Foreign Rights Executive Liza DeBlock named Bookseller Rising Star 2022

Liza DeBlock has been named a Bookseller Rising Star in recognition of her work as Foreign Rights Executive at Mushens Entertainment. The Bookseller's Rising Stars is an annual list of the book industry’s up and comers. The 2022 list shows a group with a determined, DIY ethos, often working to advance the trade as a whole rather than for individual gain.

While doing a postgrad, upstate New Yorker Liza DeBlock “became a St Andrews statistic: I met my husband there” (the university claims one in 10 of its students marries a fellow pupil). The upshot is that DeBlock has forged a books career in her adopted country. Keen on dealmaking, after internships at Mira Trenchard and Felicity Bryan Associates came a full-time gig at scouting firm Eccles Fisher. Wanting to move closer to the books, she switched to rights at Caskie Mushens, staying with co-founder Juliet Mushens when the agency split.

Promoted to rights executive last year, DeBlock has doubled the agency’s foreign revenue, opening new ground for big beasts (Richard Osman) and débuts (Claire Alexander’s Meredith, Alone was sold into 13 territories) alike. She is building her own roster, recently inking deals for Stacey Thomas (HQ) and Pim Wangtechawat (Oneworld), and aims to plough on: “I am really happy selling [colleagues’] books as my own, and for my own clients, I want to get the voices I think are really going to mean something to readers.”

Congratulations to Liza on her continued accomplishments!