Rights Business ILP Acquires Literary Estates of 12 Writers Including Evelyn Waugh and Georges Simenon

Recently formed rights business International Literary Properties (ILP) has acquired the literary estates of 12 writers, including Evelyn Waugh and Georges Simenon, from U.K. agency Peters, Fraser + Dunlop.

The eight-figure multi-estates deal sees London and New York-based ILP acquire the rights for the literary estates of writers Georges Simenon, Eric Ambler, Margery Allingham, Edmund Crispin, Dennis Wheatley, Robert Bolt, Richard Hull, George Bellairs, Nicolas Freeling, John Creasey, Michael Innes and Evelyn Waugh.

Their works spans books including Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited,” Simenon’s Inspector Maigret novels, and Wheatley’s thrillers such as “The Devil Rides Out,” and Creasey’s “The Battle for Inspector West.”

Peters, Fraser + Dunlop will continue to act as literary agent for the twelve estates.

ILP launched last year to acquire the rights in literary estates and manage intellectual property in literary estates, as well as from living authors, and to look to exploit the rights across platforms including film, TV and theater.

The deal is the first major slate of acquisitions announced by ILP.

The business is helmed in the U.K. by CEO Hilary Strong, the former CEO of the Agatha Christie estate, and Anthology Group founder Bob Benton.

The New York-headquartered business is led by literary veteran Scott Hoffman as group CEO and has former RLJ Entertainment CEO Ted Green serving as executive chairman.

The deal was brokered by Strong, who said: “The acquisition of Peters, Fraser + Dunlop’s interests in these estates is a very important step for us in building the business…I am truly excited by the opportunity to nurture these twelve wonderful estates and to find new and exciting ways of telling the great stories that lie within them.”