Iain Banks estate moves representation to Curtis Brown

The literary estate of Iain Banks has moved its representation to the Curtis Brown Group from the Mic Cheetham Agency with a screen deal already secured.

Book rights are now handled by Becky Brown, agent at Curtis Brown Heritage, while translation rights representation has been moved from the Marsh Agency to agent Alexander Cochran at Curtis Brown’s sister agency, C&W. 

Banks wrote under different names for his literary fiction and science fiction. The former, written as Iain Banks, will sit alongside the works of writers such as Iris Murdoch, George Macdonald Fraser, Stella Gibbons and Dorothy Dunnett on the Heritage list. His body of science fiction, written as Iain M Banks’, will sit alongside the books of Douglas Adams, Brian Aldiss and Muriel Jaeger. 

Book-to-film rights, previously handled by Sayle Screen, are now represented by agent Luke Speed at Curtis Brown. Speed wrapped up a first TV deal for the estate at the end of September, placing Banks’ 1999 thriller, The Business (Abacus), with Stigma Films. 

Brown said: “It is a huge privilege to be entrusted with Iain’s wildly eclectic yet consistently brilliant body of work. He was a truly remarkable writer and I’m honoured to be able to play a part in bringing his books to new generations of readers.” 

Speed commented: “Iain Banks is an inherently cinematic writer, the scale and sheer breadth of his imagination and world-building is perfect for the screen. It’s an honour to represent his extraordinary work for film and TV.” 

The estate issued a statement saying: “In Curtis Brown Heritage we have found a wonderful new home for Iain’s work. It is a huge comfort that their commitment to his legacy and celebration of his spirit and imagination means his stories will continue to delight and astonish well beyond his too-short life.”