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Delacorte have acquired fantasy author Sara Jafari’s DESTINED OR DAMNED, a contemporary fantasy romance in which an 18-year-old British Iranian angel enters her final semester of training camp and somehow finds herself navigating a love triangle and investigating mysterious disappearances happening within the prestigious camp’s walls all the while trying to graduate.

World English Language rights were bought by Bris Ragin at Delacorte, by Katie Greenstreet at Paper Literary. The book will be published in Spring 2028.

TV and comedy writer Joanna Bradley’s debut novel, HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR WIFE, pitched as a thriller for fans of ALL FOURS, has sold in a competitive six-figure auction to Helen O’Hare at Little, Brown (NA), by Katie Greenstreet. Rights have also been sold to Ecco Verlag (Germany), by Melissa Pimentel at Paper Literary, and Sonatine (France).

Joanna’s debut follows a recently widowed Brooklynite as she drinks, f**ks, and investigates her way across Paris after learning her wife has not only been found dead, but had been keeping a second apartment, an expensive wine collection, and an entire other identity hidden in the City of Light. She quickly realises that she will have to solve the mystery of her wife’s death if she hopes to uncover the even greater secrets of her life.

Joanna Bradley is a television writer who lives between Manhattan and Los Angeles.

Electric Monkey, the award-winning young adult imprint of Farshore, has acquired a three-book high fantasy YA series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah Underwood. Sarah Levison, Editorial Director at Electric Monkey, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Catherine Cho at Paper Literary, in a significant deal. North American rights were acquired by Kristin Rens at HarperCollins US.

The trilogy combines vibrant and original world-building with every beloved YA trope readers could wish for: reluctant heroes, found family, deadly side quests, first love and a delicious enemies-to-lovers romance — all handled with the warmth and lightness of touch that has made Underwood a standout voice in the YA space. Pitched as The Cruel Prince meets Twin Crowns (with a touch of My Lady Jane!), this new series promises to be a major new chapter in Underwood’s authorial career.

The first book in the series, The Changeling Rule, will publish in May 2027, with the next two books in the series each set to publish a year apart. Set in the kingdom of Ironhold, The Changeling Rule follows two young women whose lives collide at a magical market: fifteen-year-old Claris, heir to a throne ruled by a father who despises magic, and seventeen-year-old Sparrow, a shapeshifting changeling on a desperate mission to free her imprisoned mother from the Ironhold dungeons. When the two strike a daring deal to swap places, both find themselves drawn into something far greater than their own missions – a brewing war between Ironblooded humans and the magical Fair Folk, with the future of all at stake.

Sarah Levison, Editorial Director at Electric Monkey, said: “I am so thrilled to bring more books from the bestselling Sarah Underwood to the Electric Monkey list. Sarah is truly a standout voice in the YA space and watching her pivot her extraordinary talents from standalone novels inspired by Greek mythology to this delightful high fantasy trilogy has been an absolute joy. Sarah has crafted a fantasy world so richly imagined and meticulously constructed that readers will never want to leave it once they enter in Spring 2027!”

Sarah Underwood said “Publishing with Electric Monkey is never anything but a joy and I’m thrilled to be working on three more books – at least! – with them. I’ve been writing The Changeling Rule for more than six years; it has grown from a tiny seed (what if someone really did trade their kingdom for a horse?) into a world full of magic, lies, bargains and secrets, heartless soldiers, pitiless kings, and a pair of protagonists I absolutely adore. After so long in my head, I am so excited to share this world and its inhabitants with readers across the world.”

Sarah Underwood is the author of two critically acclaimed standalone YA novels: Lies We Sing to the Sea, a New York Times bestseller described by The Observer as “a lavish epic of power, vengeance, love and fate” and selected as their YA Book of the Month, and Gentlest of Wild Things, named one of Cosmopolitan’s Best New Books of August 2024. Underwood is a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, where she studies healthcare data science.

The Changeling Rule will publish in paperback in the UK in May 2027.

We are thrilled to announce that S.J. Cristea’s debut fantasy rom-com has sold in an significant six-figure pre-empt to Julia Elliott at Avon/HarperCollins and Mikaela Roasa at Harper Canada, and will be published in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph, who won a four-way auction, in deals brokered by Kiya Evans at Paper Literary.

Auctions have concluded internationally in Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Ukraine, with pre-empts in Brazil and France. Rights have sold in ten translation territories thus far, with more in negotiation.

