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Bloomsbury signs novel about Tourette's

01.01.70 | Katie Allen

Bloomsbury has acquired an "uproariously funny" novel about a teenage boy with Tourette's Syndrome by Brian Conoghan, who also suffers from the condition.

Rebecca McNally and Helen Garnons-Williams acquired world rights all languages in When Mr Dog Bites from Ben Illis at A M Heath—according to Bloomsbury, five other publishers were lined up to meet the author but Bloomsbury's "exploding offer" preempted an auction.

McNally said: "This is one of those books that gets everyone who reads it buzzing with excitement. As soon as I read it I gave the manuscript to Helen, because I thought adults would love it too. She agreed.

"It is funny, filthy, touching and amazingly original. Then we met Brian, who is enormously charismatic and, he revealed at the meeting, has Tourette’s Syndrome himself. We knew we wanted Bloomsbury to be his publishing home and we can’t wait to share When Mr Dog Bites with readers."

Bloomsbury will publish in joint adult and YA editions in January 2014.

• Bloomsbury
• Katie Allen
• Rights deal