You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Simon & Schuster saw off competition from seven other publishers to ink a six-figure, two-book deal for Clare Furniss’ “moving and funny” Young Adult début.
S&S publisher Ingrid Selberg bought world English-language rights to the two books from Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates. The deal was a global acquisition with Justin Chanda, vice-president of books for young readers at Simon & Schuster US.
The first book, The Year of the Rat, will be published in 2014. The story focuses on 15-year-old Pearl and her baby sister, nicknamed Rat. The story begins with the girls’ mother’s death on the day Rat was born, and deals with Pearl’s struggles to adapt to the new family dynamics.
Selberg said: “The Year of the Rat is genuinely a book which made us laugh and cry in the same breath. Clare is a wonderfully talented new writer and we look forward to building her career at S&S globally.”
Clark said that Furniss’ book bucks the anti-YA trend. She added: “This is such a different, unique book. When something hits your desk and you fall in love with it, it is heartbreaking and incredibly warm.”
Clarke said S&S Children’s plans to position the title as YA initially, publishing in hardback next spring, but said the book will appeal to mothers and daughters, and S&S will look at the crossover potential.
Clarke has sold rights to Bompiani in Italy and Hanser in Germany.