IN DEPTH


First-timers at A F Steadmanman


A F Stea


st-timers at Frankfur


ankfurt


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A F Steadman’s first novel has been the centre of a bidding frenzy, with film rights bagged by Sony;


the author muses on her whirlwind


publishing journey Text Caroline Carpenter T


hough publishing deals are standard fare in the pages of The Bookseller, it is rare for them to make a splash in the mainstream press. But this was the case last month, when 28-year-old début author A F Steadman’s fantasy adventure series Skandar and the Unicorn Thief was signed in a “record-breaking” seven-figure deal.


Ali Dougal, publishing director at Simon & Schuster Children’s UK, and Kendra Levin, editorial director for Young Readers (part of S&S Children’s in the US), acquired world rights in all languages for three books from Sam Copeland at Rogers, Coleridge & White. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures pre-emptively acquired the feature film rights, in another seven-figure deal. The middle-grade


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