Books & Such Literary Management Names

Wendy Lawton Senior Literary Agent Emerita 

For two-thirds of the more than thirty-year legacy of the prestigious Books & Such Literary Management, Wendy Lawton has been a core part of its influence and success stories. As Vice President of the company, she has helped steer decision-making and provided thoughtful care of her clients and the agency itself, working alongside its other agents and Books & Such President and Founder Janet Grant.

As of October 1, Wendy’s title will change to Senior Literary Agent Emerita to reflect her stepping aside from daily agent duties. She will continue to serve on the agency’s board of directors and to advise as needed. The new title also reflects her service to the agency, her clients, and the publishing industry. As she retires, she is entrusting her clients to her agency colleagues, with the transition well underway.

The list of authors Wendy Lawton discovered and then helped form their thriving publishing careers is long and, as we say in the industry, storied. With her focus primarily on fiction, especially in recent years, she’s helped develop authors’ careers that reached bestseller and award-winning status, with many of her clients having written hundreds of titles with millions of copies sold. She is proud of the unpublished authors she signed who have gone on to successful careers, including Tessa Afshar, Sarah Loudin Thomas, Lori Benton, Cynthia Ruchti, Amanda Dykes, and Jill Eileen Smith, and others she began representing early in their careers such as Gabrielle Meyer, Kathleen Y’Barbo, and Janice Cantore. Additionally, she has long served authors like Debbie Macomber, Julie Klassen, Ann Gabhart, and Lauraine Snelling and so many others who have enjoyed highly successful careers.

Asked what first drew Wendy to agenting after many years as a successful artist and savvy businesswoman in the field of high-end art dolls , Wendy responded, “The business provided the perfect foundation to becoming a literary agent. I’d spent years developing product, analyzing market trends, and being involved in every aspect of the product supply chain.” She still believes product development is the perfect parallel to book development.

Wendy will continue to be involved with Books & Such as she serves on our board of directors, offering her business insights and problem-solving skills.

Of the 21 years working with Wendy, Janet Grant says, “Wendy was integral to the growth and success of Books & Such. During her tenure as Vice President, the agency has added five agents and expanded our client list to more than 250 clients. She regularly negotiated six- and seven-figure deals and showed her astute grasp of whether an author had the skills to find success in a demanding industry. I’m grateful she’ll continue to be involved with Books & Such as she serves on our board of directors, offering her business insights and problem-solving skills.”

Wendy Lawton has witnessed and influenced a career’s worth of change, adaptation, and innovation and has seen significant victories. She’s creatively approached every challenge before her and has a reputation for caring deeply about the agency and her clients while working collaboratively with each publishing house. The number of titles she has represented is staggering by any measure.