Wood joins RCW as agent

Outgoing Orion group publisher Jon Wood is joining Rogers, Coleridge and White (RCW) as an agent in January.

Wood, who worked at Orion for 18 years prior to his departure this month, has published a number of high profile fiction authors such as Ian Rankin, Kate Mosse, Michelle Paver, Anthony Horowitz, Joanne Harris, Andy McNab and Julian Fellowes. He had also run two of the Orion’s key imprints, Orion Fiction and Victor Gollancz.

His departure from the publisher was announced in April and he will spend the next few months acting as a consultant publisher for Rankin and Harris.

Wood said: “Having made the decision to leave Orion to seek new challenges, I quickly realised that agenting was where my heart lay. The idea of working closely with authors to create new, exciting projects plays exactly into what I came into the industry to do. From that decision onwards, joining RCW became the obvious choice.

“Not only are they an incredibly prestigious and successful agency but I have also got to know them very well through Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and Joanne Harris.”

He added: “They are a wonderful team and have already been hugely welcoming to me.”

RCW’s m.d. Peter Straus said: “I am delighted Jon Wood is joining us. I have long been impressed with Jon’s intelligent and strategic publishing at Orion.  I have no doubt that his experience in the commercial publishing arena coupled with his drive, imagination and acumen will make him a very exciting new colleague and we all greatly look forward to his arrival at Powis Mews.”

Gill Coleridge, the agency’s chair, said: “We are all thrilled that Jon will be joining the Agency in its 30th year and are excited at the prospect of working with him and benefitting from his publishing wisdom.”

Last month it was revealed that RCW agent and Bookseller Rising Star Emma Paterson would leave the 30-year-old company to join Aitken Alexander as an agent in October.