How To Save A Dog From The Underworld follows Jodie, a headstrong necromancer who travels to the Underworld to retrieve her dog’s soul, only to find Zach, the infuriating (but admittedly handsome) God of the Underworld, pet-sitting – and refusing to give the dog back. At a stalemate, they agree to take part in three publicised trials to decide the rightful owner, but as sparks fly and stakes rise, Jodie and Zach must choose—win the dog, or lose their hearts.

We are thrilled to share that Lindsey Anderson Rios’s BRIGHT LIGHT ON THE HORIZON, a YA dystopian novel about two teens on a mission to retrieve a vaccine to save their world from a parasitic fungus, has been pre-empted in the US by Kelsey Murphy at Viking Children’s, and acquired in the UK by Rachel Leyshon at Chicken House, by Catherine Cho at Paper Literary.

Loosely inspired by the 1925 serum run to Nome, Alaska, Lindsey’s debut will be published in spring 2027. Rights have also sold to Gallmeister in France.

It will appeal to fans of action-packed, atmospheric books about reluctant allies, like ONE DARK WINDOW by Rachel Gillig, or anyone who loves the heartwarming story of Balto but wishes it were set in a world teeming with parasitic fungi, à la THE LAST OF US.

Congratulations, Lindsey!

We are excited to announce that Maria Meservey’s debut THE IRONFELL INHERITANCE and THE MORROW ARCHIVES habe been sold in multi-way auctions worldwide.

North American rights were acquired in an upper six-figure deal by Tricia Narwani at Del Rey Books in a highly competitive fourteen bidder auction. Rebecca Hilsdon at Michael Joseph acquired UK rights in a ‘significant’ six-figure deal in a heated seven-way auction. Rights have also sold in eight other territories, including at auction in Germany for a ‘significant’ six-figure deal, by Melissa Pimentel at Paper Literary.

Pitched as THE HUNGER GAMES meets WEDNESDAY, the novel follows the Ironfell family, whose line of succession is determined by bloodshed rather than birthright. When the Ironfell patriarch dies, his descendants must fight to the death to inherit his vast wealth – and the terrifying supernatural power that make them the most feared family in the land.

Maria said: ‘I am endlessly delighted to be working with Tricia, Rebecca, and the amazing Del Rey and Michael Joseph teams. It is such a dream to have found such a lovely home for this vicious little book, and I am eternally grateful to my brilliant agent, Catherine Cho at Paper Literary, for making it happen.’

Rebecca said: ‘As soon as I stepped inside Ironfell Manor I knew I needed this darkly propulsive book to join the PMJ fantasy list. From the creaking, spooky manor – which offers the perfect backdrop  – to the noble Walter – who fronts an unforgettable cast –  this novel puts me in mind of the very best in gothic Victorian literature. But with a freshness that will appeal to a truly modern reader.’ 

Tricia said: ‘This gorgeously morbid and deliciously addictive book, with its perfectly calibrated gothic aesthetic and heart-piercing plot twists, was such a delight to my dark heart—and it will also entrance legions of readers with its macabre music. Maria is a talent unlike any other and I’m honoured to work with her.’

Catherine said: ‘When I first read The Ironfell Inheritance and in my submissions inbox, I had chills. Maria is an exceptional talent with a singular voice; she has created a dark, captivating world that is unforgettable. I’m thrilled she’s found a brilliant home on both sides of the Atlantic.’

The Ironfell Inheritance by Maria Meservey will be published in Autumn 2027. Congratulations, Maria!

Congratulations to Rosanna Pike, who is the winner of the 2025 Goldsboro Glass Bell Award!

Pike took home the award for her “dazzling” historical novel A Little Trickerie (Fig Tree), which “captured the judges’ imaginations”.

David Headley, managing director of Goldsboro Books, said: “A Little Trickerie captivated us from the very first page. Daring, inventive and beautifully written, it balances sharp wit with real emotional depth.

He said: “The characters are alive with nuance, the narrative both playful and profound, surprising us at every turn. Above all, it’s a novel we found impossible to put down, and equally impossible to forget.”

A Little Trickerie was joined on the shortlist by The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (Hutchinson Heinemann), James by Percival Everett (Mantle), Chris Whitaker’s All the Colours of the Dark (Orion), Elif Shafak’s There Are Rivers in the Sky (Viking) and The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to Wastelands by Sarah Brooks (W&N).

Launched in 2017, the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award is awarded annually to an outstanding work of contemporary fiction, rewarding quality storytelling in any genre. The winner of the Glass Bell receives £2,000 in prize money, and a handmade, engraved glass bell.