Alex Lee

이주연
서울 출생
대일외국어고등학교 프랑스어과 1994년 입학
서강대학교 영어영문학과 프랑스어문학과 1996년 입학
Alex Lee
Born in Seoul
Entered Daeil Foreign Language High School 1994 French Language Department 1994
Entered Sogang University English Literature and English Language/French literature and French language BA
Shinwon Agency English language fiction agent from 2004-2009
경력사항 What She Did
2004년 신원 에이전시 입사. 6개월만에 호아킴 데 포사다 <마시맬로 이야기> 13만불에 한국경제신문사에 계약하여 베스트셀러됨. 한국에서만 3백만부 팔림.
The Wylie Agency의 독점에이전트로 2006년 선정되어 2011년 전세계 직접 관리로 바뀔때까지
밀란쿤데라 밥딜런 이탈로칼비노 수잔 손탁 리사 랜들 솔 벨로우 오르한 파묵등 노벨상수상작 작가 500명 독점 계약관리. 민음사 출간 <남자의 종말> The End of Men 해너 로진 Hanna Rosin의 한국편 사례자로 책의 일부가 되기도 함.
2007년 레딕하우스 작가 및 번역가 레지던스 프로그램(Ledig House Writers & Translators’ Residence Program)에 한국 번역가부분 선정,
미란다 줄라이의 <아무도 너보다 더 여기 속한 사람은 없어> 문학동네 출간 번역가로 참여 및 체류
2009년 7월 밀크우드 에이전시 로고디자인 및 기획 설계 창업
Landed a 130,000USD deal for DON’T EAT THE MARSHMALLOWS YET by Joachim de Posada after working 6 months in Shinwon Agency and it became the national bestseller which sold over 3,000,000 copies nationwide.
Became the Wylie Agency’s exclusive Korean agent from 2006-2011 until they decided to operate directly in all territories.
Handled world class writers such as Milan Kundera, Bob Dylan, Italo Calvino, Susan Sontag, Lisa Randall, Saul Bellow, Orhan Pamuk and other 500 writers exclusively. Part of Hanna Rosin’s book named The End of Men as Korean interviewee. This book was then published by Minimsa Publishing Group.
In 2008 selected by Ledig House Writers and Translators Residence Program as the translator for NO ONE BELONGS HERE MORE THAN YOU by Miranda July and stayed for 2 weeks at the residence with other writers and translators. It was published by Munhakdongne Publishing Group next year.

2009-2021 Milkwood Agency
Penguinrandomhouse Publishing Group의 비즈니스 대표 브랜드 Portfolio 및 다른 임프린트들 독점
알랭 드 보통 독점 에이전트로 스쿨 오브 라이프(The School of Life London)을 최초로 교보문고 북모닝CEO에 소개함 (북모닝CEO의 최초기고자로써 2년간 해외신간정보 뉴스레터를 썼음)
2011년 네이버분당사옥에서 알랭 드 보통 초청 직원대상 강연때 수행통역 및 행사 조율
문학동네 출간작 <사랑의 기초 The Foundation of Love> 정이현작가 공저 기획제안 및 출간 독점 에이전트
석지영(미국명 Jeannie Suk)하버드대학교 로스쿨교수 전기 기획 및 계약 출간 독점 에이전트 (북하우스 출판사에서 출간)
스쿨 오브 라이프 시리즈 전체 미래엔에 독점 계약
2018년 Penguinrandomhouse Group 18개 임프린트 독점체결
2020 문학동네 최정화작가의 <흰도시 이야기> 수출 계약 미국 Restlessbooks 체결
미국과 독일문화계 협연의 뉴욕소재 예술 및 문학 레지던스프로그램인 ART OMI의 작가레지던스 프로그램 한국이사로 선정
WHO WAS MICHEL OVITZ? (Portfolio 2019)를 은행나무 출판사에 계약, 스와로브스키 다이아몬드를 이용하여 특별판 자체제작하여 마이클 오비츠에 대한 존경을 표현하고자 함.
2021년 10월 미국 Sourcebooks 독점계약 체결 및 Chris Ferrie 박사의 아동유아용 과학시리즈 전집 계약 체결
2021년 12월 Zando와 독점 에이전트 계약 체결
Launched her own literary agency named Milkwood Agency. She designed its logo and all the organizational structure by herself with a small financial share for then colleagues Ines Yeo and Lea Oh. Its name came from her favorite poet Dylan Thomas’s radio play UNDER MILKWOOD.
