Jonny Geller
Jonny Geller is managing director of Curtis Brown books division and agent to about 40 authors including Jake Arnott, Sam Bourne (Jonathan Freedland) Tracy Chevalier, Susanna Clarke,(author of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell). Sacha Baron Cohen, Howard Jacobson, Hari Kunzru, David Nicholls, (Starter for Ten), Adele Parks, Vikram Seth, and a host of bestelling new writers.
Jonny trained as an actor and worked in regional theatre for a couple of years (mostly Rep and doing Agatha Christie plays around the country) until he gave up, handed in his Equity card and joined Curtis Brown as an assistant in 1993. Whilst "resting" as an actor he worked door to door selling textured coatings as well as voice over work for sports channels doing the foreign voices for tennis players.
In 1995 he picked a literary novel from the slushpile and sold it around the world (Martyn Bedford's Acts of Revision for 250k) which forced his promotion to agent. He built a list of first time bestsellling writers breaking into the mainstream and celebrity deals like jack charlton's autobiography, Jon Snow's memoir, Ali G humour books and others.
Jonny is also the author of Yes, But is it Good for the Jews? which is published by Penguin Press (November 2006) and Bloomsbury US (October 2006).
