After she was dropped by her agent, Alex Aster turned to a books-obsessed corner of TikTok to gauge interest in her YA novel … and now Lightlark is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the yearHaving finally published her first novel, Alex Aster was feeling disheartened. The book had tanked during the pandemic and she had been dropped by her literary agent. Then, on 13 March 2021, she decided to take to TikTok, asking her followers if they would: “read a book about a cursed island that only appears once every 100 years to host a game that gives the six rulers of the realm a chance to break their curses.” One of the rulers must die, the short video revealed, “even as love complicates everything” for the heroine, Isla Crown.Aster didn’t expect much, especially when she checked in a few hours later to see that her post had only clocked up about 1,000 views. Maybe the books world was right, she thought. Maybe there wasn’t a market for Lightlark, a young adult story she had been writing and rewriting for years, to no interest from publishers. The next day, however, she woke up to see her video had been viewed more than a million times. A week later, Lightlark had gone to auction and she had a six-figure deal with Amulet Books. Last month, Universal preemptively bought the film rights for, in her words, “more zeros than I’ve seen in my life”. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2022-08-16 13:32:30 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children's Publishing Group has swooped for Promise Boys, the debut YA thriller by award-winning filmmaker Nick Brooks, in a seven-figure pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-18 02:50:43 UTC ]
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Walker Books has acquired two titles in a six-figure deal from novelist and podcaster Caroline O’Donoghue, including the final instalment in her Gifts series and a brand new title. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-12 23:36:41 UTC ]
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The newsletter platform has poached big names including Salman Rushdie along with a slew of comic book authors from DC and MarvelThe subscription newsletter platform Substack announced on Wednesday it had signed an exclusive deal with Salman Rushdie – but he is just the latest in a growing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-03 08:00:22 UTC ]
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Transworld has scooped a "joyful and emotional" debut novel by author and blogger Sarah Turner, also known as The Unmumsy Mum, in a six-figure, two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-26 01:27:52 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has bought three standalone crime novels from Irish author Dervla McTiernan in a seven-figure deal, to be published by HarperFiction in the UK, William Morrow in the US and HarperCollins Australia in March 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-05 14:26:31 UTC ]
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Award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan’s memoir, which follows family life after her partner's sudden illness, has gone to John Murray for “a strong six-figures". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-20 19:48:18 UTC ]
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Lowborn author Kerry Hudson has told a Scottish conference that libraries saved her life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-09 23:41:04 UTC ]
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In “Broken,” Lawson is honest about her physical and mental health, but her levity is her buoy and brand. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-01 13:00:00 UTC ]
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At a Times Book Festival panel on Black YA fiction, Dean Atta, Morgan Parker, Yusef Salaam and Ibi Zoboi discussed stories of teens making it through. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-04-18 01:13:11 UTC ]
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I started querying agents for my memoir, Negative Space, in 2012, after two years of writing and revising. I got a few rounds of passes, including several friendly rejections in which agents said they just didn’t “know how to sell” my book. I heard this refrain enough times that I started... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-03-11 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Welbeck has signed a “significant” six-figure deal for “profoundly moving” new novel Little Wing and one other book by Freya North. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-22 01:44:35 UTC ]
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Lauren Oyler’s “Fake Accounts” and Patricia Lockwood’s “No One Is Talking About This” critique our Internet-attenuated lives. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-02-10 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Amanda Gorman, who wrote and recited the official Biden Inaugural Poem, and Brayden Harrington, the teen who spoke at the Democratic Convention of bonding with Biden over stuttering, both landed book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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She also wrote a memoir about her parents, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-15 14:46:04 UTC ]
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Hodder Studio is publishing the next two novels by Beth Lewis, author of debut The Wolf Road, starting with "powerful novel" The Origins of Iris, which touches on themes of self-discovery and survival. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-21 05:11:55 UTC ]
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Sphere has won British journalist Celia Walden's "fiercely intelligent" thriller Payday at auction, in a "competitive" six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-01 22:05:28 UTC ]
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Antiracist author Ijeoma Oluo, whose latest book is 'Mediocre,' joins Emmanuel Acho, author of 'Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,' for a frank talk. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-11-24 15:16:34 UTC ]
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Hachette Children’s Group has pre-empted a "magical" middle-grade fantasy series from debut author Andy Sagar in a six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 18:53:49 UTC ]
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Walker Books has acquired Justyn Edwards’ debut middle-grade series in a three-book, six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-08 20:32:38 UTC ]
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Annabel Steadman’s fantasy series Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has won a seven-figure book contract, with film rights also sold to Sony PicturesA 28-year-old first-time author from Canterbury has landed what is believed to be the world’s largest ever book advance for a debut children’s writer,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-09-16 13:34:54 UTC ]
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