Chrysothemis Armefti is a literary agent with the 2 Seas Agency. Raised in my mother’s bookshop in Paphos, Cyprus and a house full of books, I started with children’s books and from an early age I went on to modern adult literature, Camus, Flaubert, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Myrivilis and other Greek and foreign classic authors. I grew up with one dream: to work in a book related environment. Following my love for literature and the French language, I moved to Paris and I joined the back then newly created Licence Métiers du Livre at the Université Paris VII. The original approach of this Bachelor – relating arts and human sciences to literature – conducted to the acquisition of theoretical and practical skills related to the professional sectors of publishing while studying classic and contemporary literature. Afterwards, I pursued a two-year Master of Research in Lettres, Arts et Pensée Contemporaine, at the same university where I led a comparative study on the Great War testimonial literature. Feeling the need to enhance my knowledge in publishing, from a non-literary point-of-view, I continued my studies at the University of Stirling, Scotland where I developed my business, marketing and management skills, through the MSc in International Publishing Management.

Work Experience: From Marketing to Foreign Rights
During the last year of my Bachelor, in Paris, France I did a three-months internship at L’Harmattan Editions as an editorial assistant, dealing mostly with author enquiries and contracts, book presentations, blurbs development and other common admin tasks. In the UK, I had the chance to intern at children’s publisher Barrington Stoke, and discover the amazing little gems they publish for reluctant readers. At the same time I did some social media marketing freelance for the dystopian publisher Almond Press. I also worked part-time for a year at the academic publisher Media XXI in Porto, Portugal, as a marketing and social media executive.

My Journey at 2 Seas Agency
I joined 2 Seas Agency in June 2015. Finally I made my dream come true of working in Foreign Rights, an area that combines my passion for books, foreign languages, personal relationships, marketing and traveling. With Marleen’s guidance and constant support I was thrilled to begin my journey in International Rights and literature in translation. The fact that I could keep contact with the French language and literature was one of the major factors of my joy! Frankfurt 2015 was my first book fair as a Foreign Rights professional and it was the beginning of an exceptional and very enriching chapter of my life! After that, I attended the London Book Fair in 2016 with a full schedule, starting to establish relationships with publishers, agents and literary scouts from all over the world. My second “Messe” in October 2016 was extremely busy and very productive, followed by my participation at the 6th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Professional Program. As of January 2017, 2 Seas Agency started selling foreign rights for our books directly into Portugal, and I’m delighted to be part of this since I lived in Portugal for almost five years. During the last two years, I established new relationships and deepen those with the Portuguese publishers I met at the 2016 Lisbon Book Fair, and other international fairs. Based in Cyprus since August 2018, I will still be visiting Portugal quite often since I have both a personal and professional connection with the country. I look forward to new challenges and publishing adventures at 2 Seas Agency, supported by Marleen and Derek’s expertise and inspired by their energy and passion.