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Faber and Profile Acquire Third Francesca Simon Book

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Faber and Profile Books are delighted to announce the acquisition of a third novel in Francesca Simon’s Mortal Gods series. The deal for world rights was arranged by Rosemary Sandberg at Rosemary Sandberg Agents Ltd.

The new book will continue the adventures of the Carnegie-longlisted The Sleeping Army (published October 2011), which has sold nearly 50,000 copies across all editions to date. The Lost Gods, the eagerly awaited follow-up in the series for 8+ readers, will publish in hardback in September 2013 and the newly acquired third book will publish in autumn 2015.

‘Publishing is never a chore but rarely quite as much of a pleasure as when doing business with an author as fondly regarded and successful as Francesca Simon. That regard is true not only for her readers young and old, but for me personally: it’s been 36 years since we met. If only all longstanding friendships turned into books as original, exciting and full of thrills as Francesca’s Norse adventures. Long live her Gods!’ Andrew Franklin, Profile Books

‘Extremely funny, beautifully plotted, expertly crafted, Francesca Simon’s Mortal Gods series is a joy to publish. We could not be more thrilled!’ Leah Thaxton, Publisher, Faber Children’s Books

Book Trade Announcements – S&S Acquires Literary, Haunting Debut

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from the Press Release

Ingrid Selberg, Publisher, S&S UK, bought UK and Commonwealth rights in two books from Madeline Milburn at the Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency.

The first title, The Dark Inside, is a gripping, haunting story about loss and hope. When thirteen-year-old James discovers a homeless man in an abandoned house, the course of his life changes dramatically. Hoping to find a ‘cure’ for a dark curse inflicted on the homeless man, the pair embark on a journey together not knowing that what they discover will impact them both in ways they never imagined.

The Dark Inside will be published in a beautiful hardback edition in spring 2014, with a paperback edition to follow and a second novel in 2015.

Rupert Wallis read Theology at Cambridge University and holds an MFA in Screenwriting and Writing for Television from the University of Southern California. In 2010/11 he was one of five novelists chosen from the South West of England to participate in a mentorship programme funded by the Arts Council. He now lives in Cornwall.

Selberg said of the deal: "In The Dark is an extraordinary and ambitious book, which we all fell in love with from the first page. I was completely struck by the outstanding quality of Rupert’s writing and I’m thrilled to welcome him to the Simon & Schuster list."

via Book Trade Announcements – S&S Acquires Literary, Haunting Debut.

Women’s prize for fiction reveals ‘staggeringly strong’ shortlist | Books | The Guardian

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Women’s Prize for Fiction – The Shortlist

Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel

Flight Behaviour, by Barbara Kingsolver

Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple

Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

May We Be Forgiven, by A M Homes

NW, by Zadie Smith

via Women's prize for fiction reveals 'staggeringly strong' shortlist | Books | The Guardian.

The award – created after frustration at an all-male Booker shortlist in 1991 – had been known as the Orange since it was first awarded, to Helen Dunmore, in 1996. Other winners have included Linda Grant, Ann Patchett, Andrea Levy and Marilynne Robinson. When Orange pulled out last year a number of people, including Cherie Blair and Joanna Trollope, stepped in with personal donations to sustain the prize while a new sponsor is found.

The list has been whittled down from 140 submissions and the overall winner will be announced at the Royal Festival Hall on 5 June.

New Adult fiction is the hot new category in books

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Mix the high-octane emotions of youth with the freedom of leaving home and you’ve brewed up a potent new book category called "New Adult."

Navigating the exhilarating, sometimes dangerous chasm between adolescence and adulthood, these novels — aimed at readers out of high school — are roaring up the best-seller list. The setting often is a college campus and the vibe is intense as only young love can be. It’s sex, bad boys, too much drama and, if you consulted the characters’ parents, not nearly enough library time!

via New Adult fiction is the hot new category in books.

Helen Dunmore switches to Hutchinson

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Helen Dunmore

Orange Prize-winner Helen Dunmore is moving from Penguin to Hutchinson, with Cornerstone publisher Selina Walker acquiring her next two books.
Walker bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in two novels by Dunmore from Caradoc King of A P Watt at United Agents. The first, The Lie, is set during and just after the First World War. It tells the story of the relationship between two young men from very different backgrounds, one of whom is killed in France.
Walker said: “The Lie is a heart-wrenching story about love, memory and loss, about growing up in Cornwall in the early 20th century, about the horrors of war on the Western Front as well as its traumatic aftermath.”
Dunmore has published nine novels with Penguin, including the Orange Prize-winning A Spell of Winter, and her 2010 novel The Betrayal which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

via Helen Dunmore switches to Hutchinson | The Bookseller.

