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Debut author Sophie Austin has signed a two-book deal with HarperFiction with her debut, The Lamplighter’s Bookshop, set for 2025.
Kate Bradley, publishing director for HarperFiction, acquired world English rights from Caroline Hardman at the Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency. Italian rights have also been sold to Salani in a pre-empt and Swedish rights to Louise Bäckelin Forlag/Modernista.
Scheduled for spring 2025, The Lamplighter’s Bookshop is a historical romance set in 1899 telling the story of Evelyn Seaton, the aristocratic daughter of a gambling father. The synopsis reads: “After she and her mother are made destitute, Evelyn secretly answers an advertisement for a bookshop assistant at the shambling yet captivating Lamplighter’s Bookshop in York, but she is not the only candidate … competition comes in the person of William, a charming yet enigmatic writer hiding secrets of his own.”
Bradley said: “The Lamplighter’s Bookshop is a stunningly assured debut from Sophie Austin that offers so much for readers to fall in love with; an old bookshop full of literary treasures combined with an enemies-to-lovers romance and plenty of hidden secrets — it’s utterly beguiling and Sophie’s talent for storytelling is an editor’s dream. This is a book that booksellers and readers are going to take to their hearts, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
Austin said: “When I wrote The Lamplighter’s Bookshop the world felt like a gloomy place, and I wanted this book to be a spark of light. Evelyn and William’s story is that vibrant glimmer when everything else feels dark. They’ve found a perfect home with HarperFiction, and I am thrilled to work alongside such inspiring and enthusiastic champions of my writing as Kate, Caroline and their teams.”
Hardman said: “Sophie has a true passion for historical fiction and her talent and professionalism have been apparent since I started working with her. I’m delighted that Kate and the HarperFiction team shared my enthusiasm for Sophie’s writing – she couldn’t be in better hands.”
Austin was born in Kent and after spending five years working in marketing, moved to Sweden in 2017 to focus on her master’s in creative writing. She currently works as a creative writer for Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft.