The holiday season is upon us! We are happy to announce all of the wonderful deals below. We hope you and yours have a happy, safe, and lovely holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you in 2022!

Rights

• BEN & GIA by Mimi Deb has sold to Cara Chimirri at Avon in a two-book deal, for World English rights. The heart-warming novel tells the story of Gia, who makes the mistake of kissing her heterosexual boss at the Christmas party and subsequently kisses away her job and sponsored work visa. She then forms an unlikely bond with Ben, the manager of a small restaurant, who sends her notes taped to takeaway boxes.

• Boldwood books have acquired women’s fiction titles from Sunday Times Bestselling author Debbie Howells. Her first title with Boldwood, which will also be her first published women’s fiction novel, will be published in February 2022, titled THE LIFE YOU LEFT BEHIND.

• Greek rights to THE FAMILIARS by Stacey Halls have sold to Klidarithmos, and Denmark rights to Turbulenz.

• Czech rights to NOBODY BUT US by Laure Van Rensburg have sold to Dobrovksy.

• Film rights to DOG ROSE DIRT by Jen Williams have gone to Gaumont UK, the producers of Hannibal.

• Lithuanian rights have gone to Vega, Estonian rights to Postimehe Kirjastus, and Portuguese rights have sold at auction to Presenca for THE COUPLE AT NO 9 by Claire Douglas.

• Slovenian rights to Lia Louis’ heart-warming novel, EIGHT PERFECT HOURS have gone to her option publisher, Avrora.

• Portuguese rights to THE WOLF DEN have gone to Bertrand, and Arabic rights to Dar Molhimon - her 16th territory!

• Spanish rights to THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE by Jessie Burton have been taken up by Salamandra.

• UK and Russian rights have sold for Hannah Kaner’s debut fantasy trilogy, GODKILLER.

• The gorgeous and sweeping debut novel from Pim Wangtechawat, THE MOON REPRESENTS MY HEART, has sold in the UK and Italy.

• SOMETHING WICKED has officially been announced as the title to Laura Purcell’s fifth book with Raven Books (Bloomsbury). This is the first in a two book deal we previously announced, and it will be published in August 2022. SOMETHING WICKED is a Gothic suspense set against the backdrop of a Victorian theatre. Inspired by five classic plays, Greek mythology and The Phantom of the Opera, the book explores obsession, superstition, and the cost of ambition. It is slated for publication in August 2022.

• Arabic rights to the first two novels in Nell Pattison’s USA Today’s Bestselling Paige Northwood series, THE SILENT HOUSE and SILENT NIGHT, have gone to Dar Molhimon.

• French paperback rights to GIRL A by Abigail Dean have gone to Livre de Poche.

• First translation rights to WOULD I LIE TO YOU by Aliya Ali-Afzal have gone to Dar Molhimon in the UAE.

• Brazilian rights to THE DRESSMAKER OF DACHAU by Mary Chamblerain have been renewed by HarperCollins

• Armenian rights to Richard Osman’s THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB have sold to Newmag, and Arabic rights have been snatched up by Dar Al Tanweer. In total, this brings the book to 43 territories including film!

• THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE has sold in the Czech Republic to Jota.

Signings

Silé and Liza have jointly signed: 

• Carmen O’Neal, the founder of 58Gin, and eco-conscious distiller set in the heart of London. Her philosophy is ‘Gin from the Heart’ and this translates into everything she does, from her commitment to reducing carbon footprint to producing sanitiser for front line services. During lockdown, she made nothing but hand sanitiser for the NHS, key workers, care homes and hospices.

Liza has signed:

• Sally Abe, the head chef of The Pem in London, who is writing a cookbook filled with healthy, delicious British classics updated for the modern carnivore, vegetarian, and vegan. She has previously worked at some of the best kitchens in the UK, such as The Savoy, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s, and The Ledbury. She has also worked as a food stylist and content writer for Great British Chefs, and Liza highly recommends Sally’s recent recipe featured in the Guardian.

• Charlotte Turnbull for THE CAT BRIDE, a pastoral gothic coming-of-age novel combining the quiet feminist horror of books like We Have Always Lived In The Castle with the enduring coming-of-age charm of I Capture The Castle. It has been longlisted for the Caledonia Novel Prize. In the heatwave of 1995, eccentric, naïve, sixteen-year-old Lowdy and her Mumma move to Dartmoor to care for her dying Grandfather on the derelict site of the family’s infamous big cat zoo. Haunted by ghosts and monsters in the hot and brittle landscape, as well as a dark history at home, Lowdy hardly notices her family fracturing as she becomes obsessed with solemn farmer boy Digger.

