United Agents

aruna · Dec 13, 2007

Look out for them; they'll be looking for new UK clients soon.
They consist of top agents who walked out of the major UK agency PFD recently, mostly taking their clients with them. Apparently they had to leave their backlists behind. I posted about this earlier this year.

http://www.unitedagents.co.uk/
(The website is not live yet but has a very telling home page!)

Here's some nice juicy publishing gossip on this story:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2190468,00.html

aruna · Dec 13, 2007

More news:
http://www.publishingnews.co.uk/pn/pno-news-display.asp?K=e2007110811084553&TAG=&CUnited

Agents gears up
UNITED AGENTS, THE literary and talent agency comprised of some PFD refuseniks, has demonstrated the benefits of mobile technology by opening for business even though, as yet, they have no office. Maureen Vincent, St John Donald, Tim Corrie, Charles Walker and Caroline Dawnay are among the agents working either from home or in borrowed office space. "All those who resigned and who have now been fired are free to start over, as per the terms of the service contract," one told PN this week. Pat Kavanagh, Anthony Jones and Simon Trewin remain at PFD, working out their notice periods, though MD Caroline Michel apparently still hopes to persuade them to stay.
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I have sent them an email asking when they will be open for submissions. I'll keep you updated.

victoriastrauss · Dec 13, 2007

Thanks for the info, Aruna.

- Victoria

aruna · Dec 13, 2007

The story is really quite intriguing.
Here's a succint rundown of what happened:
http://www.publishingnews.co.uk/pn/...7444233&sg9t=8c694a2f71f3248db5b4ba3059f44481

Agenting is a personal business. It depends wholly on trust. Most important, of course, is the author's trust, but publishers matter too, and it is all about the relationships. Trust goes with the individual, not with the agency, let alone its corporate owners. The only things that matter are the agents and their relationships. So if a big corporation wants to buy and run a successful agency it has to keep the agents content, and that may be more difficult than simply ensuring that they are well fed and watered. This is the root of all the problems at PFD.
The latest financial statement from CSS Stellar, issued on 28 September, says it better than anything else. On the opening page the Chairman, David Buchler, says: “The board is determined that all our businesses are operated in a way that will deliver maximum benefit to all Shareholders”. There is the problem - no mention of any benefit to agents, let alone authors, or God forbid, ordinary staff.

No wonder the agents left! Sounds like a very cynical operation.

Old Hack · Dec 23, 2007

Any reply from United Agents yet, Sharon? I'm considering querying them, as one of their agents asked to see my next novel a little while ago, and it's ready now.

aruna · Jan 8, 2008

Old Hack said:
Any reply from United Agents yet, Sharon? I'm considering querying them, as one of their agents asked to see my next novel a little while ago, and it's ready now.

No reply. I also soon want to query one of their agents with my almost-finished ms. That agent's name is still on the pfd website with an email address for her PA, so I am mailing that PA asking how and when to query. I'll let you know the results, if any!
0

aruna · Jan 11, 2008

They now have a snail mail address.
http://www.unitedagents.co.uk/

Old Hack · Jan 11, 2008

That new phone number works, and they're very helpful.

Thanks for the update, Sharon.

Old Hack · Jan 11, 2008

Whhooo hooo, they're quick.

I phoned up this afternoon to ask how to contact Charles Walker, the agent who had expressed an interest in seeing my next novel years ago while he was still at PFD. I was straight away given his email address, and I sent him a brief email query at 2.19PM; he replied at 3.29PM, asking to see the whole novel. I'm thrilled. It's gone off all ready!

Dollywagon · Jan 11, 2008

But ... but ... how do we know who is there and who represents what?
(Dolly - jigging up and down in anticipation)

Robyn · Jan 11, 2008

Do we know if they take only UK clients? Inquiring minds want to know!

CaoPaux · Jan 11, 2008

Until UA gets their website up, Googling individual agents finds the most info. Example: http://simontrewin.com/

I also wanted to note that United Agents, Ltd. is not to be confused with United Agents Group, recently founded by...well, the story's here.

Old Hack · Jan 11, 2008

United Agents is made up of all the agents who recently left PFD after an argument with the management (who were not agents, but accountants). If you do a bit of Googling you should come up with the list.

