This page dedicated to the latest book news and events.
HILLBILLY TELEVISION OPTIONS M. R. CAREY’S NEW NOVEL “SOMEONE LIKE ME”
London-based production company Hillbilly Television has optioned rights for Someone Like Me, the new novel by M. R. Carey, author of the million-copy bestselling The Girl With All the Gifts.
Someone Like Me will be published worldwide in November 2019 by Orbit – an imprint of Little Brown Book Group in the UK and Hachette Book Group in the US. A modern take on the Jekyll and Hyde story, the novel is described by the publisher as “an extraordinary thriller with a twist you won’t see coming.”
Hillbilly Television was co-founded by Polly Leys and Kate Norrish, whose collective credits include The Full Monty and Second Coming, starring Idris Elba.
Leys and Norrish commented “We’re absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to adapt Someone Like Me for television. Mike’s reputation precedes him both as a novelist and screenwriter and it’s an exciting prospect to be working with him on this. Someone Like Me is a surprising and compelling story that will appeal to Mike’s existing fanbase as well as introducing more fans to his incredible work”.
Mike commented, “It’s a real pleasure to be working with Hillbilly. They’re amazing – and inspiring – in their insight, energy and commitment to story. I’m hugely enjoying the process of adapting the novel for a new medium with them.”
Over the past two years, Hillbilly has produced prestigious TV drama series for both UK and international broadcasters. Stand-out titles include ITV’s tense thriller The Level, whose all-star cast includes Phillip Glenister, Karla Crome and Laura Haddock; Debbie Tucker Green’s acclaimed Random for Channel 4, whose slew of awards include a BAFTA for Best Single Drama; and new comedy drama Loaded, co-produced by Keshet UK for Channel 4 and AMC, which has now been acquired by Netflix.
The deal was negotiated by Meg Davis at the Ki Agency Ltd, London.
Notes for Editors:
About M R Carey: M. R. Carey is the author of The Girl With All the Gifts, which has sold over a million copies and became a major motion picture starring Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close, based on his own BAFTA Award-nominated screenplay. Under the name Mike Carey he has written for both DC and Marvel, including critically acclaimed runs on Lucifer, Hellblazer and X-Men. His creator-owned books regularly appear in the New York Times bestseller list. He also has several previous novels including the Felix Castor series (written as Mike Carey), two radio plays and a number of TV and movie screenplays to his credit. For further information contact Meg Davis at the Ki Agency: meg@ki-agency.co.uk 020 3214 8287
About Hillbilly Television: Hillbilly Television Ltd makes dynamic, sophisticated, emotionally captivating drama for film and television for the UK and International market place. Their output is high end, critically acclaimed and award-winning. They are passionate about telling emotional stories with universal appeal and are proud of their reputation for being a nurturing and supportive home for talented writers and directors.
In the past two years Hillbilly has produced 14 hours of television for UK and International broadcasters: THE LEVEL, a six-part crime drama for ITV and LOADED, an eight-part comedy drama for C4 and AMC which has recently been acquired by Netflix.
The Hillbilly team is led by co-founders Polly Leys and Kate Norrish whose joint credits also include: RANDOM, a BAFTA winning single film; HOLY FLYING CIRCUS, an homage to Monty Python which explores the right of comedy to offend; SECOND COMING, a feature film starring Idris Elba; COMING UP, a series of films for C4 by new directors and writers.
About Little, Brown Book Group: Four-times winner of the Publisher of the Year Award, most recently in 2014, Little, Brown is one of the UK’s most successful and diverse publishers. Our fourteen imprints consist of Abacus; Atom; Blackfriars; Constable; Corsair; Dialogue; Fleet; Hachette Digital; Little, Brown; Orbit; Piatkus; Robinson; Sphere and Virago. Little, Brown Book Group has been part of the Hachette UK group since 2006.
About Hachette Book Group: Hachette Book Group is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, Orbit, Hachette Books, Hachette Nashville, and Hachette Audio.
Coming soon!
Raven Books pre-empts Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton,
A Ripley story for the Instagram age
Alison Hennessey pre-empted UK & Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) in Social Creature, a dazzling literary thriller, from Rebecca Carter at Janklow & Nesbit with the US rights sold by Emma Parry to Margaux Weisman in one of her first acquisitions since moving to Knopf/Doubleday. Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton will be published by Raven Books in June 2018, backed by a major promotional campaign.
