Martin Redfern turns literary agent

Former HarperCollins editorial director Martin Redfern is set to turn his hand to agenting, joining Diane Banks Associates as a non-fiction agent next month.

Redfern, who has also previously worked at BBC Books and Weidenfeld & Nicolson, will grow the agency’s representation in history, science, politics, economics, business and memoir.

He has published authors including John Major, Peter Mandelson, Alex Salmond, Anthony Seldon, Simon Callow and Richard Davenport-Hines. He left HarperCollins in December 2015 at the same time as associate publisher Minna Fry after a restructure.

Redfern said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to forge a new career as an agent, devoting all my energy to the aspect of publishing I love the most: working with amazing authors. As a publisher, I had great respect for Diane’s no-nonsense professionalism and her willingness to stand up for what she believes in. We are living through tumultuous times, and it is hard to think of a more exciting moment to be seeking out and nurturing serious non-fiction talent. I can’t wait to get started.”

Agent Diane Banks said she had "long admired" Redfern's "keen sense of the non-fiction market, his ability to spot new talent and to coax top-notch books out of household names".

"We have ambitious plans to increase our representation of historians, politicians, scientists and other thought-leaders, and Martin is exactly the right person to lead this charge. We look forward to welcoming him to our team”, Banks said.