By Georgie Cutler, Eva Lee, Niamh Parr and Emily Retford
Acquisition News
Dimova’s Debut Fantasy Goes to Wildfire
The debut novel by Bulgarian-born Glaswegian writer Genoveva Dimova has been acquired for publication in the UK by Wildfire, an imprint of Headline. Foul Days is the first book in a duology, called The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters, inspired by Slavic mythology and the author’s love of her native Bulgarian folklore. Set in the walled city of Chernograd, a dark place teeming with monsters. The witch Kosara, is being hunted by the Tsar of Monsters, also known as the Zmey, who just so happens to be her ex. To escape from him, Kosara is forced to trade her shadow – the source of her magic – to a smuggler for passage out of Chernograd to where monsters cannot follow. Despite Kosara’s hopes for a peaceful life outside of Chernograd, she’s soon plagued by a disease notorious for killing shadowless witches and the only cure is to somehow get her shadow back. Against all odds, she finds herself travelling back to the very place she was running away from, teaming up with the detective investigating the suspicious death of her smuggler and coming face to face once more with the Zmey.
UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired by Wildfire’s Assistant Editor Areen Ali, from Chris Scheina at Macmillan US. Tor Books US acquired World English rights from Brenna English-Loeb at Transatlantic Agency. Foul Days will be released on 25 June 2024 (Bookbrunch).
Penguin Michael Joseph Lands Fashion Guru Kay Barron’s New Guide to Fashion
Penguin Michael Joseph has acquired the rights to How to Wear Everything by Kay Barron, Net-a-Porter’s current Fashion Director. Described as a “no-nonsense guide to getting dressed,” How to Wear Everything covers everything about clothes for readers, including where to start, what you’ll need and what to absolutely not do. The book aims to help develop readers’ personal style, no matter age, current budget or body type. This new release is a book about clothes, not about fashion, and includes hints and tips from world-wide fashion icons, such as Law Roach, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sofia Richie Grainge. About her new book, Barron commented, “I want to make readers feel confident and excited about what they wear… It’s about understanding what you want to put on your body, how, what with, and when.” Barron’s twenty-plus years of experience in the fashion industry, with a catalogue of jobs including Fashion Director at Porter Magazine and Fashion Features Director at Harper’s Bazaar, makes her a trusted source when it comes to styling and clothing advice.
Penguin Michael Joseph managing director Louise Moore and publisher Jillian Taylor acquired world rights to How to Wear Everything from Caroline Wood of Felicity Bryan Associates, with International rights going to Chronicle Books (US), Editions Marabout (France), and Act si Politon (Romania). How to Wear Everything is set to be published on 29 August 2024, available in hardback, eBook and audiobook.
From Book to Screen
What to Watch?
Garfield Returns To Cinemas
Garfield returns to our screens with this brand-new cartoon adaptation from the fantastic mind of Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove). Based on the bestselling comic strips by Jim Davis, this movie sees the beloved lasagne-loving orange cat drawn into a heist after reuniting with his long-lost father. Jim Davis acts as an Executive Producer for the project. The producers have hired a star-studded cast to voice the project, headed by Chris Pratt, voicing the titular character of Garfield. The cast includes the likes of Nicholas Hoult, Ving Rhames, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Samuel L. Jackson. The film adaptation features music from John Debney, who scored Elf, Hocus Pocus and The Emperor’s New Groove. You can watch Garfield in cinemas from the 24 May 2024.
In the Works
Netflix Picks Up The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club will be getting a film adaptation screened on Netflix and produced by Amblin Entertainment, Steven Spielberg’s film production company. The upcoming crime comedy adaptation follows a group of four friends, all pensioners, who gather and solve murder mysteries for fun. A brutal killing suddenly takes place and they find themselves stuck in a live case causing a turn of events to push their investigation to a new level. So far, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley have been confirmed to star in the film with the production looking to begin in June. Keep an eye out for further updates.
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