NEWS YA début


Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2019 The headlines


Walker picks up podcaster’s YA début


Walker has pre-empted a début YA novel billed as “‘Stranger Things’ meets


‘Sabrina The Teenage Witch’” in a six-figure deal. Executive editorial director Denise Johnstone-Burt bought world, all-language rights for journalist and podcaster Caroline O’Donoghue’s All Our Hidden Giſts, and a follow-up novel, from Bryony Woods at Diamond Kahn & Woods. All Our Hidden Giſts centres around Irish teenager Maeve Chambers, who has been lonely since falling out with best friend Lily three years earlier. When she finds a tarot deck, Maeve discovers her giſt for magic, but she does a reading for Lily—who then goes missing. Johnstone-Burt said: “Acquiring this book has been the most exciting whirlwind: Caroline has a natural, original voice and the mesmerising way she weaves


the intriguing, mystical thread of tarot into the teenagers’ world is spellbinding. She will shine as an outstanding début YA voice.” O’Donoghue hails from Cork, and lives in London. Virago published her adult début, Promising Young Women, last year. She has a regular column for the Times Ireland, writes for BuzzFeed, Grazia and Vice, and also hosts commercial women’s fiction podcast “Sentimental Garbage”—a live version of which was recorded with Holly Bourne at last month’s London Book Fair.


CAROLINE O’DONOGHUE’S YA NOVEL IS HER ‘MOST AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL’ WORK TO DATE


O’Donoghue said: “This story is the most magical and the most autobiographical I have ever writ- ten. I’m an enormous and lifelong fan of YA, and Walker has such a highly curated list and an untouch- able reputation—I’m so excited to work with them.” Reporting Tom Tivnan


Maciver is a cut above for Knights Of


Knights Of has acquired world rights to a book on entre- preneurship and business for teens by celebrity barber and Instagram star Mark Maciver, a.k.a. SliderCuts. Shaping Up Culture will be a


collection of “inspirational and practical how-to guides” aimed at black teenagers. The book will be edited by Alex “Reads” Holmes, co-host of the podcast “Mostly Lit” . Maciver has been cutting


HAIRDRESSER MARK MACIVER HAS BECOME A SOCIAL MEDIA STAR


Wonky Donkey duo return with Dinky Donkey Scholastic will this autumn publish a new picture book by the creators of The Wonky Donkey, which hit the bestseller lists after a video of a Scottish grandmother reading the book went viral. World rights to The Dinky Donkey by Craig Smith and Katz Cowley were acquired by Scholastic New Zealand directly from Smith and from Cowley’s agent, Felicity Trew at the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. The title will be published on 1st November.


04 2nd April 2019


hair for 15 years, building his SliderCuts in Hackney into one of London’s best-known barber


Butterfly Brain takes flight with Piccadilly Bonnier Books UK imprint Piccadilly Press has acquired a picture book by Laura Dockrill about “how magical our brains can be”. Editor Jenny Jacoby signed world rights to Butterfly Brain from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. The story, originally written as a musical piece, will be illustrated by Gwen Milward. Jacoby said she knew it “would make a very special picture book... Laura took me from laughing out loud to wiping away tears”.


shops. Maciver’s famous clientele include boxer Anthony Joshua, NBA star LeBron James and musicians Stormzy and Tinie Tempah. Maciver won a Black British Business Award in 2018. He said: “So often people


from this community see a lack of options and end up getting involved in the wrong things, or getting involved in nothing. The purpose of Shaping Up Culture is to change the mindset of those in this position, and to create a guide showing them the opportunities and options they may not see.”


Leaver and Smith buy Carlton and launch Welbeck


Marcus Leaver and Mark Smith have acquired Carlton Books to launch a new publishing firm, Welbeck Publishing Group. Welbeck, which bought Carlton


along with an unnamed investor group, will publish illustrated non-fiction and children’s books for the coedition market as well as commercial fiction and non-fiction. Te company will look to acquire more companies and “incubate start-up businesses in scalable areas of the market”, according to a company announcement. Te acquisition price was not disclosed. Jonathan Goodman, founder of


Carlton, will become publisher-at- large at Welbeck. Leaver above, who resigned as c.e.o. of Te Quarto Group last year before becoming president of Sterling Publishing, said: “I look forward to working with Mark to build a publishing business where we can focus solely on making and selling books. We have long-term funding that will enable us to build patiently, working with our exten- sive network of partners, authors, illustrators and photographers.” Smith, who stepped down as


chief executive of Bonnier Zaffre in July, said: “Marcus and I have a unified view: we want to build a broad-based trade publishing business, headquartered in the UK but with a global outlook.”


Nine lives for Egmont duo McLachlan and Jackson


Début Egmont has struck multiple deals for Jenny McLachlan’s Middle Grade tale The Land of Roar and


Holly Jackson’s début YA novel A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Egmont acquired McLachlan’s book, scheduled for a UK


release in September, last year in a six-figure deal from Julia Churchill. It has sold the book in nine territories—including the US, Germany, Israel, Italy, Poland and Spain—at auction or in a pre-empt (the German pre-empt was a six-figure deal), and every publisher signed a second title in the series, said rights director Tracy Philips. Fiction publishing director Ali Dougal said: “We knew The Land of Roar had massive potential. I’m thrilled to see that reflected in the early reception to the book.” Jackson’s novel, about a girl who uncovers dangerous


JENNY MCLACHLAN’S NOVEL WAS SIGNED BY EGMONT LAST YEAR


secrets while doing a school project, has also sold in nine coun- tries, including the US, France, Germany and Spain. It will be released in the UK in June; her agent is Sam Copeland at RCW.


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