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Headline has acquired Eoin Colfer's first foray into adult fiction, a noir crime-thriller entitled Plugged, for publication next year. Marion Donaldson bought British Commonwealth rights for an undisclosed sum, in a deal conducted by Sophie Hicks at Ed Victor. The deal was completed yesterday afternoon (9th June). The deal does not affect Colfer's ongoing relationship with Penguin, which publishes his children's books.
Donaldson said: "[Writing for adults] was just something he decided to have a go at, and he has done it completely brilliantly. We were very keen right from the start, as everyone is such a huge fan of his children's series Artemis Fowl. Obviously, this is intended for the adult market - there is a certain amount of violence in it - but you can still hear his voice in it, and people who have grown up on Artemis Fowl will be drawn to it. It's very different [to his children's books], but it has that tone."
Plugged is set in New York and New Jersey, and the main character is an Irish man "who lives just this side of the law but gets embroiled in things outside of the law", Donaldson said.
It will be a lead title for Headline next year, with a paperback to follow later in the year or 2012, she added. Although the deal is just for one book, Donaldson said the team "would hope he would write more". She added: "We would love to see him continue with the character, although there is no commitment to write more books - we are just very excited to have one."