Job Opening Alert!

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Westwood Creative Artists has an immediate opening for a full-time position in our busy rights and contracts department.

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated self-starter with strong critical thinking, organization, and problem solving skills; excellent attention to detail; the ability to work well both independently and in a team; and the desire to excel and grow within an entrepreneurial environment. Prior office and publishing experience are assets, as is a publishing degree. The successful candidate will gain experience in all aspects of the agenting business by supporting and participating in the full range of our domestic, international, and multiplatform activities, including proposal evaluation, submission tracking, contracts / royalties / accounting, outreach to publishers and co-agents via catalogues and newsletters, and of course the most important activity of all, author care. Please note that candidates must be available to work both on-site at our Toronto office (near Bloor and St George) and remotely.

WCA looks forward to considering a diverse range of applicants, however only those candidates selected for a virtual interview will be contacted.  Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter asap, and no later than Friday, March 12, 2021, to hilary@wcaltd.com.  

WCA Deal Report for February 12, 2021

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Robert Hough’s THE FINAL CONFESSION OF MABEL STARK (World English audio, excl. US & Canada), renewed to Bolinda (Australia), by Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists on behalf of Jackie Kaiser.

Yann Martel’s THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF PORTUGAL, renewed to United Sky New Media (China), by Vicky Wen at Andrew Nurnberg Associates Beijing, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Michael Ignatieff’s ON CONSOLATION, to Ullstein (Germany; in a pre-empt), by Hanna Vielberg at Liepman Agency; to Cossee (Netherlands), by Stella Nelissen at Marianne Schonbach Literary Agency; to Taurus/Penguin Random House (Spain), by Jordi Ribolleda at Sandra Bruna Agency; to Business Weekly Publications (Taiwan), by Paula Chen at Andrew Nurnberg Associates Taiwan, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Michael Levine.

Thomas King’s SUFFERANCE, to Memoire d’encrier (Quebec), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Don Thompson’s THE CURIOUS ECONOMICS OF LUXURY FASHION, to Atticus-Azbooka (Russia), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce.

Richard Wagamese’s MEDICINE WALK, to La Nuova Fronteira (Italy), by Elisa Beretta at The Italian Literary Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for John Pearce & Chris Casuccio.

Journey Prize nominee Leanne Toshiko Simpson’s INFINITE SNAILS, a warm and sparkling #OwnVoices romantic comedy about navigating love while living with mental illness, pitched as Silver Linings Playbook meets The Rosie Project, featuring a trio of friends who meet inside a psychiatric hospital and the heartache and hilarity that ensues when two of them plan a destination wedding, to Iris Tupholme at HarperCollins Canada, for publication Spring 2022, by Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists (Canada English).

DCB’s Barry Jowett has acquired World rights to Kern Carter’s BOYS AND GIRLS SCREAMING, a YA novel in which a young girl tries to cope with family tragedy by forming a support group of traumatized teenagers. Publication is expected for spring 2022. The deal was arranged by Chris Casuccio of Westwood Creative Artists. 

English-languge Canadian rights to pioneering Vancouver-based neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Honey’s THE TENTH NERVE, which takes the reader inside a neurosurgeon’s life in a engaging, sympathetic, and frequently dramatic way and pays tribute to seven brave patients who taught the author some fundamental truths about medicine and humanity, to Amanda Betts at Random House Canada, by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists, for publication in Spring 2022.

Suzanne Sutherland at HarperCollins Canada acquired on exclusive submission Canadian rights to DEAR BLACK CHILD, a picture book in free verse by Rahma Rodaah, inspired by her own experience, that explores race and racism and celebrates resilience.  Also included in the deal is a second picture book, DEAR MUSLIM CHILD. Alessandra Balzer at Balzer +Bray acquired world rights excluding Canada, and publication in both markets is slated for fall 2022. Rodaah is represented by Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists. Lydia Mba, represented by Marzena Torzecka at The Marlena Agency, will be illustrating DEAR BLACK CHILD. Publication of DEAR BLACK CHILD is slated for fall 2022.

COVID-19 Update

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The world is shifting and our physical office is temporarily closed, but WCA agents and staff are working very hard: we are continuing to make submissions, close deals, finalize contracts, and support our clients domestically and internationally in every way we can. We are grateful for our cherished authors and illustrators and our many publishing friends. This has been and will continue to be an unprecedented challenge, but we are well positioned to adapt, and we will get through this together. Please stay safe and healthy. 

 

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” – Neil Gaiman in Coraline 

WCA Deal Report for February 21, 2020

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Kathryn Nicolai’s NOTHING MUCH HAPPENS, to Helios (Estonia), by Tatjana Zoldnere at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Barbara Gowdy’s THE WHITE BONE and THE ROMANTIC, to Edizioni E/O (Italy), by Elisa Berretta at The Italian Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

Thomas King’s DREADFULWATER, to Liana Levi (France), by Celia Long at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Jackie Kaiser.

