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The final day of London Book Fair has seen more rights announcements, including a midwife's tale for HarperCollins and a Madchester graphic novel trilogy for S&S.
Further deals revealed today include a Marcus Chown title for Faber, a YA "Time Traveller's Wife", more Roger Moore for Michael O'Mara and a Finnish dystopian crime thriller for Harvill Secker that is already gathering European interest.
James Gurbutt, Corsair publisher at Constable & Robinson, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in a "striking" debut from Samantha Mills titled The Will Self Murders. The book is said to be "a dark novel which aims to be the literary equivalent of 'Being John Malkovich'—with Will Self as the centre of fascination", and is set between the present day and 2049. Simon Trewin at United Agents brokered the deal, calling the book "unique", and one for fans of " . . .Malkovich" screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.
Ebury Press has acquired a further title from comedy writer and performer Dave Gorman. Publisher Jake Lingwood acquired world rights to Dave Gorman vs The Rest of the World, from Avalon.
The title follows Gorman as he challenged 76,000 people—via the internet— to play any game with him, from board games to frisbee to less well-known pastimes such as Khet, Kubb, Tikal and Smite. Ebury will publish on 2nd June.
Ebury has also acquired The Tools by Hollywood psychologists Barry Michels and Phil Stutz, a self-help book that provides simple techniques to tap into your "hidden resources". Vermilion editorial director Susanna Abbott bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Denise Cronin at Spiegel & Grau. Vermilion will publish in spring 2012.
And Ebury Press Fiction has acquired two novelists, signing up both Lisa Scottoline and Roberta Rich for two-book deals. Editorial director Gillian Green acquired British Commonwealth rights through Abner Stein on behalf of Molly Friedrich for two novels by Scottoline. The first, Save Me, will be published in March 2012. Green also bought UK rights to two novels by historical novelist Rich, both featuring 16th-century Jewish midwife Hannah Levi. The first, The Midwife of Venice, will be published in February 2012, and the second in summer 2013.
Simon & Schuster is to publish three graphic novel-style titles about Manchester's music scene. DCD Publishing licensed world rights for the series called The Story of Madchester, tied in to a TV documentary series of the same name. The deal was brokered by DCD's head of publishing Robert Gwyn Palmer and S&S non-fiction commissioning editor Colin Midson. The books will chart the story of Joy Division, The Smiths and The Stone Roses and will be released from 2012.
Faber has pre-empted Chris Pavone's début thriller The Expats for a high five-figure sum from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, on behalf of The Gernert Company in New York. Senior editor Angus Cargill bought the novel, which follows Kate and her husband as they relocate to Luxembourg and she thinks she is leaving her secret life in the CIA behind. Faber plans to publish in summer 2012.
HarperCollins has bought two books from Linda Fairely, Britain's longest-serving midwife. World English language rights were bought by Anna Valentine, Harper Non-fiction editorial director, in a six-figure pre-emptive deal, from Jonathan Conway, Mulcahy Conway Associates. The first book, The Midwife's Here!, will cover the first quarter of her 40-year career and will be published in spring 2012.
And Bloomsbury's editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle has acquired world rights in two literary novels to be published in spring 2012. Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding, acquired through Broo Doherty at Wade & Doherty, is described as "an intimate and devastating portrait of Romania during and after the Second World War". The Light of Amsterdam by David Park tells the story of three sets of people as they interact in the Dutch capital. Bloomsbury will publish in March and April 2012 respectively.