Louise is struggling to survive in New York; juggling a series of poorly paid jobs, renting a shabby flat, being cat-called by her creepy neighbour, she dreams of being a writer. And then one day she meets Lavinia. Lavinia who has everything – looks, money, clothes, friends, an amazing apartment…
Lavinia invites Louise into her charmed circle, takes her to the best parties, bars, the opera, shares her clothes, her coke, her uber account. Louise knows that this can’t last for ever, but just how far is she prepared to go to have this life? Or rather, to have Lavinia’s life?
Alison Hennessey states: ‘Stylish, sinister suspense at its very best, Social Creature combines elements of some of my favourite books – The Talented Mr Ripley and The Secret History – with a freshness and originality all of its own. I knew from the very first pages of Tara’s stunning debut that this was something very special, and a book I just had to publish.’
Rebecca Carter says: ‘I’ve long been an admirer of Alison Hennessey’s publishing acumen, and so Raven Books, her new list, feels like the perfect home for a novel that combines chilling suspense with dazzling literary talent.’
Tara Isabella Burton reveals: ‘I’ve been living with these characters, in one way or another, for years. I’m thrilled to finally see them come to life — and to see them find a UK home at somewhere with such a rich tradition of publishing extraordinary literature as Bloomsbury.’
Tara Isabella Burton is the winner of the Shiva Naipaul Award for Travel Writing, and has just completed a Doctorate in Theology at Oxford. American, she divides her time between the Upper East Side and Oxford, and has just started at Vox as their Faith and Religion Correspondent.
DHH Literary Agency – Writer Pitch Sessions.
Read the full story via The Bookseller
If you are a writer looking for an agent this should be of interest to you – David, Broo, Harry, Hannah and Natalie are looking for various different things – read the full article above for details.
Writers will need to email their work in advance to apply for a place. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 5th April. Applications are to be made to pitchdhh@dhhliteraryagency.com, with the name of the agent in the subject line of the email, including a cover letter, synopsis, and the first three chapters of the novel.
Agent details are available via the DHH website
The pitch sessions will run from 4pm to 7pm on 12th April at Library Club on St Martin’s Lane.
Get submitting lovely authors!
Crime in the Court.
So this Thursday its one of the biggest Crime nights of the year – Crime in the Court hosted by the ever awesome Goldsboro books. If you don’t have your ticket yet why not? HERE go go.
An evening to have a drink, mingle with some dastardly (they are lovely really) Crime Writers and basically just hang out with bookish folk having a brilliant time – whats not to love?
You can see a list of all the authors who are turning up if you click right HERE – I guess I’ll just have to put up with that Rod Reynolds again, go randomly fangirly over Jane Casey (don’t worry she’s used to it) No doubt have a shot or two with awesome author Fiona Cummins (Who’s debut Rattle you will NOT want to miss next year) and see a whole host of others who I’ve met before and some who I havent.
Save some dosh because Goldsboro will tempt you in with their gorgeous shelves filled with signed beautiful books – you can stalk (erm ask the authors nicely) to sign any you purchase of their rather excellent novels whilst there but please no bringing of bags of books from home. They need time for a drink you know.
So come along. Don’t let the fact that I’ll be there put you off. You can hide. Ok you can’t hide but come anyway. It’ll be a night to remember. Here’s where to go…
Don’t forget to follow Goldsboro for all the latest bookish news and updates.
Happy Reading!
Bonnier Zaffre/ Richard and Judy book club search for a bestseller
The couple behind Britain’s biggest Book Club, Richard and Judy, are offering a £50,000 publishing deal for first-time authors
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan have launched a lucrative competition to find a new bestselling writer. The winner, who must be a first-time author, will win a £50,000 publishing deal with Bonnier Zaffre and receive specialist advice from literary agency Furniss Lawton.
”Search for a Bestseller”, supported by WHSmith, will open to unpublished writers on the 10 March 2016. Writers must submit 10,000 words, plus a synopsis of the novel. It must be a piece of original fiction that is aimed at adults. The full terms and conditions can be found here:
http://www.richardandjudy.co.uk/book-club-news/Richard-and-Judys-Search-for-a-Bestseller-2016/627
After leaving their hugely successful Channel 4 TV series, where they fronted a weekly 15-minutes book club, the couple teamed up with WHSmith in 2010 to continue to share their passion for books. From day one, the Richard and Judy Book Club broke WHSmith records when it’s first recommendation, Sister, by Rosamund Lupton, made Number 1 paperback and became the fastest- selling title by a debut author in WHSmith’s 200-year history. Since then, the Book Club has gone from strength to strength showcasing an abundance of writing talent, from debut novelists to highly acclaimed authors. Aspiring authors have until 31 May 2016 to submit their entries, via Richard and Judy’s website. The couple will lead the selection process, helped by editors from Bonnier Zaffre and agents at Furniss Lawton. The £50,000 publishing deal will be for world rights.
