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We are delighted to announce that Lauryn Hamilton Murray’s Storm Weaver series has been acquired by Penguin in a highly competitive six-house auction. Carmen McCullough, Publisher, acquired World Rights from Catherine Cho in an upper six-figure deal for three books. The first title, Heir of Storms is scheduled for release in June 2025, rights have already been sold in six countries, including a significant US deal with Roaring Brook Press, and is set to take the world by storm.

Lauryn Hamilton Murray is a phenomenal new talent from Scotland, her cinematic debut is packed with all the features of a hit: a compelling cast of characters, stunning worldbuilding, an electrifying love triangle, high-stakes political intrigue, and a life-or-death competition.

Described as Twin Crowns meets Sarah J. Maas with a touch of The Hunger Games, Heir of Storms follows Blaze, a Rain Singer, as she vies against other Etheri, masters of elemental powers, to be the ruler of a kingdom where crowns are not inherited – they’re won.

When Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it.

Blaze, a Rain Singer, is born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the kingdom. Her birth summoned a devastating storm that resulted in the deaths of thousands, and she has spent her life as an outsider, reviled and feared.

When Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, are selected to compete in the Choosing Rite, the trials which decide the future rulers of the kingdom, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight – and into battle.

A handsome prince and a royal throne within her reach, Blaze is poised to take the crown and restore her honour.

Lauryn Hamilton Murray says: “I am beyond excited to be working with Carmen and the amazing team at Penguin Children’s, whose enthusiasm for this series has utterly blown me away. I wrote Heir of Storms during my final year of university, and I could never have imagined where it would lead me. To be given the opportunity to share this book with readers across the world whilst being published alongside a number of my literary heroes is a true privilege. I’m so grateful to the Penguin Random House Children’s team, to my brilliant US editors Kate and Emilia at Roaring Brook, and to my incredible agent Catherine, who believed in me and in this story from the very beginning.”

Carmen McCullough, Publisher, says: “This is such an exciting time for the fantasy market and all of the sub-genres within it. It’s incredibly important to us to have a fantasy offering for every reader and Heir of Storms really is best in class romantasy. Lauryn is an exceptional talent and I know there will be a huge global audience for her totally compelling series. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Blaze in 2025.”

Many congratulations to Lauryn, we are so excited for readers to discover Heir of Storms. 

We are so excited to welcome Jenny Simpson to the team!

From Jenny: 

Greetings! I am beyond thrilled to be joining Paper Literary as a Literary Agent. 

As an American born in Budapest, I was raised in London, UK and went to boarding school and university in the United States. Given my background, I relied on books as vehicles to transport to my various homes away from home no matter where I was in the world.

After moving to New York in 2016, I began my career in publishing as an assistant in the publishing department at ICM Partners, one of the biggest talent and literary agencies in the world. I was promoted to agent in 2021, handling subsidiary rights with a specific focus in audiobooks and first serial. 

In my role, I negotiated and sold audio rights to leading audiobook publishers. As audio grew as a dominant format, so did podcasting. I worked as a liaison between the Publishing and Podcast departments at ICM (now CAA), handling original audio and podcast projects for our clients, with a specific focus in transitioning authors and journalists into the world of podcasting. I have always been fascinated by the many ways a story can reach so many different audiences in multiple forms. Audio, in particular, is an incredibly intimate form of storytelling, and it was an absolute joy to work with clients in connecting with their readers on a closer level. 

During my time at ICM and CAA, I also placed book excerpts to major publications, such as The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Atlantic, to generate excitement and awareness for our newest titles ahead of publication. I was incredibly fortunate to work with agents, publicists, and editors on exciting promotional campaigns in the lead up to major book publications by bestselling authors and award-winning journalists. 

At Paper, I will be building a subsidiary rights department as well as my own list. While I feel so lucky to have worked with the best of the best in the publishing business from my time at ICM and CAA, I am excited at the opportunity to discover talent and explore my own taste as an agent, and to use my expertise to build something new for the agency. 

