On the UK Front

Sheil Land Associates is one of the UK’s most prestigious literary agencies, but they’re taking a serious hit as key personnel are jumping ship.  The Bookseller reports that Luigi Bonomi, one of the agency’s senior members, is leaving in mid-February to start his own business, while newer agents Amanda Preston and John Rush (who handled film rights) are leaving as well. It remains to be seen which of their respective clients will follow suit. Bonomi’s authors include John Rickards, Clare Littleford, James Barrington, Alan Titchmarsh,Jane Hill (whose debut thriller GRIEVOUS ANGEL will be out this summer) and Terry Brighton, while Preston is best known for repping Simon Kernick and Catherine Sampson.

Meanwhile, Allison & Busby has established themselves as a viable small publisher, especially on the crime fiction front. It’s in no small part due to the efforts of David Shelley, who headed the program at A&B. But he’s moving on to larger waters in March, preparing to helm the crime list at Time Warner. No word on whether Shelley’s hiring means other editors are being kicked upstairs or leaving the company as yet.