Mark Smith, Chief Executive of Bonnier Zaffre commented: ‘We are very excited to be teaming up with Richard and Judy to search for their next bestseller. At Bonnier Zaffre, we work closely with debuts and are proud to be involved with authors at every stage of their careers.’
Richard Madeley commented: “Judy and I are so excited to host the “search for a bestseller” competition, it gives us a chance to keep doing what we both love- reading and discovering a fantastic title for our devoted Book Club audience. We can’t wait to read the submissions!”
About The Richard and Judy Book Club
The Richard and Judy Book Club launched in September 2010 and since then has launched Spring (January), Summer (May) and Autumn (September) Book Clubs.
Following an overwhelming response from readers when it launched in Autumn 2010, the Richard and Judy Book Club broke WHSmith records when it’s first recommendation, Sister, by Rosamund Lupton made Number 1 paperback and became the fast selling title by a debut author in WHSmith’s 200-year history.
The accompanying Richard and Judy Book Club website whsmith.co.uk/richardandjudy, boasts an ultimate and exclusive guide to all the Book Club titles, as well as offering access to an abundance of additional content that covers everything you will ever need to know about the duo’s favourite Book Club books and authors. From news and reviews, exclusive content, sample chapters and archive material; to downloadable podcasts – the website has it all, adding even more value for bookworms across the country.
For further information or to get involved in Britain’s Biggest Book Club log on to
http://blog.whsmith.co.uk/richard-judy/
About Bonnier Zaffre
Bonnier Zaffre is a division of Bonnier Publishing, which encompasses the children’s imprints Hot Key Books and Piccadilly Press and adult fiction imprints Zaffre, Manilla and Twenty7. Bonnier Zaffre combines brand new voices with established storytellers to bring a broad spectrum of high quality and innovative fiction to all ages. Bonnier Zaffre is also home to the Totally Entwined Group, a leading e-book publisher in the UK and US.
About Bonnier Publishing
Bonnier Publishing is the fastest growing major publisher in the UK, with group sales of £115m. It has divisions in Australia, France and the USA with 460 employees worldwide. In the UK it comprises imprints Hot Key Books, Piccadilly Press, Zaffre, Twenty7, Manilla, Totally Entwined Group, Templar Publishing, Blink Publishing, Studio Press, Weldon Owen, IglooBooks and Autumn Publishing. Its overseas imprints are The Five Mile Press & Echo Publishing in Australia, Paris based publishers Piccolia and Elcy, little bee books in New York and Weldon Owen US in San Francisco. It is ultimately owned by Bonnier Books, which is a top 15 world publisher with revenue of £550m.
About Furniss Lawton
Furniss Lawton was formed in 2012 by Eugenie Furniss, former head of the UK literary division of William Morris Endeavor (WME) , and Rowan Lawton, former agent at Peters, Fraser & Dunlop and WME. Between them, Eugenie and Rowan have 30 years’ experience in the industry and have represented 50 Sunday Times Bestselling writers.
About WHSmith
WHSmith currently operates over 1,300 stores, both in the UK and in international locations including Northern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The retailer occupies over 730 retail units in airports, railway stations, hospitals and motorway service areas and more than 600 high street stores. www.whsmith.co.uk serves customers online 24 hours a day.
Authors of Tomorrow Sought by Scottish Book Trust
Scottish Book Trust has announced that applications for the New Writers Awards 2017 are now open, providing a unique opportunity for 10 unpublished writers who live in Scotland to pursue their dream of becoming a published author.
The New Writers Awards are managed by Scottish Book Trust in association with Creative Scotland and each year they provide 10 unpublished writers with financial support to enable them to concentrate on developing their work, as well as professional guidance to help them move towards publication. The awards also include a week-long retreat at Cove Park.
Each recipient will receive a £2000 cash award, as well as tailored support including mentoring from writers and industry professionals, training in public relations, social media and performance and the opportunity to showcase their work to publishers and agents.
Applications for the New Writers Awards are open to Scotland-based writers who have not published a novel, short story or poetry collection and have a strong commitment to developing their writing. The deadline for applications is Wednesday 6 July at midday and the recipients will be announced in January 2017.
In order to provide the best possible support, the New Writers Awards are divided into three different categories. Writers may only apply for one category:
· Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction in English and Scots
· Poetry in English and Scots
· Children’s and Young Adult Fiction in English and Scots
The three poetry awards will be run in association with the Scottish Poetry Library.