I am on the hunt for commercial fiction and select nonfiction titles on health and wellness-related topics. I always lean towards stories about domestic family dramas, adult and female friendships, and contemporary romances with a modern edge. I am constantly thinking about the various paths life can take you, so any story that incorporates a time loop (think OONA OUT OR ORDER by Margarita Monitmore), spans one’s lifetime on a specific anniversary or season (ONE DAY by David Nicholls) or has that Sliding Doors-esque quality (THE VERSIONS OF US by Laura Barnett). 

I now reside in Belgium with my husband and dog, a Corgi named Olive! If you have a story that elaborates on the expat experience, particularly its impact on family life, marriages and friendships, please send my way! Similarly, I will always pick up a book set in a boarding school to take me back to my teenage self, a la Curtis Sittenfeld’s PREP and FOSTER DADE EXPLORES THE COSMOS by Nash Jenkins. 

My nonfiction taste leans towards topics on self-improvement and self-discovery. I love approachable books with digestible scientific research that help improve everyday life for all. In other words, I always want to learn, but never want to feel too intimidated by the material. In a similar vein, I enjoy reading first-hand accounts from individuals navigating wellness obstacles on a path towards self-improvement, for example GROUP by Christie Tate. 

Finally, I am forever grateful to the team at Paper Literary for giving me the chance to join their amazing agency. Thank you, and I am so excited to read your work!

We are delighted to welcome Jenny Simpson. Previously at CAA, Jenny will be joining Paper Literary as a subsidiary rights and literary agent.

Simpson began her publishing career at ICM Partners in New York in the subsidiary rights department. She was promoted to agent in 2021, handling all domestic subsidiary rights on behalf of the department, with a focus on audiobook and first serial rights. She has negotiated and sold rights at significant six-figure levels on behalf of prize-winning and bestselling authors and journalists.

During her time at ICM (now CAA), Simpson worked across the Publishing and Podcasting departments, servicing clients in their ventures into the original audio and podcast marketplaces.

At Paper Literary, Simpson will build a subsidiary rights department as well as a list of her own as a literary agent. She will build a list in commercial fiction, particularly contemporary romance, domestic family drama and books focused on friendship and coming-of-age stories. She is also interested in non-fiction on health and wellness.

A graduate of Duke University, Simpson grew up in London and attended the Columbia Publishing Course at Oxford.

Catherine Cho says: “I am very excited to welcome Jenny to the team. She brings world-leading experience in subsidiary rights, especially in the audio and podcast space, which I know will be an incredible asset to our authors. I’m also delighted that she continues our British / American hybrid theme as an American from London who has spent most of her working life in New York.”

Jenny Simpson says: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the wonderful team at Paper Literary. I was instantly drawn to how Catherine, Katie and Melissa created such a mission-oriented literary agency, championing writers and the power of their work to build sustainable careers. Advocating for writers and the interests in their work are the responsibilities of an agent that I treasure the most, and it is inspiring to see those qualities embedded in the agency’s ethos. I am incredibly privileged to have worked for some of the best agents in the business during my time at ICM and CAA and am excited to build out the subsidiary rights department and my own list.”

We are delighted that Brooke Robinson’s debut, THE INTERPRETER, publishes today in the UK! Katie Greenstreet sold UKBC rights in a six-figure pre-empt to Harvill Secker and North American rights in a pre-empt to Harper. Rights have also sold in Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, and Russia.

Early reviews have touted the book’s innovative premise and page-turning plot. HEAT called it ‘fresh, exciting, original,’ while PRIMA found it ‘compelling and ingenious.’

