Milena Ascione

Born under the sun of southern Italy, I grew up surrounded by books in the family bookstore, developing a great passion for reading from an early age. My studies and my love for foreign languages and literature took me from Rome to London, where I had the incredible opportunity to work at the famous Foyles bookstore, a landmark for book lovers. This enriching experience marked the beginning of my international professional career. I then pursued a specialised master's degree in English studies at Humboldt University in Berlin and then back to London for an internship at the prestigious Tate Gallery in the copyright department. I settled in France in 2001, where I not only learned the language (my fourth!) but also worked passionately as a bookstore manager for ten years.In 2014, I had the chance to discover the fascinating world of copyright, contracts, and negotiations by joining a French literary agency. This new adventure allowed me to combine my language skills and my passion for literature, and since then, I have worked enthusiastically to promote the works of many talented authors. From Frankfurt to Tokyo, passing through Seoul, London, Bologna, Turin, Rio de Janeiro and Guadalajara, I have travelled to book fairs around the world, until I founded my own agency in 2019.

My work is a passion I live every day alongside publishers around the world, building bridges between cultures and giving new voices the chance to travel and resonate beyond borders


THE AGENCY

BooksAgent is a literary agency dedicated to highlighting unique voices and helping stories travel across borders. I represent a carefully chosen list of titles in fiction, non-fiction, children’s and young adult books.

With fifteen dynamic publishers, known for the originality and quality of their catalogues, I promote novels, essays, illustrated books and graphic novels that bring energy to the literary scene, some of which have won prizes and gained international recognition.

Among them: Agullo Éditions, Anne Carrière Éditions, Aux Forges de Vulcain, Écosociété, Espaces&Signes, Esperluète, Goater, Il était un bouquin, Isatis, La Cafetière, Le Nouvel Attila, Serious Comedy, Faton Jeunesse. Two new partners will join this fall: Combo Éditions and the young publishing house Forgotten Dreams.

--:-- / --:--