Lucy Ribchester, a recipient of a 2012 New Writers Award and author of forthcoming novel The Amber Shadows, said:
“A New Writers Award is so much more than a badge to put on your writing CV. The best thing about the whole experience has been becoming part of a community of writers and booklovers who encourage each other in an unstable and sometimes nerve-wracking industry. The support you receive from Scottish Book Trust – partnering you up with inspiring mentors, championing your work at festivals, being a friendly ear when you need a career chat – goes way beyond the initial award year. And on top of that you get £2,000 and a week at Cove Park – what good reason is there not to apply?”
Caitrin Armstrong, Head of Writer Development at Scottish Book Trust, said:
“Writing is often a lonely pursuit and it can be very difficult for writers to get themselves noticed. That is why the New Writers Awards are so important to writers in Scotland – we give them support, encouragement and friendship, along with a bit of financial and physical breathing space to enable them to concentrate on their writing for a while. It’s amazing how even the act of receiving the award can restore the faith and enthusiasm of a writer, often setting them on the road to publication or just giving them a much needed boost to keep going.”
Leonie Bell, Director, Arts and Engagement, Creative Scotland, said;
“The New Writers Awards not only recognise and celebrate Scotland’s literary future but also offer an important development opportunity for talented writers. The support offered by Scottish Book Trust is hugely beneficial in helping writers from across Scotland develop creatively and professionally. We strongly advise talented writers embarking on their careers to apply.”
This is the ninth year that Scottish Book Trust has managed the New Writers Awards and so far the process has proved hugely successful in terms of developing the careers of more than 60 writers. Confirmed 2016 publications by previous New Writer Awardees include Kirsty Logan (recipient of a 2009 award) with A Portable Shelter in paperback in October, Lucy Ribchester (recipient of a 2012 award) with The Amber Shadows in April, Helen Sedgwick (recipient of a 2012 award) with The Comet Seekers in August, Martin MacInnes (recipient of a 2014 award) with Infinite Ground in August and Em Strang (recipient of a 2014 award) with Bird-Woman.
Scottish Book Trust New Writers can also be found in the programmes of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Aye Write, Stanza, The Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Dundee Literary Festival and the Wigtown Book Festival amongst others.
Scottish Book Trust is also currently working with the Gaelic Books Council on a project which supports two New Gaelic Writers.
Some facts about the New Writers Awards:
· 10 unpublished writers will be selected this year. Decisions will be announced in January 2017.
· There are 10 Awards available in total – 5 places to Fiction, 3 places to Poetry and 2 places to Children’s.
· We work with the Gaelic Books Council to provide an additional 2 Gaelic places each year
· The selected New Writers will have three months to work on their material before meeting with Scottish Book Trust to discuss their professional development support.
· Any writer over the age of 18 may apply as long as they fulfil the criteria.
Information about the 2017 New Writers Awards can be found at www.scottishbooktrust.com/new-writers-awards
Audiobook Club Nights to Get Teens Hooked on Books
Scottish Book Trust is set to launch a series of exciting new Audiobook Club Nights in venues across Scotland, to encourage teenagers to connect with books through the power of interpretive dance.
Inspired by the success of the Silent Disco concept, clubbers will be given a pair of wireless headphones with a range of audiobook channels to choose from – the classics, crime, horror, science fiction, autobiography, field sports and humour. Participants will gather on a dance floor and be encouraged to throw interpretive dance shapes inspired by the material they are listening to.
Marc Lambert, Director of Scottish Book Trust, said:
“Teenagers are notorious for being gregarious and outgoing, so we’re confident that they will really embrace the opportunity to cut loose and come up with some creative dance moves in a room full of people. Books can release powerful emotions in people, and the intention is that these emotions be captured and released in a safe, fun environment.
“Audiobooks are fast becoming the new rock’n’roll and I will be attending the first club night in Edinburgh. My personal choice will be “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy – I’ll be employing a blend of the Cossack dance, interspersed with some classic moves from The Nutcracker ballet.”
April Fulsome, from Audiobook Club Nights Inc, said:
“Audiobook Club Nights are a craze currently sweeping Japan, and we’re delighted that Scottish Book Trust has had the foresight to bring them to Scotland. We tend to find that the crime genre lends itself to body popping, and romance novels can lead to some beautiful swishy arm movements.”
Each clubber will be expected to adhere to various rules and regulations regarding safe interpretive dance practise, including wearing loose clothing, avoiding judgement of peers and maintaining a neutral facial expression.
More information on dates and venues is available at www.scottishbooktrust.com/audiobookclubnights