Rights Hotlist
PETER DOGGETT
Electric Shock
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.
World ex US & Canada - Bodley Head / Random House (Autumn 2014)
MARK BLAKE
Pretend You're In A War: 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 the band.
World rights - Aurum Press (Autumn 2013)
A.K. BENEDICT
The Beauty of Murder
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.
UK/Commonwealth (ex Canada) - Orion (Autumn 2012)
German - Droemer
MARGOT CAMPBELL
Pilates On The Go
A fully illustrated step-by-step pilates and lifestyle guide. Margot runs the Pilates on the Go studio in west London and is credited for helping Kate Middleton "achieve her fantastic figure".
UK editor Nicky Ross says: "Margot's unique approach which combines pilates with aerobic exercise and healthy eating tips is a complete programme that's easy to incorporate into your daily routine. You can do it at any time—while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, pushing a buggy or sitting in a publishing meeting."
UK – Hodder & Stoughton
KIM IZZO
The Jane Austen Marriage Manual
A stylish, witty and romantic debut novel about Kate, a beauty editor at a fashion magazine, who suddenly finds herself unemployed, single, homeless and about to turn 40. Kate is asked to write a freelance article about whether it's possible, in these modern times, to marry for money – as she endeavours to find out, what better guide could she have than the novels of Jane Austen? Kate gets mistaken for an aristocrat, and embarks on an adventure and a comedy of errors that takes her from New York to Palm Beach, St Moritz and London. But as she gets closer to the man of her dreams she must decide what she really wants? Mr Rich or Mr Right?
UK – Hodder & Stoughton
US – St Martin's Press
Canada – HarperCollins (Canada)
German - Goldman
ROS BARBER
The Marlowe Papers
The Marlowe Papers is a remarkable novel-in-verse. It is the last will and testament of Christopher Marlowe: the great Elizabethan poet, spy, lover, heretic - and probable author of the plays attributed to Shakespeare. It is a gripping thriller, and an extraordinary life story. It is also a convincing fictional answer to one of literature's most fascinating mysteries: did Kit Marlowe really die in a tavern brawl in 1593, or did he live on and write 'Shakepeare's plays?
UK – Sceptre
US - St Martin's Press
ROBYN YOUNG
Insurrection (trilogy)
1286 A.D. Scotland is in the grip of the worst winter in living memory. Some say the Day of Judgement has come. The king of Scotland rides out from Edinburgh into the stormy dark. On the road he is murdered by one of his own men, leaving the succession to the throne wide open. The king's death is as a stone thrown into a pool, the ripples spreading far and wide. Civil war threatens as powerful Scottish families jostle for power, not knowing that Edward, now king of England, has set his own plans in motion.
Through the ashes of war, through blood feuds and divided loyalties, a young squire will rise to defy England's greatest king. His name is Robert the Bruce. And his story begins in Insurrection.
UK/Commonwealth (ex Canada) - Hodder & Stoughton
German - Blanvalet
French - Univers Poche
Dutch - Unieboek
Portuguese - Civilizaçáo
Swedish - Norstedts
Italian - Editrice Nord
Russian - Bookclub (Ukraine)
Canada – HarperCollins (Canada)
Bulgarian - Ciela
Brazilian - Record
MARK BLAKE
Is This The Real Life?: The Untold Story Of Queen
When Farrokh Bulsara changed his name to Freddie Mercury, Queen was born. In 1975, their six-minute operatic single 'Bohemian Rhapsody' went to number one, and from then on, Queen's story was one of constant musical and stylistic re-invention, as they enjoyed countless hit records with stadium anthems, romantic ballads and pure pop, plus a side order of jazz, gospel and heavy metal. In 1985, when their career seemed to have peaked, Queen s incredible performance at Live Aid stole the show, reminded a global television audience that they were one of the greatest live acts of all time.
Mercury's tragic death from AIDS robbed Queen of their lead singer, but Queen's phenomenal sales have continued, turning them into one of the world's biggest selling acts (second only to the Beatles). Their stage-show We Will Rock You has broken box-office records, and Brian May and Roger Taylor recently successfully resurrected the Queen name with vocalist Paul Rodgers.
