Latest News
Christopher Marlowe on Radio 4's Saturday Review
Ros Barber's forthcoming novel-in-verse, The Marlowe Papers, was the subject of lively debate on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review, the panel offering high praise to the work while the inevitable Shakespeare Authorship Question comes under heated discussion. The Marlowe Papers is written in the voice of Christopher Marlowe and reveals the secrets of his life, including his faked murder, his work as an international spy and the truth about his literary career.
Listen to the program again here:
'Pride and Prejudice addicts will swoon for this delightful romantic comedy.' Hello Canada
'Gloriously funny.' Saga
"A very satisfying read." Katie Fforde
Kate, a freelance journalist and self-professed Jane Austen addict, finds herself single, unemployed and soon-to-be homeless (not to mention about to turn 40). In desperation she accepts a writing assignment to prove a theory that in the toughest economic times a wealthy man is the only must-have accessory. So, with just Jane Austen's advice for company, she sets off to see if Mr Rich can ever become Mr Right.
Her mission takes her to Palm Beach, St Moritz and London. Where, in keeping company with the elite, she meets billionaires, oil tycoons, and generally men who make Mr Darcy look like an amateur. But will rubbing shoulders with men of good fortune ever actually lead her to love?
Kim Izzo's debut novel The Jane Austen Marriage Manual was published in April to much acclaim on all sides, including the following small selection of highlights:
Daily Express's Pick of The Paperbacks (****)
Red Magazine's Book of The Month Review
Woman's Way (Ireland) Magazine Review
Virgin Elect to Become Anonymous. Fashionably.
The incredibly popular Daily Mail online column (86,000 views per day) Confessions of a Fashionista feeds its hungry readers snippets of a life in the glittering yet deranged world of fashion. Now its anonymous author reveals the full true story of her giddyingly glamorous time in the style industry. Confessions of a Fashionista the book (to be published by Virgin Books in Spring 2013) is a story for anyone who's ever been an outsider, for anyone who's ever had a relationship end badly and thought they'd never find true love, and for anyone who thinks that cakes were made to be eaten, not sniffed.
Propelled by a painful end to a relationship and determined to prove her ex wrong for breaking up with her, our Fashionista lands a place on the Harrods Graduate Scheme. A complete outsider to the fashion world, she sets out on a wing and a pair of Guccis and finds herself in a whirlwind of couture and craziness. Along the way she learns how to stay sane in a world where hairdressers have egos as big as their clients' bouffants, where dogs fly business class, and if you're eating carbs it can only be because you're pregnant.
So who is the Gossip Girl? The publishers will tell... on publication!
Welcoming Scott Mariani to The Agency
The agency welcomes bestselling novelist Scott Mariani as a client. Scott is the author of the hugely successful Ben Hope series of thrillers, published by HarperCollins in the UK and by many other publishers worldwide. HarperCollins has just signed a contract for a further 8 titles in the Ben Hope series.
Also available is Passenger 13, a prequel to the Ben Hope series which the author self-published as an ebook in 2011 and which has sold over 50,000 copies in the UK. International rights to this title are available in both ebook and print formats.
Bodley Head get Electric Shock
Will Sulkin at Bodley Head has acquired UK and Translation rights to Electric Shock by Peter Doggett. This will be nothing less than the secret history of pop music, tracing the key developments from the beginning of recorded sound in the late nineteenth century to the prematurely-reported death of the music industry in the present day. It will expose a culture always under threat from new technology but one which has ultimately always succeeded in harnessing that technology to increase its own power. Electric Shock will do for pop what The Rest Is Noise did for classical music, and the world may never seem quite the same again.
Bodley Head will publish in Autumn 2014. All international rights are available.
Aurum Pretend They're In A War
Mark Blake is following up his biographies of Pink Floyd and Queen with a new study of the Who in the sixties. Pretend You're In A War (a reply Townshend gave when asked how to prepare for a Who concert) will focus on the Who's early days as mod icons and take them up through the intensely turbulent but most glorious phase of their career, from I Can't Explain in 1964 to Tommy in 1969, the latter being the triumphant realization of Townshend's and manager Kit Lambert's vision of producing rock'n'roll on the same grand scale as a classical symphony. Pretend You're In A War also explores for the first time some of Townshend's early traumas which were to haunt his life and songwriting for many years.
