Five years!
November 18, 2014

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[Image appropriated from Cakeafare.com, purveyors of fine book-shaped cakes.]

[Image appropriated from Cakeafare.com.][/caption]2009 isn't all that far back, but sometimes it can seem like a lifetime ago.Lady Gaga was a breakout artist, and Kanye West was stealing Taylor Swift's microphone. Barack Obama hadn't yet served a full year—but had already hosted a beer summit. Steve Jobs was alive (if not well), and the iPad hadn't yet been introduced. Legitimate journalists wrote about things like Farmville and sexting and the Gosselins as though these things were "news."And Upstart Crow Literary opened for business. We were four agents who'd met at another, short-lived agency, and we joined forces and announced ourselves that August. So much has happened since! Far too much to adequately cover in this post. So a quick summary with lots of links.We moved from a PO box to an address on Fifth Avenue; we bid farewell to one agent (we miss you, Chris) and welcomed another (the fabulous Alexandra Penfold). Ourauthorshavepublishedwildlyacclaimeddebutnovelsbothstandalonesandseriesentries; New York Times bestsellers, much lauded award-winners, and much-loved entries on best-of-the-yearlists. They've published cookbooks and memoirs, self-help and guides to helping others, picturebooks and of-the-moment popculture megasellers. We've sold our clients' work into literally dozens of countries, via both the Bologna Book Fair and our crack team of co-agents. And last, but not least, we refurbished and relaunched this website.We think this new design is far more beautiful and intuitive than was the old site. (Thanks, guys.) And with the new site and new office comes a renewed commitment—to post more regularly our takes and thoughts about the industry, and to make this site more useful for all of its visitors. Not just our esteemed roster of clients, but also editors, art directors, and new writers, who are looking to find a home. We'd like to hear from you.Thanks from all of us to all of you for a wonderful first five years. Here's to another fifty.