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Gordon Wise
Senior Literary Agent at Curtis Brown Group
Professional Background
Gordon Wise has made his mark as a prominent figure in the literary world, joining Curtis Brown in 2005 after a fruitful career that began as a bookseller in 1989 while he was still in school. His extensive experience spans both the editorial and agency sides of publishing, allowing him to hone a unique perspective on the industry. Before taking up his current role as Senior Literary Agent and Joint Managing Director of the Book Department at Curtis Brown Group, Gordon dedicated nearly fifteen years to working at esteemed publishing houses such as Pan Macmillan and John Murray/Hachette, progressing from editorial roles to become a Publishing Director.
In recognition of his contributions to the publishing sector, Gordon has been honored with numerous accolades. He was named Agent of the Year at the British Book Industry Awards and has served as the President of the Association of Authors' Agents. Notably, Gordon's influence and thought leadership in the British publishing trade have led to his inclusion in the Bookseller magazine’s prestigious list of the 100 most influential people in the industry. His expertise in navigating the complex landscape of publishing has solidified his reputation as a trusted collaborator and an agent who excels in brand management and reinvention.
Education and Achievements
Gordon Wise's academic foundation in the humanities has served as a springboard for his illustrious career. He earned an MA Hons in History with English from The University of Edinburgh, a prestigious institution known for nurturing intellectual rigor and literary prowess. In addition to this, he has broadened his learning experience at the University of Pennsylvania and Christ’s Hospital School, which have collectively enhanced his understanding of literature and history.
His educational background greatly informs his work as a literary agent, particularly in the realms of history, biography, and the entertainment industry. This rich knowledge base contributes to his keen eye for identifying potential bestsellers and guiding talented authors in their careers.
Personal Approach and Expertise
Gordon Wise is particularly known for his diverse tastes in literature, which encompass a robust array of genres. In the non-fiction realm, his expertise lies in history, biography, entertainment, and innovative ideas, reflecting both his educational background and personal interests. Meanwhile, in fiction, he is passionate about fostering literary talents whose works resonate with a broad audience. He is particularly adept at uncovering new voices, especially in the crime genre, providing a platform for both emerging and established authors alike.
An interview published in The Guardian titled 'How do I become a ... literary agent' offers further insight into Gordon’s approach to his work, illuminating his dedication to aiding writers in their journeys. His reputation as a developer of original ideas and a gift for editor-writer matchmaking highlights the collaborative spirit he brings to his role as a literary agent.
Current Engagements and Online Presence
For those interested in exploring Gordon's current initiatives and insights into the publishing world, his blog at Curtis Brown Creative serves as a valuable resource. The blog features his perspectives on the industry, along with practical advice for aspiring authors and industry professionals. Additionally, the Curtis Brown submissions portal provides vital information on what Gordon is currently seeking, making it easy for writers to connect and submit their works. His commitment to helping writers find their voice and providing them with the tools for success is evident in all his endeavors.
In conclusion, Gordon Wise stands out as a significant leader in the literary community. His extensive background as a senior literary agent, along with his longstanding commitment to the art of storytelling, ensures that he continues to shape the future of publishing in meaningful ways. With a wealth of experience and a genuine passion for literature, Gordon is well-equipped to support authors in crafting their narratives and navigating the complexities of the publishing industry.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.