It’s also had some brilliant blurbs:

“An ingenious premise, cleverly executed, THE INTERPRETER is multi-layered and intriguing, gripping from beginning to end.” Sabine Durrant, author of LIE WITH ME and SUN DAMAGE

“Clever, atmospheric and utterly absorbing” Alice Clark-Platts, author of THE COVE

“Brilliantly crafted and deliciously dark, THE INTERPRETER forces us to question how
far is too far when it comes to serving justice and protecting our loved ones, and whether the best of intentions can excuse cataclysmic outcomes. A propulsive and heartfelt page-turner.” Erica Katz, author of THE BOY’S CLUB and FAKE

THE INTERPRETER follows single mother Revelle Lee, a court interpreter who spends her days translating for victims, witnesses and the accused across London. Only she knows what they’re saying. Only she knows the truth.

When Revelle believes a grave injustice is about to occur, and a guilty man is going to be found innocent, she has the power to twist an alibi to get the verdict she wants. She’s
willing to risk it all to do what’s right.

But when someone discovers she lied, Revelle finds the cost might be too high… and she could lose everything, including her son…

THE INTERPRETER will publish in the US on September 19th.

We are delighted to announce that UKBC rights for Rosanna Pike’s debut novel, A Little Trickerie, were preempted by Helen Garnons-Williams, Publishing Director of Fig Tree, in a six-figure deal from Katie Greenstreet.

Based on a true story of the so-called ‘Holy Maid of Leominster,’ a medieval conwoman who impersonated an angel and amassed a cult following, A Little Trickerie is a dazzlingly written, irreverent and big-hearted novel about hope and superstition, cruelty and kinship, dreams and daring – with an unforgettable heroine.

Born a vagabond, Elizabeth ‘Tibb’ Ingelby and her mother roam the English countryside, scamming men and dreaming of a home to call their own. When her Ma dies in childbirth after a trick gone wrong, Tibb finds refuge on the Norfolk coastline with a boy named Ivo. He cares for and protects her as a brother would, until his own demons become too much to bear, and she is once again left alone to survive on her wits.

Tibb joins a troupe of strolling players on a journey across Tudor England that leads eventually back to Ivo, and to the conjuring of an audacious plan that will enable them – and those they love – to escape the shackles of society. But when news spreads of miracles in the parish, their hoax takes on a life its own, drawing crowds – and then enemies – to the doors of the church …

Garnons-Williams says:
‘A Little Trickerie is an absolute delight, and the irrepressible, foul-mouthed Tibb is a glorious and utterly unique creation. Rosanna Pike has written a fresh, disarmingly funny and deeply moving picaresque story, set far from the rarefied, familiar world of the Tudor court, and we are thrilled to be publishing it at Fig Tree’

Rosanna Pike says:  ‘When I came across the details of this historical hoax I was instantly captivated, and Tibb’s story came roaring into my mind. My thanks go to my agent, Katie Greenstreet, who saw the potential and believed in Tibb from the start. We have found the very best home for the novel at Fig Tree and I’m so excited to work with the excellent team there to share A Little Trickerie as my debut novel!’

Katie Greenstreet says: ‘Tibb’s is a voice that will grab you and won’t let go as she takes you on her wild and wonderful journey across Tudor England. This hilarious and heart-breaking debut is one I’m enormously proud to represent. Rosie’s characters feel like friends from the first page, and I can’t wait for readers to meet them all!’

Rosanna Pike is a former teacher and red-carpet interviewer for The Evening Standard who lives in south-west London with her family. She is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative and the Faber Academy.

Fig Tree will publish A Little Trickerie in hardback in July 2024.

We are delighted to announce that Emily Dunlay’s debut novel, TEDDY has been acquired by Fourth Estate and Harper in ‘major’ six-figure deals. There were multiple pre-empt attempts which led to hotly contested auctions in the US and UK. 

Editorial Director Katie Bowden secured UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Katie Greenstreet at Paper Literary. North American rights sold to VP & Executive Editor Sara Nelson at Harper. HarperCollins US and HarperCollins UK will collaborate to deliver a major global publication.

Set in 1960s Rome, TEDDY tells the story of the wayward wife of an American diplomat as she tries with increasing desperation to contain a scandal from her past, the discovery of which she fears will be her ruin.

Katie Bowden said: ‘With echoes of Curtis Sittenfeld and Taylor Jenkins Reid, and with a protagonist even more magnetic and complex than Mad Men’s Betty Draper, TEDDY is the smart, compulsive, darkly glamorous blockbuster of a novel I’ve been waiting for. Teddy is a woman in over her head – will she make it out alive? You’ll have to read to find out. I fell in love with Teddy from the very first page and we are thrilled that Emily is joining the 4th Estate list.’

Emily Dunlay said: “I am so looking forward to working with Katie Bowden and Sara Nelson to bring this story into the world. I’ve spent so much time with Teddy that she feels like a friend, and I can’t wait for readers to meet her. I’m especially grateful to my agent, Katie Greenstreet, who understood Teddy from the beginning.”

Katie Greenstreet said: “TEDDY fell into my inbox during a very busy week, but I knew I had to drop everything to spend time walking the streets of midcentury Rome with Emily’s complicated and captivating protagonist. I knew from the start that Fourth Estate would be the perfect home for this dazzling debut, and I’m delighted to have found a publishing team who adore this character as much as I do.’

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Emily studied English literature and creative writing at Princeton University, after which she trained as a librarian for rare books and special collections. She currently lives and works in the United Arab Emirates as a library consultant.

We are delighted to announce that Penguin UK has acquired Ania Poranek’s debut, Where the Dark Stands Still in a six-figure deal. Carmen McCullough, Editorial Director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Catherine Cho at Paper Literary, on behalf of Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman. The deal was struck in collaboration with Karen Wojtyla, VP and Editorial Director at Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, who bought North American rights. Both editions will publish simultaneously in Spring 2024.

Where the Dark Stands Still is a beautifully written and evocative reimagining of Beauty and the Beast which weaves dark fantasy and gothic romance infused with polish folklore. This epic romantic story is perfect for fans of Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and Gallant by V.E Schwab.

Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood – the Leszy – who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish.

Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska soon discovers the sinister roots of their bargain. And if she wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past.

Those who enter the wood do not always return . . .

Ania Poranek says: “I am so excited to be able to share this story with the world and to work with Carmen McCullough, Karen Wojtyla and the teams at Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. As a Polish girl who grew up in Canada, the stories of Polish folklore were something I knew from childhood memories of my grandparents’ bedtime stories. Writing this book allowed me to delve so much deeper into my culture and being able to share that with new readers is a dream come true.”

Carmen McCullough, Editorial Director, says: “I could talk endlessly about this unique and powerful story that instantly captivated the whole team. I fell in love with Ania’s writing from the very first page – from the moment Liska stepped into the woods to begin her strange magical journey. I was fascinated to learn about polish folklore, enthralled by the magic and completely swept up in the most breathtaking love story. This is a truly special book and Ania is an incredible new YA talent that we can’t wait to launch next year.”

We are delighted to announce that LIES WE SING TO THE SEA is to be adapted for film. Emily Hayward-Whitlock at The Artists Partnership represented the film rights on behalf of Paper Literary. From The Hollywood Reporter:

Fast-rising writer Ripley Parker, whose first TV project Everything Now (previously entitled The Fuck It Bucket) is launching on Netflix later this year, is set to adapt YA fantasy novel Lies We Sing to the Sea for film with the rights acquired by Kris Thykier’s U.K.-based banner Archery Pictures.

The debut novel of Sarah Underwood, Lies We Sing to the Sea is a magical coming-of-age drama set in a sun- and blood-soaked Ancient Greece, inspired by the myth of Penelope’s hanged maids. In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of 12 young women, a tithe to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens from her death on the shore of a magical island, its enigmatic keeper Melantho tells her that she has been chosen by the Gods to break Ithaca’s curse. Leto must return home and kill the prince.