The Wylie Agency and several PenguinRandomhouse US group’s imprints including Portfolio joined as her clients
Became the Amazon Publishing’s Nonfiction’s exclusive agent.
Worked as the founding contributor of the Kyobobookstore’s online newsletter for its C-suite level subscribers named ‘Bookmorning CEO’. She wrote about what US and UK business people read so that they gain insights and wisdom on what to read.
She first introduced THE SCHOOL OF LIFE London, a new concept school invented by Alain de Botton, then her exclusive client via the newsletter.
Co-ordinated the invitation of Alain de Botton to Naver’s Bundang headquarter for their employees’ class. She worked as his agent, personal assistant and translator for all of his arrangements in Korea and his later work A COURSE OF LOVE got its first semen during a casual conversation between her and him on the snack bar of Naver building which had been set up specially for this occasion that day. She and he talked about love and marriage and how most working women’s marriage lives are so doomed in Korea during a short break before his speech in their auditorium, it later became the stepping stone for his co-authored work named THE FOUNDATION OF LOVE written with Jeong Yi Hyun, the Korean female novelist. She brought this conversation into a 5-figure deal project and Munhakdongne bought it. It took her one entire year to co-ordinate between these two prominent authors but the result was spectacular-it led him to further develop the book into more nuanced one named A COURSE OF LOVE which was published by Penguin UK later.
She also co-worked on the book idea of writing an autobiography to The Wylie Agency’s client Jeannie Suk, the Korean American Harvard law tenure. She landed a 6-figure advance for a two-book deal pre-emptively with the Wylie Agency’s James Pullen.
It became a very successful textbook for all the ambitious and intelligent young Korean women thanks to her Korean publisher, Bookhouse Publishing, a house full of such inspiring writers both domestically and globally.
Landed a 6-figure deal for THE SCHOOL OF LIFE book series with Mirae-N.
Added 17 more imprints of PenguinRandomhouse Publishing Group to the exclusive client list in 2018. This means Avery, their finest health, cooking and self-help imprint joined her list. Dutton and Penguin Books’ extremely well- curated lists are als included and she helped Michael Dine, Victor Mayer Schonberger, Dr.Lenna Rembke and other super writers to find homes.
For Portfolio,
Simon Sinek’s all works were moved by her to the Segyesa Contents Group, the powerhouse with young blood and successfully launched in 2021.
Cal Newport’s being even more successful thanks to his renowned partner SejongBooks. Ryan Holiday got his four in-depth study of Greek philosophy series to be shined by Dasanbooks, one of the strongest houses with the state of the art design team.
Dr.Jim Dator, the all seeing & all knowing savant’s book titled A Noticer in Time got his home at Sam & Parkers whose prominent science lists include Carlo Rovelli.
The deceased John Kotter’s last work was also placed by her to Influential, the hottest house in town at a six-figure deal at its proposal stage.
She placed WHO WAS MICHAEL OVITZ? (Portfolio 2019), a seminal memoir by Michael Ovitz to Eunhangnamu, the strongest literary house with refined lists at a 5 figure advance and made a Swarovski diamond special edition to pay hommage to this great man herself with her manucurist. She sent one to CAA’s New York office as a token of amity.
In 2020 <The White City Tale> by Choi Jeong Hwa(Munhakdongne Publishing) was sold to Restlessbooks US via Craig Literary. Jessica Craig, renowned for her deep intuition for undiscovered stars did her finest work for the deal and is being readied up for US publication in 2022.
Selected as board member of Art Omi for co-ordinating Writers and Translators Residence Program in Korean territory.
There she helps to have the organization to find the best applicants from Korea and engage in building partnership between it and other Korean cultural entities be that as they are governmental or private.
October 2021 she became the exclusive agent for Sourcebooks US and immediately landed Chris Ferrie’s STEAM series and his adult science book to Sigongsa, the prestigious house and Chaeksesang, the house with great tradition and yet witnessing a new renaissance with brand new lists and other ventures of its first kind in Korean publishing.
December 2021, Zando, the renowned star editor Molly Stern’s new company chose her as their exclusive agent across adult, YA and children’s list.
2022 ALEX LEE AGENCY
2022년 1월 사명을 알렉스리에이전시로 변경
January 2022, She changed her agency’s name to Alex Lee Agency for further diversity and more flexibility.