Byrd Leavell
![]() | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. The reason given is: new employer, client list may have dramatically changed. (September 2017) |
Byrd Leavell | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Virginia |
Occupation | Literary agent |
Known for | representing Tiffany Haddish,[2] Justin Halpern, Cat Marnell and "Weird Al" Yankovic[3][4] |
Byrd Leavell is a literary agent at United Talent Agency.[5][6] Previously he was known as a named partner at the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.[7][8]
Career
[edit]Leavell graduated from the University of Virginia and the Radcliffe Publishing Program.[3][9] In 2012, he partnered with Scott Waxman to form the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.[8]
As a partner at the Waxman Leavell agency, he has overseen multiple New York Times bestsellers including #1 bestselling books Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Leavell also represents Rob Elliott, whose LOL series has sold more than 2.5 million copies.[17] He also represented the anonymous Dutch novel Diary of an Oxygen Thief.[18][19] Leavell also represents Cat Marnell, a former Lucky, XoJane and Vice blogger.[20]
In September 2017 he began his employment at UTA.[5] One of the first clients Leavell represented at UTA was comedian and actor Tiffany Haddish.[2] Haddish's memoir, The Last Black Unicorn, was a debut New York Times bestseller, spending each of its first six weeks in print on the list and, as of January 2018, reaching #5 overall.[2][21][22][23]
Selected clients
[edit]According to Publishers Weekly.[3][9]
- Tiffany Haddish
- Jay Chandrasekhar
- Mark Frauenfelder
- GloZell Green
- George Karl
- Chelsea Handler
- Drew Magary
- Cat Marnell
- Patrick McEnroe
- Daniel O'Brien[24]
- John L. Parker, Jr.
- Brian Kilmeade
- Mike Sacks
- Pete Sampras
- Scott Sigler
- Steve Spurrier
- "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Rich Roll
- Guy Raz
- Adam Savage
- Mandy Stadtmiller
- Anthony Sullivan
- Jorge Cruise
- Mat Best
References
[edit]- ^ Alanna Stack, Byrd Leavell III The New York Times. June 22, 2016
- ^ a b c Gallery Books to Publish Tiffany Haddish. Simon & Schuster. January 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Profile: Byrd Leavell". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ Haskell, Will This 23-year-old ditched her blog and started writing her memoir on Instagram — now 300,000 people are reading it Business Insider. June 22, 2016
- ^ a b "People, Etc. - Publishers Lunch". Publishers Lunch. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ^ People Round-Up, Early October 2017. Publishing Trends. January 25, 2018.
- ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (March 1, 2007). "Authors Find Their Voice, and Audience, in Podcasts". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Waxman, Leavell Form New Agency". Publishers Weekly. May 30, 2012.
- ^ a b "UTA Literary Agent Byrd Leavell On Publishing Industry Trends". WritingRoutines.com.
- ^ Deahl, Rachel Tucker Max Is Back—With Dating Advice Publishers Weekly. June 24, 2016
- ^ Witt, Emily (December 13, 2011). "Sh*t My Agent Sells: The Art of Turning Instafads Into Tome-blrs". The New York Observer.
- ^ "Best sellers: Paperback Nonfiction". The New York Times. November 8, 2009.
- ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. June 11, 2010.
- ^ Kleeman, Sophie This 23-Year-Old Is Writing Her Fairy Tale Memoir Entirely on Instagram Mic. June 22, 2016
- ^ Dishman, Lydia (November 16, 2009). "Will Tweet for a Book Deal". Fast Company.
- ^ Sambuchino, Sam (October 16, 2009). "Agent Advice: Byrd Leavell of Waxman Literary Agency". Writer's Digest.
- ^ Lodge, Need a Laugh? Rob Elliott and HarperCollins Have You Covered Publishers Weekly. June 22, 2016
- ^ Unknown "Oxygen Thief" author becomes self-published success CBS News. June 22, 2016
- ^ Fleming, Jr., Mike ‘Diary Of An Oxygen Thief’ Sells To S&S Imprint Gallery After Gotham Group Buys Screen Rights Deadline. June 22, 2016
- ^ Hoby, Hermoine (October 6, 2012). "Cat Marnell interview: shooting star". Guardian.
- ^ Greene, David. Tiffany Haddish: 'I Know What I'm Supposed To Do Here On This Earth'. NPR. January 25, 2018.
- ^ Gardner, Chris. Groupon Books Superfan Tiffany Haddish for Super Bowl Ad. Hollywood Reporter. January 25, 2018.
- ^ Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction. New York Times. January 25, 2018.
- ^ EXCLUSIVE: How Comedian Daniel O'Brien Turned One Joke Into A Major Book Deal Forbes. June 22, 2016