I suspect they'll only take UK clients, as I think that's all PFD did. Sorry!

Old Hack · Jan 18, 2008

The United Agents website has gone almost live: there are still some gaps to be filled, but there's a full list of agents now, a list of their clients, and submission guidelines.

Oh, and a note congratulating Ricky Gervais for winning his Golden Globe. Well done, Ricky, from me too.

aruna · Jan 29, 2008

http://unitedagents.co.uk/representation/

We ONLY consider submissions sent to looking(at)unitedagents.co.uk
and meeting the following the criteria:

In the Subject box please write in BLOCK CAPITALS the area you are seeking representation in, eg, ACTORS or BOOKS… etc followed by your name and title of work if appropriate.
Books
Please send a full outline for non-fiction projects, or a short synopsis for fiction, and two or three sample chapters (the first two or three chapters are preferable) together with a covering letter giving an account of the background of the book and an account of the writer’s career to date.

They ask for email submissions with partial and synopsis. Can I assume that these should be attachments? I once had an agent ask for a partial sent in the body of the mail.

waylander · Jan 29, 2008

aruna said:
http://unitedagents.co.uk/representation/

They ask for email submissions with partial and synopsis. Can I assume that these should be attachments? I once had an agent ask for a partial sent in the body of the mail.

I phoned and asked them - attachments are OK

aruna · Jan 29, 2008

Thanks. Looks like a battery of AWers are going to be submitting to them--good luck to all!

Old Hack · Jan 29, 2008

They're quick. I received a very encouraging rejection today, a week after I sent in my mss.

Better luck to the rest of you, I hope!

Klazart · Feb 21, 2008

their website seems to have gone down. is this agency still in existence? Anyone have their telephone number etc?

JJ Cooper · Feb 21, 2008

I was on their website yesterday (maybe I crashed it). I didn't get their phone number but their submission email is [email protected]. Their address is United Agents, 130 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5EU.

See post 15 for submission details.

Old Hack or Waylander may still have their phone number.

JJ

aruna · Feb 21, 2008

It was up about 10 days ago. I sent an email according to the guidelines, but addressed to a specific agent. Within the hour I got a reply from the assistant, saying that I had forgotten to attach the partial and synopsis (I don't know what happened, as I know I had done so, but the somehow dropped off before mailing!) and asking a few questions about the situation: how many submissions etc. I resent the attachments and the assistant said she'd pass them on to agent.
That was a Thursday. The following Monday I got a rejection. Assistant said both she and agent had read it but though it was publishable it was not what they were looking for.
I also spoke to an author yesterday who was with one of their top agents before they made the move. As she wasn't happy with him she changed agents after the move.

waylander · Feb 21, 2008

JJ Cooper said:
I was on their website yesterday (maybe I crashed it). I didn't get their phone number but their submission email is [email protected]. Their address is United Agents, 130 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5EU.

See post 15 for submission details.

Old Hack or Waylander may still have their phone number.

JJ

Website is back up
tel: +44 (0) 20 7166 5266

Klazart · Feb 22, 2008

Thanks, I've e-mail subbed this morning. But I went down the general "Books: name and author," Dear Sir/Madam route, as I couldn't decide on which agent best suited my work.

I didn't really recognise the names of their authors. Hopefully they will decide themselves which agent might best suit my work (if they are interested), and hopefully my "general" submission won't annoy them.

gerrydodge · Mar 4, 2008

Robyn said:
Do we know if they take only UK clients? Inquiring minds want to know!

I queried them last month and just got a lovely reply from Anna Webber asking for the ms. and promising she would get back to me very soon because they were so long in replying. God I love these Brits! Anyway, I guess they will consider U.S. authors.

firedrake · Jan 28, 2009

A logistical question - United Agents UK

Given the subject matter of my Historical Fiction (WW1), I am concentrating on UK agents and am about to query United Agents, a relatively new agency in London. They ask for a letter, synopsis and the first three chapters of the book. What they don't specify is whether the three chapters should be sent as an attachment or in the main body of the email. How should I do this? Do you think three chapters is too much to include in the main body of an email?

All opinions gratefully received.

United Agents

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Writer Beware Goddess

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Mostly Harmless

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.

On a wing and a prayer

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practical experience, FTW