Silé has signed:

• Dr Clara Russell for her incredibly moving memoir DOCTOR, INTERRUPTED, which tells the story of how her diagnosis of a condition that attacks her brain taught Clara to open her mind, and how becoming a patient and facing her newfound vulnerabilities head on has been the most valuable lesson of all. Combining medical memoir with self-care, her manuscript starts a conversation on how and why we find it hard to listen to ourselves regarding our health and wellbeing.

News

• Impressive Christmas sales mean that four Mushens Entertainment books are in the Sunday Times Bestsellers list! Richard Osman remains in the double #1 spots with THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB (paperback) and THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE (hardback). Abigail Dean and GIRL A have shot up the charts to become the #4 paperback marking 11 weeks in the top ten and over 100,000 paperbacks sold. Claire Douglas also re-entered the Sunday Times list with THE COUPLE AT NO. 9 and has sold over 120,000 copies across all formats.

• The Avon x Mushens Entertainment Prize has been announced, and the winner is Mimi Deb for BEN & GIA. The prize, which launched in January, was open to submissions from unagented, unpublished writers of colour across the UK. As the winner, Deb will receive a two-book deal with the HarperCollins division, a grant to support her writing career, and representation from Silé Edwards. The winning entry follows Gia, an immigrant, as she navigates the politics of work, love and friendship in London, and the unlikely bond she develops with Ben, the manager of a small restaurant, who sends her notes taped to takeaway boxes.

• Nell Pattison’s HIDE has stormed to #1 on the Apple Book Charts! Published on December 9th by Lucy Frederick at Avon, it is also garnering rave reviews and has been chosen by The Times as one of The Best New Thrillers for December 2021! Their incredible review says: “There’s a touch of Agatha Christie to Hide... her humour is crisp and even and the plotting as keen as an axe in the skull.”

• Andrea Stewart’s THE BONE SHARD EMPEROR was the #1 Bestselling SciFi/Fantasy novel in the UK last week upon publication! This is the second book in THE DROWNING EMPIRE series and rights currently stand at: Orbit (UK), Orbit (US), Bragelonne (France), Blanvalet (Germany), Atticus (Russia), Trini (Spain), and Epsilon (Turkey). Published: November 2021. Primary agent: Juliet.

December and January Publications

2nd December: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ON SOCIAL MEDIA by Sarah Day and Claire McGowan reimagines what would happen if the classic novel played out online. Out in hardback from Hodder Studio.

7th December: Set on a secluded island off the British coast, THE WOMEN OF PEARL ISLAND by Polly Crosby is a moving and evocative story of family secrets, natural wonders and a mystery spanning decades. It is out from Park Row Books in the US.

9th December: HIDE by Nell Pattison follows a group of seven friends, one killer, and a hike that is meant to bring them together, but will only tear them apart. It is out in the UK and US from Avon.

6th January: WOULD I LIE TO YOU by Aliya Ali-Afzal is a page-turning, warm and funny debut about what happens when you have your dream life - and are about to lose it. It is out in paperback from Head of Zeus.

6th January: THE SECRET by Debbie Howells is a thrilling suspense that follows what happens after Hollie tells Niamh about a devastating discovery, swears her to secrecy, then vanishes. It is out in paperback from Avon.

6th January: Polly Crosby’s second novel, THE UNRAVELLING, is a captivating mystery that follows the reclusive Marianne Stourbridge, she finds herself on a wild island with a mysterious history. It is out in hardback from HQ.

6th January: Stacey Hall’s third Sunday Times Bestseller, MRS ENGLAND, follows Ruby as she takes the job teaching the children of a wealthy Yorkshire family, and quickly realises there’s something not quite right about her new employer. Out in paperback from Bonnier.

11th January: JUST LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS by Claire Douglas follows Una as she take a new job after reeling from the death of her mother. It is out in hardback from HaperCollins in the US.

11th January: MEDUSA by Jessie Burton is a dazzling, feminist retelling of Greek myth for children. It is out from Bloomsbury YA in the US.

18th/20th January: Laura Lam’s Sunday Times bestselling series is back with SEVEN MERCIES which continues the story of seven galactic rebels who are the only ones who can save it from destruction. It is out in the US from DAW and then from Gollancz UK hardback.

20th January: Jen William’s debut thriller, DOG ROSE DIRT, follows Heather who finds her mother’s secret letters to a serial killer that lead her on a hunt for the truth. Out in paperback from HarperCollins.

27th January: Susan Stokes-Chapman’s debut, PANDORA, is a pure pleasure of a novel set in Georgian London, where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations and romance. It is out in hardback from Harvill Secker.