On moving from venture capitalism to literary agenting:
“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. He eventually invited me to play a match. (I don’t recall getting a single point.) Spending 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.
“Since deciding to devote my career to the written words of Canadian authors, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working with many celebrated, award-winning writers of literary fiction, commercial fiction, narrative non-fiction, and what one might call current events (business, politics, industry, government, etc). I’ve represented authors as varied as Eric Hill, creator of the famous ‘Spot’ children’s series that has sold 62 million copies in 50 territories, and Rohinton Mistry, one of the most gifted fiction writers of our time. It’s been a wonderful and rewarding journey.”
Founding member of PACLA