Purdy launches Two Piers Literary Agency

A Brighton-based literary agency launches this week, headed by former Curtis Brown editor Rufus Purdy.

Two Piers Literary Agency will represent writers from all over the world and sell their work into the UK, US and international territories.

While at Curtis Brown, Purdy (pictured) worked on Alex Gerlis’ bestselling spy novels The Best of Our Spies, The Swiss Spy and Vienna Spies, and songwriter Chris Difford’s memoir Some Fantastic Place. In 2018, Purdy set up the Write Here novel-writing school, which, until the pandemic, ran affordable novel-writing courses in cities across the UK. The company now runs a £99 online novel-writing course, as well as offering editorial services.

Six authors that Purdy has worked with in the past three years, either as students or in his role as an editor, have gone on to find book deals with publishers. These include Adam Simcox, whose debut novel The Dying Squad was sold by the DHH Literary Agency to Gollancz, Loraine Peck, whose debut The Second Son was sold by Curtis Brown to Text Publishing in Australia, and Melissa Welliver, whose YA novel The Undying Tower was sold by PFD to Agora Books.

Commenting on the new business, Purdy said: "Wonderful writers with strong, original stories have been coming to me ever since I set up Write Here. And while, in the past, I’ve worked hard to introduce those talented authors with whom I’ve worked closely to other agents, the establishment of The Two Piers Literary Agency now allows me to work with them editorially and take their books to market, so we can continue building their career together. I’ll also actively continue to look for new talented writers with great stories to tell."