True crime grips London book fair 2019

Big deals signed for study of a 19th-century family of killers, Hell’s Half-Acre, and Murder Isn’t Easy, a mortician’s take on Agatha Christie’s forensics The spectre of true crime was stalking the aisles at this year’s London book fair, with publishers snapping up investigations into past evils in the wake of successes in podcasting and television such as Dirty John, Serial and The Teacher’s Pet.Offers were flying in for former Waterstones bookseller Susan Jonusas’s first book Hell’s Half-Acre, a study of the the Bender family of serial killers in Kansas in 1873. Jonusas, 24, left Waterstones in December to write full-time. “Buried on a homestead seven miles south of the town were 11 bodies in varying states of decay. Further investigation revealed a well containing remains of even more victims. The number of people murdered was estimated at 20,” said Jonusas’s literary agency. “The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders were capable of operating ‘a human slaughter pen’ appalled and fascinated the nation. But who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree and what became of them when they fled from the law is a mystery that has remained unsolved to this day.” UK rights are still being finalised, with Viking snapping it up for a six-figure deal in the US. Agent Georgina Capel, who was fielding offers for the book, said: “I suspect the true-crime podcast thing is driving the current interest.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "True crime grips London book fair 2019"

Pan Mac acquires Gwynne trilogy in six-figure deal

Pan Macmillan has acquired a new epic fantasy series in a six-figure deal. Senior commissioning editor Bella Pagan bought world rights to John Gwynne’s standalone trilogy from agent John Jarrold. The trilogy will be set in the same stirring Celtic-inspired world as Gwynne’s first quartet, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Three more from Chambers for HarperFiction

Kimberley Young, publisher of women's fiction at HarperCollins, has signed world English language rights in three novels by Kimberley Chambers The six-figure deal with Tim Bates at Pollinger Ltd will see HC publishing Chambers until 2020. Young said: "Kimberley Chambers is a legend as are her... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

S&S‘ six-figure Peterson poach

Novelist Alice Peterson has moved from Quercus to Simon & Schuster in a six-figure deal. S&S publishing director Jo Dickinson bought world rights to two novels from The Agency Group’s Diana Beaumont, in the latter’s first deal since joining the company from the Rupert Heath Literary Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Roberto Duran memoir goes for six figures

Macmillan has acquired an autobiography by “one of the greatest boxers who ever lived” in a six-figure deal. Roberto Duran, nicknamed Hands of Stone, held four world titles at four different weights and fought boxers including Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler. Macmillan... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Transworld in six-figure deal for Wild

Transworld has bought five books by Meredith Wild, who was originally self-published, in a “significant six-figure deal”. Editorial director Harriet Bourton acquired British Commonwealth rights to all five books in the Hacker series from Grand Central Publishing in the US. The first four books... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Faber buys 'lost' horror from William Gay

Faber and Faber will publish a "lost" horror novel by the late American writer William Gay. Editorial director Angus Cargill bought the UK rights from Clare Conville at Conville & Walsh. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Angry Robot signs Matthew De Abaitua

Angry Robot has signed a two books from Arthur C Clarke-nominated author Matthew De Abaitua. The publisher bought world English rights in a deal wit Sarah Such of Sarah Such Literary Agency. The first book, If Then, is a novel in two parts, covering both the First World War and an English town... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Yellow Kite signs Whole30 title in six-figure deal

Hodder imprint Yellow Kite has acquired a book about The Whole30 programme. Publisher Liz Gough bought UK and Commonwealth rights to The Whole30: The 30-day Food Programme to Transform Your Health and Your Life by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig. Gough pre-empted rights in a six-figure deal... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Curtis Brown launches online book group

Curtis Brown is launching an online book group, offering readers the chance to get “a sneak preview of work from some of the agency’s most exciting new and undiscovered authors” just ahead of publication. Applications for readers for the group, the first online reading group to be hosted by a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Chu re-signs with Angry Robot in six-figure deal

Angry Robot has signed a six-figure deal for three more novels by Wesley Chu. The deal is the biggest that the sci-fi publisher has done. World English rights to the the new series, beginning with The Rise of Io, were signed from agent Russell Galen, Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

HC signs O'Porter in six-figure deal for adult novels

HarperCollins has signed a six-figure deal for two novels by TV presenter Dawn O'Porter. Commercial women's fiction director Kimberley Young signed a deal for world rights in all languages with Adrian Sington at Sington & Co Ltd. The books will be O'Porter's first adult novels. She has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Tor signs Lam in six-figure deal

Tor UK’s Julie Crisp has pre-empted World English Language rights for a new novel called... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Literary Agent Q&A: Melanie Rostock, K Literary Agency in Spain

Melanie Rostock with the K Literary and Film Agency in Barcelona offers best-practice advice for literary agents and tips on promising international markets. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

S&S buys Caroline Kepnes novels

Simon & Schuster UK has won the won the UK rights to two novels by journalist, director and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

New literary agency from Crossland

Publisher Annette Crossland, who has worked in the industry for over 30 years, is starting up a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this

Skyhorse Launches New Imprint, Yucca

Skyhorse Publishing has unveiled a new imprint, Yucca Publishing, that is being done through a partnership with the literary agency, International Transactions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this