Matthew Belford
About Matthew Belford
Matthew Belford is a Licensing Editor at Penguin Random House with extensive experience in literary agencies and publishing, holding an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College.
Current Position at Penguin Random House
Matthew Belford currently works as a Licensing Editor at Penguin Random House. This role involves overseeing licensing agreements and ensuring that all literary works are properly licensed. His experience in both editorial and literary agency positions equips him with the skills necessary to handle complex licensing tasks.
Previous Role at The Tobias Agency
Before joining Penguin Random House, Matthew Belford worked at The Tobias Agency. He served as a Senior Literary Agent from 2021 to 2022 in Brooklyn, NY, and prior to that, he was a Literary Agent from 2020 to 2021 in New York, New York. During his time there, he represented authors and worked on manuscript evaluations, negotiations, and client management.
Experience at David Black Literary Agency
Matthew Belford was a Literary Agent at David Black Literary Agency from 2017 to 2020. Based in Brooklyn, NY, he managed client relationships and secured publishing deals for various authors. His role included extensive manuscript review and developing strategies to market his clients' works to publishers.
Educational Background
Matthew Belford holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from Emerson College, where he studied from 2013 to 2015. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Creative Writing and Economics from Fairleigh Dickinson University-College at Florham, where he studied from 2009 to 2013. His educational foundation in creative writing has underpinned his professional roles in the literary field.
Early Career and Roles
Earlier in his career, Matthew Belford worked in various capacities that helped shape his expertise. He was an Assistant/Office Manager at Aaron Priest Literary Agency for six months in 2016. He also gained experience as a Web Copy Editor at Charles River Laboratories, an Editorial Assistant and Marketing Intern at BFW Publishers, and as an SEO Writer at Restor-It. Additionally, he worked in retail as a Sales Associate at Brookstone and contributed content as a Student Author for Niche.com.