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 ]
Interviews Since 2003, Jessica Cohen has published over twenty books translated from Hebrew to English. Among other honors, she shared the 2017 Man Booker International Prize with author David Grossman for her translation of Grossman’s A Horse Walks... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2020-11-20 16:36:29 UTC ]
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HarperCollins buys a YA novel composed of interlinked stories by some of the biggest names in the genre, Terry McMillan sells a novel to Ballantine, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-20 05:00:00 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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Faber has triumphed in a four-way auction for Felix Ever After, Kacen Callender's "voice-driven" YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-28 08:59:47 UTC ]
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Hachette Children’s Group has acquired two YA novels from debut author Adiba Jaigirdar, including two "heart-warming" queer romances based in Dublin featuring Bengali protagonists. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-26 05:52:10 UTC ]
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Robert Caskie established Robert Caskie Ltd in April this year. He co-founded Caskie Mushens in 2017, after previous roles as senior agent and chief operating officer at PFD. The literary agent reckons any online equivalent will struggle to live up to the physical book fair—if he can get logged... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-14 10:17:05 UTC ]
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My mother, Janet Freer, who has died aged 89, was a literary agent for science-fiction writers in the 1960s and 70s. She helped launch the careers of several young SF writers.Janet began work as a commercial artist before starting her publishing career in London around 1962. She spent several... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-10-11 15:38:47 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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Harvill Secker has pre-empted a “clever, sharp and hugely entertaining” debut psychological thriller from Vera Kurian in a six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-06 23:24:54 UTC ]
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Bonnier imprint Zaffre Books has signed a two-book, six-figure deal with Robert Peston, ITV's political editor. His first novel, The Whistleblower, will be published in September 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-02 01:25:36 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph has won a multi-publisher auction for Charmaine Wilkerson's “dazzling” debut novel Black Cake in a six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-30 13:42:20 UTC ]
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An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-09-30 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Netflix has acquired film rights to all 15 titles in Andy McDermott's Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase series. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-28 14:06:57 UTC ]
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K-pop has become an undeniable force, but what’s behind those sticky tracks and intricate dance moves? Author Stephan Lee gives a peek behind the curtain. For many Western audiences, their first taste of K-pop’s impact came in 2012 when Psy’s video “Gangnam Style” went viral.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-09-19 07:00:56 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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Bolinda has scooped a “laugh out loud” romantic comedy by debut author Aly Mennuti, featuring a literary agent based partly on the author's own, Simon Trewin. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-25 02:20:12 UTC ]
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Greystone Books is to partner with William Collins on two forthcoming non-fiction titles by Peter Wohllebe, author of The Hidden Life of Trees, with William Collins buying paperback rights in a six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-17 19:07:12 UTC ]
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Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Abir Mukherjee, Courttia Newland, Guy Gunaratne, Paul Mendez and Okechukwu Nzelu on why British writers of colour are left out of the conversationAfter this week’s Booker prize longlist was announced, the Times asked “Where are the new male hotshot novelists?” I was... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-31 14:10:18 UTC ]
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The Borough Press has pre-empted “multigenerational epic” One Blood from author—and Simon & Schuster US editor—Denene Millner, in a six-figure deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-24 10:16:26 UTC ]
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‘The Kissing Booth’ started as an online novel and blew up into one of Netflix’s most popular films. Here’s why author Beth Reekles thinks that is. Back when she was just 15, Beth Reekles couldn’t find the kind of YA novel that appealed to her.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-07-24 06:00:21 UTC ]
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