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Turn to page 14 to discover five events not to miss at today’s Frankfurt Book Fair


Tucker’s début springs to Hutchinson


figure début


Six-


Hutchinson has signed a six-figure deal with author Nancy Tucker


for her début novel, The First Day of Spring, following an auction, with rights sold in the US, Brazil and France. Publishing director Jocasta Hamilton acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Hatie Grünewald at The Blair Partnership, and will publish the title on 25th February 2021. It will be a Windmill paperback the following year. Grünewald, who agented the auction in her first deal since joining The Blair Partnership in September, said: “Nancy’s writing is phenom- enal—I immediately knew that we had something very special.” US rights were pre-empted by Sarah McGrath at Riverhead, an imprint at PRH US. Brazilian rights were pre-empted by Verus Editora and French rights were sold at auction to Les Escales. Negotiations


NANCY TUCKER HAS TWO PUBLISHED WORKS OF NON-FICTION TO HER NAME


are under way in Serbia, with “lots more interest worldwide”, said Hutchinson. The Blair Partnership is handling all translation rights. The First Day of Spring “opens


with nine-year-old Chrissie describ- ing the delicious fizzy feeling she experienced while strangling a younger boy. Having a secret like this gives her a sense of power


that she doesn’t get to experience at home, where food is scarce and atention scarcer,” reads the synopsis. “Twent years later and living under a new name, ‘Julia’ is terrified that people will discover what she did and take away the only thing she’s ever had to call her own: her daughter.” Hamilton said: “This exceptional début, writen in mesmerising language, invites us to think about power, the legacy of damage and the possibilit of redemption in new ways. This is a novel that will gener- ate conversation and ignite debate— it marks the arrival of Nancy Tucker as a brilliantly original new voice.” Tucker, the author of non-fiction


books The Time in Between and That Was When People Started to Worry (both Icon), said she was “overwhelmed by the response” to the manuscript. Reporting Katie Mansfield


Coehlo’s dark fairytales go to Walker


Walker Books will publish award-winning poet Joseph Coelho’s first Middle Grade fiction, a series of monster and fairytale mash-ups. Senior editor Tanya Rosie acquired world rights for the three-part Fairytales Gone Bad, illustrated by Freya Hartas, in a pre-empt from Felicity Trew at the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. Doreen Thorogood at the Good Illustration Agency represented Hartas. The first book in the series, Zombierella, will publish in September 2020; the second, Frankenstiltskin, follows a year later. In the first novel, Cinderella dies after slipping down some stairs,


turns to fiction


Poet


only to return seeking revenge on her three cruel sisters. Rosie said Zombierella was “daringly irreverent and deliciously gruesome... it showcases [Coelho’s] wild imagination and lyrical way with words.” Coelho added: “Kids want to explore narratives that thrill them,


that come close to scaring them, that allow them to safely navigate themes such as death with language that is new and exciting.”


PAVILION IN THE HANDS OF M.D. DAVID GRAHAM


POLLY POWELL LEAVES


Powell joins forces with Quarto to advise list on creative direction


TheBookseller.com


Pavilion Books owner and publisher Polly Powell has started working for The Quarto Group as an adviser to its c.e.o. C K Lau. Powell revealed she had become chair of Pavilion and was “leaving it in the very capable hands” of m.d. David Graham while she helps shape Quarto’s future. At Quarto she will advise Lau


on the creative direction of the UK publishing business. She explained: “I have known C K for many years and, when he invited me, I was both deeply flattered and incred- ibly excited. I have only been with Quarto for a few weeks, but I have already seen a company full of


extremely talented people, creating some amazing books. What I hadn’t realised before was the sheer scale of the Quarto international selling operation—it’s second to none.” Lau added: “Polly will be my guide


in steering the creative direction for our UK-based imprints and spearheading further development in quality publishing. Her input will be critical at a time of exciting developments for Quarto.” Pavilion publishing director Katie Cowan recently announced she would depart in November to go travelling, with creative director Helen Lewis promoted to publisher of the imprint.


Moat pedals to Saraband Indie list Saraband has snapped up Helen Moat’s “epic midlife challenge” memoir, covering her 2,000-mile cycle across Europe, and will publish the title in April 2020. Saraband bought world rights to A Time of Birds direct from the author for an undisclosed sum. Moat, the author of travel books and a regular contributor to “Countryfile”, reached a crossroads in her daily life and chose to cycle across Europe with her 18-year-old son in tow.


Pavilion acts fast to grab Instagrammer Swift Stacie Swift’s book of “positivity, self-care and words to live by” has been won by Pavilion in a four-way auction. Publishing director Katie Cowan acquired world, all-language rights in a two-book deal from Lauren Gardner at Bell Lomax Moreton. Illustrator Swift has more than 300,000 followers on social media, where her posts combine artwork with “words of wisdom and support”. The first book in the deal, You Are Positively Awesome, is due in May 2020.


05


Amazon options Meaney’s ‘sex-positive’ St Mary’s


Film option


Amazon Studios has optioned Flynn Meaney’s St Mary’s Catholic School


Presents the Vagina Monologues (Penguin) for film. Described as a “hilarious and refreshing sex-positive novel”, the book is due out in June 2020. Amazon struck the deal for film rights with Emily Hayward-Whitlock, on behalf of Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency. Meaney has previously written YA novels for Little, Brown.


Aster awakens to possibility of better sleep Octopus imprint Aster has acquired “a new kind of sleep book” from wellness coach Danielle Marchant. Sleep Meditations, an illustrated collection, will be published in June 2020 after consultant publisher Kate Adams acquired world rights in all languages direct from the author. Adams said: “I have experienced Danielle’s guided meditations and they are wonderfully calming.... We’re thrilled to share these in this stunning book.”


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