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Peony Literary Agency

About Us

Founded in 2009 by Marysia Juszczakiewicz, Peony Literary Agency is one of the most prolific multi-lingual literary agencies in Asia. As a small but ambitious and client-centered business, we represent writers of fiction and nonfiction worldwide with particular focus on Asia, especially on China. Our clients write about the recent and ancient history of the continent, and of their own personal experiences of its emergence as an industrial and economic powerhouse, and imagine new narratives highlighting topical issues.


Marysia Juszczakiewicz

With extensive experience of publishing and agenting in both the UK and Asia and a degree in Chinese, Marysia Juszczakiewicz set up one of the first author representation agencies in Asia in 2007 called  Creative Work Limited . In 2010 she founded her own agency,  Peony Literary Agency . She was the first agent to represent the Nobel Prize winner  Mo Yan  and sold English language rights for his novel  Sandalwood Death and is one of few agents in the Asian field specializing in sales of copyright both  in and out of Asia  with a business specializing in author representation and subagenting.


Jo Lusby

Pixie B Ltd is a consultancy and agency that specialises in publishing, film, and the creative sector in China. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Jo Lusby, former CEO of Penguin Random House North Asia, and Michelle Lombard, former CEO of Pearson Education Southeast Asia. Pixie B represents companies, filmmakers, authors, and other creatives seeking to find partners and deals, as well as secures finance and funding for start-up companies and offers strategic and commercial advice to companies seeking improved quality and/or quantity of business in China. Pixie B is proud to co-agent with Peony Literary Agency.


Anya Goncharova Spence

Anya Goncharova is an agent simultaneously working for Peony Literary Agency and Tender Leaves Translations. Born and raised in Beijing and now based in Shanghai, she works with international and local authors to connect them with publishers and readers all over the world. Prior to her agenting role, she was the editor heading the English-language list at Penguin Random House North Asia where she published a variety of fiction and non-fiction from the region. Anya works in English, Russian and Chinese.

We represent publishers, agents and writers for sales of Chinese and Taiwanese rights. Our clients include, amongst others, John Murray, Headline, Nicholas Brealey, British Library via Edwards Fuglewicz Literary Agency and Macmilan in the UK, as well as The Italian Agency, Planeta, Mauri Spagnol in Europe, and University of Chicago, OR Books and Other Press in the US. We sell rights for adult fiction and nonfiction as well as children’s books.


Tina Chou

Tina is Peony's representative in Shanghai. She previously worked as an editor at Eurasian Publishing Group in Taiwan, before moving to Beijing, then Shanghai to become a literary talent scout and agent. She has brought in numerous titles into China and Taiwan, including a high figure ten-book deal sale to a Chinese Publishing house. She has been trained and is certified for practice by the Copyright Protection Center of China as a government-recognized literary agent.


Cecily Lien

Cecily is Peony's representative in Taiwan. She has previously freelanced for publishers in Taiwan and now works with Peony Literary Agency as a literary agent selling rights in China and Taiwan. She frequently negotiates five figure deals for clients and multi book contracts.


Yayu Tseng

Yayu based in the US specialises in selling rights in China and Taiwan. She represents adult nonfiction and (more selectively) illustrated and children's books.

Peony Literary Agency represents Tender Leaves Translation , a collective of translators and editors led by poet and translator Shelly Bryant, focuses on literary translation between Chinese and English, writing, editing, and training of young translators. With offices in Shanghai and Singapore, the core services offered by Tender Leaves Translation include preparation of sample and synopsis packages of book-length works for submission to publishers, literary and academic translation from Chinese to English and English to Chinese, writing and editing services, specialised research on regional topics, and training of literary translators. The Tender Leaves team has translated, edited, and researched work for clients all around the world, including China, Singapore, the UK, the US, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, and Germany, and has trained numerous emerging literary translators.


Shelly Bryant divides her year between Shanghai and Singapore, working as a writer, poet, researcher, and translator. She has translated Sheng Keyi’s novels Northern Girls and Fields of White. Shelly is currently working on the translation of martial arts writer Jin Yong's Volume IV Legends of the Condor Heroes with Quercus.

Submit

AUTHOR REPRESENTATION


  • How to submit your novel
    • Please send in the first three chapters of your novel
    • Also send in a clear and detailed synopsis of the complete story
    • And send in a little about yourself as the writer


  • How to submit non fiction
  • We would aim to place your non fiction book with a publisher by sending out a proposal. A proposal should include the following:

    • What the book is about and why it needs to be published, what makes it compelling and unique
    • Who you are and why you are the ideal person to write this book, here you can include special marketing and promotional opportunities
    • A summary of the market and audience for this book including similar already published books
    • A chapter of sample text to show your writing tone and style
    • An outline of chapters

REPRESENTATION FOR CHINESE/TAIWANESE RIGHTS

We represent adult Fiction and Non Fiction, and Childrens Books. Pls email us with the following details:


  • For Publishers/Agents
    • Rights Catalogue

  • For Writers
    • A synopsis of the title/titles you would like us to represent
    • Details of you the writer, and previous published works

Contact Us