Bruce Westwood 1

About

The idea to become a literary agent took root when I was serving as the chairperson of the Harbourfront Reading Series. One of the many perks was meeting publishers, agents, and authors from around the world and dining with the writers before their appearances. My role as chairperson led to meeting the great literary agent Sterling Lord, who shared my affinity for tennis, and who played tennis on the courts after both the French Open and Wimbledon. He eventually invited me to play with him. (I don’t recall getting a single point.) Spending some time with Sterling allowed me to catch a glimpse of the life of a literary agent; thus, I left my life as a venture capitalist and turned to the cultural side of business. I’ve been in this business for 22 years. Since deciding to devote my career to the written words of Canadian authors, my life as a literary agent has certainly blossomed. Throughout my years as an agent, we’ve represented Eric Hill of the famous “Spot” series that has sold 62 million copies in 50 territories. I am always on the lookout for Literary fiction, commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction, and what one might call current events (business, politics, industry, government, etc). Really, any sociological non-fiction. My tastes are extremely broad (except when it comes to rosé, garlic, and roasted lamb). While I represent a very limited number of children’s authors, the rest of my clients are pretty evenly split between writers of fiction and non-fiction—and some that cross that divide with aplomb.

Country & Professional Associations

Canada

Member of PACLA

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