John Geiger and Owen Beattie’s FROZEN IN TIME, to Paulsen (Russian Federation), by Natalia Sanina at Synopsis Agency, on behalf of Meg Wheeler of Westwood Creative Artists for Hilary McMahon.

Internship – Spring 2020

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Westwood Creative Artists, one of Canada’s largest literary agencies representing more than 400 writers, is looking for a candidate to fill a full-time 12-week internship position, beginning Monday January 27th and ending April 17th, with possible flexibility for the right candidate.

 

A considerable amount of time during this internship will be spent working with WCA’s international rights director and rights assistant in preparation for the London Book Fair in March. There will also be the opportunity to work with other WCA agents and at the reception desk. In the rights department, the intern will be involved in catalogue proofreading, general preparation and follow-up for the London Book Fair. There will also be some data entry and other administrative tasks. While working with individual agents, the intern will understand how the agents manage their authors, learn about Canadian and US submissions, and provide needed support in a varied number of capacities. At the reception desk, the intern will really be at the “nerve centre” of the agency. Tasks will include daily administration work, reading submissions, and receiving authors and publishers as they arrive at the agency.

 

We offer an honorarium of $1500, a lively and congenial work environment in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, and an excellent opportunity to gain an overview of the publishing industry in Canada and abroad through the lens of the literary agent and the writers we represent.

 

The ideal candidate will be eager to learn, highly organized, energetic, and have a positive outlook. Strong proofreading and computer skills required; previous office experience and knowledge of the publishing industry an asset; passionate attention to detail and accuracy a must. Please send your cover letter, resume, and references to the attention of Meg Wheeler at meg@wcaltd.com at your earliest convenience or by January 2nd, 2020. We appreciate all applications but will only reply to candidates selected for an interview.

CBC Summer Thrillers and Mysteries

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How do we know summer isn’t over yet? Because CBC Books just released a list of Canadian thrillers and mysteries to check out this summer. We were excited to discover that 4 of the 10 books were authored by WCA clients!

A Dance of Cranes by Steve Burrows

A Matter of Malice by Thomas King

Hideaway by Nicole Lundrigan

Vantage Point by Scott Thornley

With the exception of Hideway, the above titles are the most recent books in their respective series. Click here to see the full list.

dance of cranesmatter of malicehideawayvantage point

Washington Post Reviews Jivani

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jivaniWe’re thrilled to share that Jamil Jivani’s debut non-fiction Why Young Men – now published in Canada, America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand – scored a review in The Washington Post. Journalist Dina Temple-Raston writes, “Jivani offers a compassionate analysis of sidelined youth and does so with a special authority – because he was one.” Click here for the full article.

2019 Speaker’s Book Award Shortlist

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jivanitownship at warWe’re excited for authors Jamil Jivani and Jonathan F. Vance, both finalists for the 2019 Speaker’s Book Award!

Jivani’s Why Young Men proposes a positive path and offers a counterintuitive, often provocative argument for a sea change in the way we look at young men, and for how they see themselves.

In A Township at War Vance takes the reader from rural Canadian field and farm to the slopes of Vimy Ridge and the mud of Passchendaele, and shows how a tightly knit Ontario community was consumed and transformed by the trauma of war.

The Speaker’s Book Award honours non-fiction and public policy works by Ontario authors covering historical and cultural aspects of the province. The winning entry will be announced at an awards ceremony held at the Ontario Legislative Building in the fall.

Apply for a Fall Internship at WCA!

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Westwood Creative Artists, one of Canada’s largest literary agencies representing more than 400 writers, is looking for a candidate to fill a full-time 12-week internship position, beginning Monday August 19th and ending Friday November 8th, with possible flexibility for the right candidate.

A considerable amount of time during this internship will be spent working with WCA’s  international rights director and rights assistant in preparation for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. There will also be the opportunity to work with other WCA agents and at the reception desk. In the rights department, the intern will be involved in catalogue proofreading, general preparation and follow-up for the Frankfurt Book Fair. There will also be some data entry and other administrative tasks. While working with individual agents, the intern will understand how the agents manage their authors, learn about Canadian and US submissions, and provide needed support in a varied number of capacities. At the reception desk, the intern will really be at the “nerve centre” of the agency. Tasks will include daily administration work, reading submissions, and receiving authors and publishers as they arrive at the agency.

We offer an honorarium of $1500, a lively and congenial work environment in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, and an excellent opportunity to gain an overview of the publishing industry in Canada and abroad through the lens of the literary agent and the writers we represent.

The ideal candidate will be eager to learn, highly organized, energetic, and have a positive outlook. Strong proofreading and computer skills required; previous office experience and knowledge of the publishing industry an asset; passionate attention to detail and accuracy a must. Please send your cover letter, resume, and references to the attention of Meg Wheeler at meg@wcaltd.com at your earliest convenience or by July 8th. We appreciate all applications but will only reply to candidates selected for an interview.