10
THE LEAD STORY LONDON BOOK FAIR RIGHTS ROUND-UP
24.03.17
www.thebookseller.com
Psychological thriller-seekers active as genre dominates LBF deals
Fair, with a slew of titles signed up. Sphere publishing director Lucy Malagoni snapped up UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy from Jenny Meyer, acting on behalf of Elisabeth Weed at The Book Group, and plans to publish in 2018. The thriller, set in the wake of the abduction of a six-week-old baby, was pre-empted by HarperCollins in the US for seven figures. Film rights to the title, sold in 12 territories to date, were sold to TriStar. Sphere also signed a “high-concept”
T
thriller, with commissioning editor Lucy Dauman securing world English- language rights to S R Mastrantone’s début, The Killer You Know, from Joanna Swainson at Hardman & Swainson. The novel follows a circle of friends who get together for a
Bookseller signed—after pitching book at LBF ’16
Pan Macmillan acquired bookseller Susannah Stapleton’s non-fiction début, signing UK and Common- wealth rights from Tim Bates at PFD. The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective, which was pitched to the agency at LBF 2016 at a panel called “The Write Stuff”, will be published in 2019. Georgina Morley, editorial director of non- fiction, said: “I’ve never known a proposal elicit such shrieks of joy from my colleagues. I can’t wait to read the full manuscript.”
Tinder match for B4ME Short Story shortlistee Tinder Press publisher Mary-Anne Harrington acquired Guy Gunara- tne’s début In Our Mad and Furious City from Sophie Lambert at Con- ville & Walsh in a two-book deal for UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, at auction. The author, who was shortlisted for the Guardian and Fourth Estate B4ME Short Story Prize, said: “I’m thrilled. [The novel] is bound to shake a few people up, and I could ask for no better publishing team.”
he popularity of psychological thrillers showed little sign of abating at the London Book
reunion—and discover that one of them is a serial killer. The book is set for spring 2018. Simon & Schuster sealed suspenseful novel Something in the Water by actor Catherine Steadman, after editorial director Anne Perry bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Camilla Wray of Darley Anderson in a two-book deal. Due in July 2018, the first book in the deal follows “perfect couple” Erin and Mark, who are honeymooning in Tahiti when they find a bag full of money. Perry likened the plot thereafter to “A Simple Plan” crossed with The Couple Next Door. Selina Walker at Cornerstone pre-
empted psychological suspense Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall, about a man obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, for a six-figure sum. Departing from the recent trend for a female narrator in psychological thrillers, the novel is narrated by a man and has “a dark
Highsmith-esque literary feel,” said Lizzy Kremer, agent at David Higham, adding: “The tension arises from the characters’ psychology rather than plot twists per se.”
by the current political climate, the title explores how “nothing lasts forever” and asks “how democracy ends”. The book is slated for spring 2018.
nightmare that followed”. The title will be issued in January 2018.
Scholastic has that Mis-teeq...
Hot Property Shriver seals six-figure HC deal
HarperCollins signed a six-figure deal with Lionel Shriver for world English-language rights to Prop- erty, a short story collection that explores the theme of ownership in the writer’s “wry, sharply intel- ligent style”. HarperCollins US’ Gail Winston and Suzie Dooré of HC UK’s Borough Press brokered the deal with Kimberly Witherspoon of InkWell Management. The title will be published in 2018.
Cambridge don reveals How Democracy Ends Profile m.d. Andrew Franklin has bought rights to How Democracy Ends by Cambridge University pro- fessor of politics David Runciman from Peter Straus at RCW. Inspired
Scholastic UK bought a middle grade series about a girl who is a superhero, by singer and TV pre- senter Alesha Dixon. The two-book deal, for world rights, was struck between Scholastic UK editorial director Lauren Fortune and Lau- ren Gardner of Bell Lomax More- ton. The former Mis-teeq singer said she was excited to “create a strong female character who young girls and boys can hopefully be
Blink inks deal with James Bulger’s mother
Blink Publishing signed a memoir by Denise Fergus, mother of mur- dered toddler James Bulger, at auc- tion. Blink’s Natalie Jerome signed world rights from LBA Books’ Amanda Preston and Kym Rowl- ingson of Krystal Management. Jerome said an offer was made within 20 minutes of receipt of I Let Him Go (written with Carly Cook), a “heartbreaking account” of Bulger’s abduction and “the
Pictured actor Catherine Steadman, who has acted in lead roles in BBC-broadcast dramas, saw her suspense novel Something in the Water picked up by S&S at LBF
inspired by and look up to”. For- tune added: “It’s high time we had a new girl superhero to root for in this middle grade space—and Ale- sha has created such a stand-out character: Aurora Beam.” Aurora Beam will be published in 2018.
Alesha Dixon
Ready to Rock: Obama aide signs to JMP John Murray Press m.d. Nick Davies nabbed a title by Alan Krueger, a former adviser to Barack Obama, that uses the music industry to explain “the dismal science of eco- nomics”. Davies “acted swiftly” to pre-empt UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown for Rockonomics, making an offer on 12th March that Wise signed off the following afternoon. Princeton professor Krueger was Obama’s chief economic adviser for three years, and he also served in the US Treasury. In Rockonomics, he will use the music world to show how economics works, as many factors that are integral to how finance works (supply and demand, demo- graphics, income patterns) are also integral to the music industry.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