Young writers award gives two new authors £10,000 deals

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The Guardian Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize:

Hot Key Books

Two unpublished young authors have landed themselves £10,000 book deals after winning the first Guardian Hot Key Books Young Writers prize.

Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle, 25, from New Jersey, and The Rig by Joe Ducie, 24, from Perth, Australia, will both be published by Hot Key Books on 5 September this year. The books were named joint winners of the award, for new writers between 18 and 25 writing for readers between 13 and 19 years old. They were picked by a panel of judges including the Guardian’s Julia Eccleshare, authors Will Hill and Elen Caldecott, bookseller John Newman and Hot Key Books publisher Emily Thomas.

Thomas said their win marked the arrival of "two fantastic new voices" in young adult fiction.

via Young writers award gives two new authors £10,000 deals | Children's books | guardian.co.uk.

Granta list celebrates fresh crop of British novelists | Books | The Guardian

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Granta has released its 2013 list of the 20 most promising young British novelists under 40, and for the first time there is a majority of women. It is also an extremely international list: the writers’ backgrounds include China, Nigeria, Ghana, the US, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Naomi Alderman (born 1974), author of books including The Liars’ Gospel and designer of computer games.

Tahmima Anam (1975), whose Bengal Trilogy charts Bangladeshi history from the war of independence onwards.

Ned Beauman (1985), who was longlisted for the Man Booker prize for The Teleportation Accident.

Jenni Fagan (1977), whose debut, The Panopticon, was published 2012. She is also a poet.

Adam Foulds (1974) won the Costa poetry prize for his poem about the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. His novels include The Quickening Maze, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker.

Xiaolu Guo (1973) was shortlisted for the Orange prize for A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers.

Sarah Hall (1974) has won and been shortlisted for many awards for her novels, which include How To Paint a Dead Man.

Steven Hall (1975) has published one novel, The Raw Shark Texts, which won the Somerset Maugham award.

Joanna Kavenna (1973), whose books include Come to the Edge, won the Orange prize for new writing.

Benjamin Markovits (1973) turned from professional basketball playing to writing, including a trilogy on the life of Lord Byron.

Nadifa Mohamed (1981) was born in Somalia and won the Betty Trask award for her debut, Black Mamba Boy.

Helen Oyeyemi (1984) is the author of three novels including White is for Witching.

Ross Raisin (1979) is the author of God’s Own Country, shortlisted for the Guardian first book award, and Waterline.

Sunjeev Sahota (1981) is working on his second novel, The Year of the Runaways.

Taiye Selasi (1979) has just published her debut, Ghana Must Go.

Kamila Shamsie (1973) has written five novels; the most recent, Burnt Shadows, was shortlisted for the Orange prize.

Zadie Smith (1975) is the author of four novels. The latest is NW. She was on the Granta list in 2003.

David Szalay (1974) is the author of three novels: London and the South-east, The Innocent and Spring.

Adam Thirlwell (1974) has written two novels and was on the Granta list in 2003.

Evie Wyld (1980) publishes her second novel, All the Birds, Singing, in June.

via Granta list celebrates fresh crop of British novelists | Books | The Guardian.

A new beginning

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It is time for a new start, blog-wise.

The ACHUKA blog was set up in the spring of 2003 and has been added to continually since then, with the result that the database is now huge.

ACHOCKAblog was built on the Movable Type blogging platform. Over the years that platform has become less popular, and WordPress has become the blogging platform of choice.

WordPress certainly has a lot more flexibility in terms of themes and social network interactivity.

I have decided to use WordPress for the new incarnation of ACHUKA’s blog.

The old blog is therefore now ‘mothballed’. I feel rather bad saying that, but it conveys accurately the status it now has.

No new posts will be added to it, but none will be taken away.

It will remain online and searchable and prominently linked to from this new blog, but all blog links on the main site’s navigation will henceforth link to this new blog.

Give us a Thumbs Up (or a Thumbs Down) to let us know what you think of the new blog?

If it’s a Thumbs Down it would be great to have an explanatory comment posted as well.

I’ll respond to all feedback.

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