HarperFiction pre-empts Tyler McCall's debut in two-book deal
HarperFiction has pre-empted a two-book deal for the debut novel from Tyler McCall.
Martha Ashby, publishing director at HarperFiction, bought People Like You by McCall from Emma Finn at C&W on behalf of Ariele Fredman at UTA. She secured a two-book deal for UK & Commonwealth rights, with North American rights going to Gaby Mongelli at Little, Brown US in a seven-way auction by Fredman at UTA.
Deals have also been done with Companhia das Letras (Brazil), Hauteville (France), Titania (Spain), De Fontein (Netherlands), and with Family Leisure Club (Ukraine).
The book is set over the course of one hot summer in the Hamptons and follows two sworn academic rivals who reunite as adults over a decade later, "exploring the influence of status, second chances and the tenuous line between loathing and lust".
McCall is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer and journalist with more than a decade of industry experience. Her work has appeared in Elle, The Cut, the Wall Street Journal, Refinery 29, L’Officiel, GQ, Glamour, InStyle and Town & Country.
Ashby said: "People Like You is the best-in-class romance novel I’ve been waiting to find, a true read-in-one-gulp, stay-up-too-late love story that readers just won’t be able to put down. Charlotte and Jacob have high-voltage tension from the very first time they see each other again and Tyler is an absolute master at keeping that tension taut while also mining some thought-provoking ideas around money, class and thwarted ambition This will be a huge priority for HarperFiction’s romance publishing in 2027."
McCall said: “I’m thrilled to partner with HarperFiction to bring People Like You to a UK audience. From the moment I met with Martha, I knew that HarperFiction would be the perfect UK home for my debut novel."
Finn said: "Tyler has written the sort of emotionally absorbing, compulsively plotted and riotously fun novel that makes a whole day fly by in a heartbeat, and Martha’s vision for it was crystal clear from our first conversation. The global team around this book is stellar and it will be a must-read next year."
People Like You will publish in spring 2027.
