EXCLUSIVE: YMU literary chief Amanda Harris will leave the British agency next year to launch her own business.
Harris has been with the London-headquartered agency, which reps the likes of Simon Cowell, since 2019 and two years later set up YMU Literary, becoming Global Managing Director of the division at the same time.
We can reveal she will leave YMU in spring 2025 and is planning to set up a currently unnamed talent business of her own. YMU confirmed the departure, which was described as “completely amicable.”
She will continue to work with YMU on “special projects” in her new capacity, one source close to company told us. The search for her replacement at YMU Literary has begun.
Since Harris took on YMU’s literary operations, the unit has YMU Literary has published several bestselling books from the likes of singer Paloma Faith, The Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman, comedian Matt Lucas, Britain’s Got Talent frontmen Ant and Dec, podcaster and broadcaster Fearne Cotton, Loose Women star Stacey Solomon and Olympic diver Tom Daley. Harris also represented ‘Menopausing’ by presenter and writer Davina McCall, which was named Book of the Year at the 2023 British Book Awards.
YMU Literary currently represents authors such as Francois Bourgeois, Jemma Solomon, Professor Noel Fitzpatrick and Sarah Hiscox. A U.S. division was launched in 2022 under the stewardship of Aram Fox.
Before joining YMU, Harris worked at publishing houses such as Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Hachette. She founded two imprints at Orion, Orion Spring and Seven Dials, and has edited and published authors including Jackie Collins, King Charles III and Paul McCartney. She has been shortlisted as Literary Agent of the Year three times in the last four years.
News of Harris’ departure comes after soon after YMU’s former Global Managing Director for Entertainment, Holly Bott, unveiled her new agency, Little Arrow. Bott had left YMU last year, months before we revealed it was restructuring and cutting staff after revenue and profits were hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. We later brought you the full details of the $76M agreement that led to Permira Credit becoming its lead shareholder.
YMU’s client list includes Simon Cowell, Graham Norton, David Walliams, Davina McCall, Stacey Soloman, Rylan Clark, Fearne Cotton, Take That and Steve Aoki. The company has offices in London, Manchester, LA and Washington.