Mojo and Q journalist Mark Blake has drawn on his own interviews with the band, and conducted almost 100 other interviews with record producers, ex-band members, personal assistants and school-friends, including many of Freddie Mercury's earliest associates in England, to produce a fascinating and complete account of the band's rise from suburbia to the championship of the world.
UK/Commonwealth - Aurum Press (October 2010)
US - Da Capo Press
Finland - Otava
Brazil - Pensamento-Cultrix
French - Camion Blanc
PETER DOGGETT
You Never Give Me Your Money:
The Battle For The Soul Of The Beatles
This is a Beatles book with a unique perspective: it concentrates on the untold story of the Beatles after the Beatles broke up, which in cultural and historical terms is in many ways the most interesting period of their biography. The story focuses on their savage legal battles with each other, financial entanglements, abortive attempts at reunion, up-and-down solo careers and the battle of each to rise above his past and, finally, to become the foremost curator of the Beatles legacy (with a little help from his friends).
UK – Bodley Head / Random House (September 2009)
US – HarperStudio / HarperCollins
French - Sonatine
Brazilian - Nossa Cultura
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MICHAEL ARNOLD
The Civil War Chronicles
The Civil War Chronicles are a cycle of novels set during the English Civil Wars of the seventeenth century. They follow the adventures of the one-eyed and battle-scarred military veteran Captain I. Stryker, a superbly tough but emotionally-damaged soldier fighting for the Royalist cause.
In the first book of the series, Traitor's Blood (August 2010), Stryker is hand-picked by Prince Rupert for a covert mission to arrest a dangerous double agent, the task, which will lead Stryker and his men through the heart of enemy country, seems hazardous enough. But Stryker will be forced to lock horns with his mortal enemy Eli Makepeace, who has a plot of his own – to prevent Stryker's mission succeeding by any means necessary.
And into the mix comes a woman who Stryker once loved and believed he had lost forever, who is now acting for the Queen of England to safeguard a secret which threatens the throne of England itself.
The Civil War Chronicles, which also include Devil's Charge (August 2011) and Hunter's Rage (August 2012), weave Stryker's exciting adventures around the major engagements of the Civil War, in an exciting blend of historical authenticity and gripping storytelling destined to appeal to lovers of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels. John Murray have a further four novels under contract.
UK & Commonwealth ex Canada – John Murray
PETER DOGGETT
The Man Who Sold The World: David Bowie and the 1970s
This will be the first book to trace David Bowie's Golden Years – the period between 1969 and 1980 during which he created and released masterpiece after masterpiece, from 'Space Oddity' and 'Ziggy Stardust', to 'Heroes' and 'Ashes to Ashes'. The book will be a major exploration of the 1970's from political, psychological and social perspectives, using Bowie's musical and lyrical explorations as a lightning rod. It will cover every song he recorded during this time, in a detailed study of one of popular music's most important, best-loved yet least-understood figures.
UK / Commonwealth (ex Canada) - Bodley Head / Random House (Autumn 2011)
US - HarperCollins (2012)
JO LITCHFIELD
Bit Bot The Robot
This is the beginning of a brand new picture-book series, Jo's debut as author. It will feature Jo's trademark modelmaking and design, and feature the adventures of a little boy and his robot. It is aimed at the 2-4 reading age group.
World Volume Rights - Egmont Books (UK publication of first title - 2012)
ROBYN YOUNG
Brethren (trilogy)
An epic, sweeping historical adventure novel of the Crusades, the first part of a trilogy. The Book of the Grail, one of the most precious, mysterious and dangerous possessions of the Knights Templar, is stolen and Will Campbell, a young knight, has the task of tracking it down in an atmosphere of murder, intrigue and war. Brethren is a novel in the mould of Iggulden, Pressfield and Manda Scott.
UK - Hodder & Stoughton
US - Dutton/Penguin
German - Blanvalet/Random House
Italian - Longanesi
French - Univers Poche
Spanish - Planeta
Portuguese - Civilizaçáo Editora
Greek - Patakis
Russian - AST
Polish - Ksiaznica
Swedish - Norstedts
Bulgarian - Ciela
Turkish - Alfa/Artemis
Romanian - Editura Nemira
Czech - Lidove Noviny
Hungarian - Gold
Dutch - Unieboek
Danish - Borgen
Serbian – Mladinska
Brazilian - Record