Snapped up in a pre-empt by Farshore in the U.K. and its sister company HarperCollins Children’s Books in the U.S., the book published March 16 in the U.K., while in the U.S. it has already reached number two on the Indie Bestseller list and number 9 on the New York Times‘ best-seller list in its first week of publication.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to have been entrusted with these characters,” said Parker, who’s the daughter of Thandiwe Newton and Oli Parker. “To be handed someone else’s story for safekeeping is such a beautiful responsibility, and I only hope I can do it justice. It’s a truly incredible book, and Sarah is obviously prodigiously talented. The world will very soon be clamoring for more of her words. I’m so thrilled to be working with her, and all the wonderful folks at Archery.”

Added Underwood: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Lies We Sing to the Sea is being adapted for film, and I cannot imagine a better home for it than at Archery Pictures. It’s been wonderful to see Ripley’s enthusiasm for this project; I know that Leto, Melantho and Mathias are in the very best of hands.”

Archery Pictures recently produced John Madden’s World War II spy drama Operation Mincemeat, starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald, while on the TV side it produced two seasons of Netflix hit Fate: The Winx Saga, and three seasons of Riviera for Sky Atlantic.

“Both Ripley and Sarah are formidable talents,” said Thykier. In Lies We Sing to the Sea, Sarah has taken something old and familiar and made it dazzling and new. Ripley’s fresh and original voice was our first and only choice for the adaptation. We feel incredibly honored and very lucky to be working with them both. They are the very brightest of stars.”

The deal was brokered for Underwood by Emily Hayward Whitlock at The Artists Partnership on behalf of Catherine Cho at Paper Literary, and for Parker, by Charlotte Knight at Knight Hall Agency.

We are thrilled to say that Sarah Underwood’s LIES WE SING TO THE SEA has debuted at #9 on the New York Times‘ bestseller list and #2 on the Indie Bestseller List. Many congratulations to Sarah!

LIES WE SING TO THE SEA publishes today 16th March 2023 in the UK, with a wonderful line-up of publication events.

About LIES WE SING TO THE SEA:

In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens from her death on the shore of a long-forgotten island, its enigmatic keeper Melantho tells her that there’s only one way the curse can be broken. Leto must kill the last prince of Ithaca . . .

A reclamation of a story from thousands of years ago, LIES WE SING TO THE SEA is about love and fate, grief and sacrifice, and, ultimately, the power we must find within.

Our very first Paper Literary deal – Sarah Underwood’s dazzling debut novel, LIES WE SING TO THE SEA publishes in the US today! The UK publication is the following week on 16th March. We are so delighted for Sarah and wish her a very happy publication.

A lead title from HarperTeen and Electric Monkey, LIES WE SING TO THE SEA is a fantasy romance, inspired by Greek mythology and the tale of Penelope’s twelve hanged maids.

It’s received some wonderful quotes:

”A lovely, lyrical fantasy which takes the fate of the hanged maids of the Odyssey and weaves something brand new. A story overflowing with emotion and full of magic.”
Jennifer Saint, internationally bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra

“Lies We Sing to the Sea is a lyrical, elegant debut bursting with imagination and heart. Underwood expertly weaves a tale about the inevitability of fate—and the love that makes us rail against it anyway. Bittersweet and wholly cathartic.”  Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic

“A wondrous tale of love, death, and sacrifice. The vivid characters give depth and adventure to a story with roots in classic Greek mythology.” Natasha Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of Skin of the Sea

In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens from her death on the shore of a long-forgotten island, its enigmatic keeper Melantho tells her that there’s only one way the curse can be broken. Leto must kill the last prince of Ithaca . . .

A reclamation of a story from thousands of years ago, LIES WE SING TO THE SEA is about love and fate, grief and sacrifice, and, ultimately, the power we must find within.