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Cornerstone starts fair with Pete and Dud biog

12.04.11 | Charlotte Williams

Cornerstone has signed a spate of early deals, including a biography of British comedy legends Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, signed by Preface publisher Trevor Dolby.

Dolby acquired world rights in One Leg too Few by William Cook (no relation) through Andrew Kidd and Gillon Aitken at Aitken Alexander. Preface will publish in hardback in September 2012, 10 years after Moore's death.  Dolby has also acquired world rights in Fairytale Food by Lucie Cash, Cornerstone rights manager. An everyday cookbook, it will be published in March 2012.

Arrow editor Gillian Holmes also snapped up world rights in fiction title Gypsy Wedding, which will be published on 4th August 2011.

Hammer acquired a trilogy by Swedish authors Sara Bergmark Elfgren and Mats Strandberg, with Century and Arrow publisher Kate Elton acquiring world English-language rights at auction through Lena Stjernstrom at the Grand Agency. The first book, The Circle, will be published in summer 2012.

Century also bought UK and Commonwealth rights in the biography of Alan Hillgarth, key player in a successful Allied subterfuge, Operation Mincemeat, in the Second World War. Century editorial director Jack Fogg bought the rights to the title by Duff Hart-Davis through Will Francis at Janklow & Nesbit. Century will publish in spring 2012.

In her first acquisition for Century, editorial director Kate Burke bought UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights to So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman, a "dark and gripping" debut thriller. Burke acquired the rights through Marcella Berger at Simon & Schuster US. Century will publish as an e-book in June with a trade paperback in February 2012.

Signing her first title for Hutchinson, associate editorial director Emma Mitchell acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to literary debut Tomorrow There Will be Apricots by Jessica Soffer from Cathryn Summerhayes at William Morris. Hutchinson will publish in spring 2013.

Meanwhile, Cornerstone m.d. Susan Sandon acquired UK and Commonwealth rights through Sarah Lutyens at Lutyens & Rubinstein in Good Bait by crime author John Harvey. William Heinemann will publish in January 2012.

LBF Daily: Day 2

• Charlotte Williams
• Cornerstone
• Dudley Moore
• Peter Cook
• Profile
• random house
• Rights deal