You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
A Swedish debut historical crime thriller and a grief memoir about an American-Canadian astronomer’s husband are among the books taking off in multiple territories just ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair, which opens tomorrow (11th October).
Children’s books by Sam Copeland and Emily Barr are also selling into multiple territories, along with adult crime debut The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham, which was bought by Trapeze in July.
Meanwhile, agents RCW are being “flooded” with requests to sign renewal deals to the work of Kazuo Ishiguro after he was named the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature last week, with new interest from Armenia and Mongolia, where he has never been published.
John Murray publisher Mark Richards pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights to Swedish historical crime thriller debut 1973 by Niklas Nattochdag for five figures from the Salomonsson Agency.
The book is proving popular ahead of the fair, with the Salmonsson Agency already selling it into 12 territories: in Denmark to Rosinante, Estonia to Eesti Raamat, France to Sonatine, Germany to Piper, Hungary to Alexandra, Italy to Einaudi, Netherlands to Prometheus, Norway to Cappelen Damm, Poland to Sonia Draga, Sweden to Forum and in the US to Atria including Canada.
The novel paints a portrait of late 18th century Stockholm through the eyes of the novel’s four narrators, who are said to reveal the terrible yet fascinating reality hidden beyond the dry facts of history texts. “With one foot firmly planted in literary tradition and the other in hardboiled suspense literature, Natt och Dag has with 1793 created an entirely new genre of suggestive and realistic historical noir,” said the Solomonsson Agency.
Also creating a buzz ahead of FBF 2017 is a grief memoir by Sara Seager, a Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist who is also professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has written a memoir about her late husband who had Asperger’s Syndrome. Rachel Klayman at Crown has already signed North American rights to the title for seven figures through Mollie Glick at CAA, with offers made in five territories so far, including the UK, though no deals have yet closed.
Titles already signed in the UK but being snapped up in multiple foreign territories include The Tattoo Thief, bought by Trapeze in the UK in July after Sam Eades acquired world rights for all languages through Jenny Brown at Jenny Brown Associates. Trapeze has so far sold it into three territories across Europe with auctions taking place in three more.
Rights were pre-empted in 24 hours in Holland (The House of Books), sold at auction in Germany (Penguin Verlag) and at auction in Italy (Newton Compton). There are further offers in Spain, and auctions in Greece and Portugal.
Set in the Brighton underworld, The Tattoo Thief is a thriller about a serial killer who collects tattoos. Belsham was the winner of the Pitch Perfect event at Bloody Scotland Festival.
Meanwhile RCW agent Sam Copeland, who inked a six-figure three book deal for world rights with Puffin for a “hilarious” debut middle grade series, Charlie Changes into a Chicken, last month, is also seeing his book snapped up across Europe.
Puffin has already sold rights in seven languages (Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian) with auctions ongoing for the series in a number of territories.
Zosia Knopp, Puffin rights director said: “The enthusiasm has been as infectious as Sam’s humorous writing and we’ve been thrilled by the number of pre-empts coming our way.”
Copeland added: “I can’t quite believe the international reaction. It’s extraordinary. I can’t wait to see Charlie speaking in Dutch and Norwegian.”
The Bookseller also understands that Counting Sheep: My 1021 Days in The Field, a Swedish debut from author Axel Lindén which was pre-empted by Quercus last month, is also taking off across the continent.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2017 runs from 11th-15th October.