This will be the first major study of the Who since the 1980's, and will include much new material, including first person interviews the author has conducted with Townshend, Daltry and Entwistle.
Graham Coster has acquired world rights for Aurum Press, who will publish in Autumn 2014. All international rights available.
More Strykers for John Murray
Kate Parkin at John Murray has acquired three more titles in Michael Arnold's Civil War series featuring the battle-scarred veteran Captain Stryker. This will take the series to six volumes, the third of which, Hunter's Rage, will be published in August 2012.
All international rights available.
"With considerable skill, Arnold has reached back in time to create a living, breathing depiction of 17th century England. From his vividly described battle scenes to the richly drawn descriptions of everyday life, from the earthy vernacular of its characters to the precise details of military equipment, every last part... oozes authenticity. Fans of Cornwell's Sharpe novels will love Captain Innocent Stryker - he's uglier, meaner and cleverer than Sharpe. Tremendous!" Ben Kane
Pilates On The Go now out
At her Pilates studio in London, Margot Campbell has designed a unique programme to help her clients to achieve their body shape and weight-loss goals.
Combining the transformative techniques of Pilates, with aerobic exercise and diet advice, Margot has now adapted the programme into an amazing book so that everyone can follow it.
No matter how busy you are, Pilates on the go (Hodder & Stoughton, 5 January) will help you achieve the results you've always wanted. Margot Campbell runs her own pilates studio in West London. Working with people of all ages and shapes, Margot has adapted her methods to help her clients achieve their goals. Margot has coached a number of high profile celebrities including Pippa Middleton, the owner of Britain's most celebrated rear.
There is also a DVD released simultaneously with the book entitled The Perfect Pilates Bum.
Orion sign debut novelist in major deal
Genevieve Pegg at Orion has acquired The Beauty of Murder by A K Benedict. A speculative crime thriller with a terrifying mystery at its heart, The Beauty of Murder is a stunning debut set in the shadows and backstreets of Cambridge, where nothing is quite as it seems. crime puzzle unlocked by way of philosophy, physics and time-travel, it's a sinister chase to find a serial killer with all the time in the world.
Genevieve Pegg bought UK and Commonwealth (ex. Canada) rights from a partial, and says 'Macabre, suspenseful and hugely inventive, I was spellbound from the start. Once I'd met its compelling characters, I knew I couldn't let go of them.'
A K Benedict read English at Cambridge University and studied creative writing at the University of Sussex. Since then, she has composed film and television soundtracks and published a number of short stories and poems in small journals, and has a short story included in the forthcoming Best British Short Stories 2012 (Salt). This is her first novel, to which rights have also been sold in Germany and Italy.
End of Year Honours for Agency Authors
Congratulation to four of our authors whose work has been recognized in December 2011.
Ros Barber has been awarded the 2011 Calvin and Rose G. Hoffman Prize for a Distinguished Publication on Christopher Marlowe. Her novel The Marlowe Papers is published by Sceptre in May 2012.
Robyn Young's novel Insurrection, the first in a trilogy about Robert The Bruce, was named one of the books of the year in the Scotsman newspaper.
Michael Arnold's novel Devil's Charge, the second volume in the Stryker Chronicles, was named one of the Sunday Times historical novels of the year.
Peter Doggett's The Man Who Sold The World, about David Bowie in the 1970's, was named one of The Word magazine's books of the year.
Quadrille Goes Sushi Slim
Anne Furniss at Quadrille Publishing has acquired the debut book by renowned sushi chef Makiko Sano. Sushi Slim is aimed at those who want to eat well and lose weight - Japanese style. The book will be packed with recipes, nutritional advice and shows you how to make simple sushi dishes as part of your daily lifestyle or for special occasions.
Makiko is the owner of the Suzu restaurant in London, where she continues to innovate and experiment with her recipes, introducing more vegetarian and vegan food, unusual ingredients and healthy options.