Looking ahead


In tomorrow’s daily edition of The Bookseller, Lara Hancock on her ethos at Bloomsbury Children’s


Hachette splurges six figures on McDermott’s middle-grade series


money début


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Hachete Children’s Group has pre-empted a début middle-grade


magical fantasy series inspired by Chinese legend by former publish- ing staffer Siobhan McDermot in a six-figure deal.


The Second Silhouette follows 12-year-old orphan Zhi Ging, an outsider in her village above the cloud sea. Her only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouete: an appren- tice to the immortals. Hachete will publish the first volume in early 2024, with books two and three to follow in 2025 and 2026. Editorial director Rachel Wade and editor Nazima Abdillahi secured UK and Commonwealth plus translation rights from Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency in a six-figure pre-empt. Sarah Lambert, publishing


SIOBHAN MCDERMOTT WORKED IN PUBLISHING IN THE UK FOR SIX YEARS


director at Hachete Children’s Group, said: “Siobhan is an incredibly exciting new talent who has created an unforgetable heroine in a richly imagined,


filmic world infused with Chinese legend that children will want to return to again and again. This will be a major middle-grade launch for us with huge global ambition to reach readers in all corners of the world.”


McDermot was born in Hong Kong and grew up on stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore. Now living in the UK, she worked in publishing for six years in various publicit roles at Egmont, Octopus and Penguin Ireland, and is now the PR lead at BBC Maestro. She said: “I’m thrilled The Second Silhouette has found its perfect home with Hachete Children’s Group. This series is hugely inspired by my childhood in Hong Kong, where I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by traditional legends and (equally fantastical) family stories. I can’t wait to share Zhi Ging’s world of age-shiſting immortals, floating markets and jellyfish networks with readers.” Reporting Caroline Carpenter


Carpenter named children’s editor at The Bookseller


Caroline Carpenter has been named as The Bookseller’s new children’s editor, alongside her existing role as deputy features editor. Carpenter will lead the magazine’s children’s coverage while continuing to be part of the Features and Insight team, led by managing editor Tom Tivnan. Having joined The Bookseller in 2013 as editorial assistant via a Creative Access internship, she has held a variety of positions at the company,


Farshore has landed two “awesome alien-infused adventure” stories from middle- grade writer Lorraine Gregory. Sarah Levison, senior


LORRAINE GREGORY WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED BY OUP


Farshore lands two alien adventure stories from Gregory


TheBookseller.com


commissioning editor, bought world rights to Interdimensional Explorers from Kate Shaw at the Shaw Agency. The first book will publish in June 2023, with book two in early 2024. The synopsis says:


“Interdimensional Explorers sees 12-year-old Danny swept up in an unforgettable adventure as he ends up in charge of a secret Interdimensional Lost Property


including acting children’s editor in 2017, covering her predecessor Charlotte Eyre’s maternity leave. She has chaired the YA Book Prize for the past five years and this year chaired the British Book Awards’ new Books of the Year: Children’s Illustrated category. She is also a co-host of children’s books podcast “Down the Rabbit Hole”. Her appointment comes


following Eyre’s move into freelancing earlier this year. The Bookseller’s editor Philip Jones


Office when his grandad falls ill. To help him sort through the junk of an entire multiverse, Danny ropes in his best friend Modge and his annoyingly perfect cousin Inaaya. But they land smack in the middle of a dastardly, devious plot that could end up destroying the entire multiverse forever.” Levison said: “Interdimensional


Explorers is the beginning of a worldwide (nay, multiverse-wide) mega-brand of the middle grade fantasy world and playgrounds everywhere. We’re thrilled to be launching this pitch-perfect adventure next year.”


commented: “I’m delighted that Caroline has accepted these additional responsibilities to go alongside her features role. She was the natural successor to Charlotte, having long demon- strated an empathy towards the children’s sector, as well as an enthusiasm for its products.” Carpenter added: “I have long been passionate about children’s publishing so I can’t wait to delve further into one of the most innovative and exciting areas of the book trade.”


Gregory has previously won


the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. Her books include Mold and The Poison Plot (OUP) and The Maker of Monsters (OUP), which was short- listed for the LoveReading4Kids Children’s Book Award 2020. She said: “I grew up with a huge love of reading but never saw characters like me or my family in the books I read. It’s so important to me now that children from all backgrounds can find themselves in books, living a real life but also having amazing adventures and saving the day. I feel very lucky that Farshore share my views on this.”


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