, a network of 14+ co-agents covering territories including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands and Nordic countries, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Arabic-speaking markets, and Eastern Europe, plus rights catalogs distributed at major international book fairs (London Book Fair, Bologna Children's Book Fair). The technology footprint is minimal, with no proprietary platform, mobile application, AI/ML capability, or external API disclosed in available materials.

Notable commercial relationships include enterprise publisher clients such as Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Seven Stories, and Sourcebooks, along with co-agency partners including Jenny Brown Associates. The agency's catalog features internationally recognized Spanish and Catalan authors such as Enrique Vila-Matas, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Pedro Zarraluki, and Rolando Villazón. The firm publishes recurring Rights Guides, Highlights catalogs, and Film/TV Newsletters as its primary marketing channel for rights placement.

Name

MB Agencia Literaria

Legal name

MB Agencia Literaria S.L.

Website

https://mbagencialiteraria.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Agency Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Literary agency services
• Foreign rights management
• Author representation
• Translation rights sales
• Book to film rights

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Rights Management and Licensing: The agency earns commissions on rights sales for Spanish and Catalan authors, including translation rights, film/TV rights, and other subsidiary rights. Revenue is generated through licensing literary works to international publishers and entertainment companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MB Agencia Literaria is a Barcelona-based literary agency that manages the worldwide rights of Spanish and Catalan authors, including translation rights, film/TV adaptation rights, and other subsidiary rights sold to international publishers and entertainment companies. The agency also represents foreign literary agencies and publishing houses for the Spanish, Latin American, Portuguese, and Brazilian markets, acting as a co-agent for inbound catalogs.

Product overview

MB Agencia Literaria operates as a literary agency with a unified service portfolio centered on rights management and author representation. The core offering consists of literary rights management for Spanish and Catalan authors worldwide, combined with author representation services. The agency also provides book-to-film services for film and TV rights, co-agency representation for foreign publishers in Spain and Latin America, and publishes periodic rights newsletters for book fairs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Literary Rights Management Core service managing Spanish and Catalan authors' literary rights worldwide, including foreign rights sales and permissions for translation, audio, and subsidiary uses.
• Author Representation Representation and career management for Spanish and Catalan authors, including contract negotiation and ongoing career guidance.
• Book to Film Services

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GrayHawk AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for China territory, representing MB Agencia Literaria's catalog of Spanish and Catalan authors for Chinese translation rights sales.
• Corto LiterarycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Eastern Europe territory, representing MB's literary catalog for translation rights in Eastern European markets.
• Books and More Agency (BAM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for France territory, facilitating French translation rights sales for MB's author catalog.
• Morhbooks Literary AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Germany territory, representing Spanish and Catalan literary works for the German market.
• Ersilia Literary AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Greece territory, handling Greek translation rights for MB's author catalog.
• The Deborah Harris AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Israel territory, representing Hebrew translation rights for Spanish and Catalan authors.
• The English AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Japan territory, handling Japanese translation rights for MB's literary catalog.
• Marianne Schönbach Literary AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Netherlands and Nordic countries, representing MB titles for Benelux and Scandinavian markets.
• Book/LabcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Poland territory, handling Polish translation rights for MB's author catalog.
• Simona Kessler AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Romania territory, representing Spanish and Catalan literary works for the Romanian market.
• Alice AgencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for South Korea territory, handling Korean translation rights for MB's literary catalog.
• AnatoliaLitcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Turkey territory, representing Turkish translation rights for Spanish and Catalan authors.
• Arabian LeopardscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-agent for Arabic language territories, handling Arabic translation rights for the MB catalog.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Artists Agency (CAA): Global talent and entertainment agency with a growing literary division. Enters the book-to-film rights market that MB targets, with deeper Hollywood relationships and the ability to bundle literary IP with talent and production deals.
• Janklow & Nesbit: Prestigious New York literary agency representing major literary and commercial fiction authors across translation and film rights. While focused on English-language authors, it participates in the same international rights marketplaces and competes for crosses of Spanish-language authors seeking US representation.
• The Wylie Agency: One of the largest international literary agencies, representing top-tier fiction and non-fiction authors for translation, film, and television rights globally. A larger, more established incumbent whose global reach attracts authors that might otherwise sign with boutique agencies like MB.
• Sterling Lord Literistic: Established US literary agency with a long history of selling translation and film/TV rights for major authors. Operates in the same book fair ecosystem and represents an alternative for international publishers seeking rights to comparable titles.
• Andrew Nurnberg Associates: International literary agency with offices across Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Baltics. A larger incumbent MB co-agents with in some territories and whose scale and territorial depth compete with MB's outbound rights business.
• Curtis Brown: Major UK-based literary and talent agency with deep international co-agent relationships. Represents a broader international catalog but competes for the same translation rights sales at book fairs like London and Frankfurt.

Direct peers

• Agencia Literaria Carmen Balcells: Founded by the late Carmen Balcells, this Barcelona-based agency is the most prominent Spanish-language literary agency and the historical pioneer of the international rights model MB follows. Both agencies represent Spanish and Latin American authors for foreign rights, often competing for the same top-tier authors.
• Sandra Bruna Literary Agency: Barcelona-based literary agency also founded in the late 1990s, representing Spanish and Catalan authors for international translation and subsidiary rights. Directly comparable in catalog focus, geographic footprint, and target publishers.
• Antonia Kerrigan Literary Agency: Spain-based literary agency specializing in foreign rights for Spanish and Latin American authors worldwide. Direct competitor in the same author pool and rights categories, with overlapping co-agent networks.

Emerging players

• Ithaka Literary Agency: Barcelona-based literary agency representing Spanish-language authors for translation and film rights. A smaller, more specialized agency that competes with MB for emerging Spanish and Catalan authors in the same price band.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mb-agencia-literaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MB Agencia Literaria