Catherine Belton Awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List

Posted on 04/01/2023, in News

We are so proud of Catherine Belton, who has been made an MBE in King Charles III’s first New Year’s Honours list for her services to journalism. Belton was previously the Moscow Correspondent for the Financial Times, worked as an investigative correspondent for Reuters, and now reports on Russia for the Washington Post. Her first book, Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West (William Collins), was targeted by intimidating libel suits from wealthy Russian oligarchs, most prominently Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich. In the aftermath Belton and her publisher Arabella Pike campaigned for…

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Alice Tradewell: My Time as FBA’s Mentee

Posted on 23/09/2022

This time four months ago, I was in the interview process for the Felicity Bryan mentorship scheme. I was also in the middle of my last assessment period in my final year of university. A lot was riding on this one week: employment for the summer, getting a 2:1 etc….

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FBA’s Books of the Summer 2022

Posted on 08/07/2022

With July in full swing, the highly anticipated summer reading lists are back once again. This year we are delighted to see 10 of our books chosen as the best reads of the summer. Whether you’re staying at home for a relaxing summer and wanting something to curl up with,…

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FBA Partner with The Stinging Fly to Launch New Fiction Writing Prize

Posted on 19/05/2022

We are incredibly excited to announce our sponsorship of the Stinging Fly/FBA Fiction Prize, which will be awarded annually to an emerging fiction writer published in The Stinging Fly during the previous year. We have long admired the bold and exciting new writing published by The Stinging Fly and are…

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BOOKS TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Posted on 08/03/2022

Established in 1911, International Women’s Day aims to recognise women’s achievements while also campaigning for a fairer, more gender equal society. From galvanising non-fiction to stories of unforgettable female friendships, we hope this list provides some inspiring reading for this year’s celebrations. Please Miss, Grace Lavery (Daunt Books, 2022) Described…

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Some of 2022’s Most Anticipated Books

Posted on 11/01/2022

  A new year means new books and we’re delighted to see so many of our titles picked up by the media as their most anticipated reads of 2022. Whether your to-be-read pile is already sky high or you’re in need of some inspiration to meet this year’s reading goal,…

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2021 Books of the Year

Posted on 10/12/2021

In the run up to Christmas, publications have been sharing their favourite reads of 2021 and it has filled us with festive cheer to see so many authors we represent on their lists. Made up of recommendations from critics and writers, we hope our compilation below provides some inspiration for…

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FBA’s Round-Up of Must-Read Books on Climate Change

Posted on 10/11/2021

With global temperatures on the rise and many of us feeling the effects of climate anxiety, environmental crises are becoming ever more entangled with our daily lives. To coincide with this month’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), currently taking place in Glasgow, we have curated a pick of titles that…

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Five Books to Add to Your Reading List This Black History Month

Posted on 29/10/2021

  First marked in the UK in October 1987, Black History Month aims to promote and celebrate Black contributions to British society and to reflect on the diverse histories of those of African and Caribbean descent. It goes without saying that we should be reading books by Black authors all…

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Introducing Our New Intern: Lola Downes

Posted on 19/10/2021

Following the relaunch of our paid, three-month internship scheme, we are incredibly pleased to introduce Lola Downes who joins us during the busy Frankfurt season. Lola graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA degree in English in 2020 and stayed to pursue her MPhil in American Literature the…

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The Great Godden Shortlisted for the YA Books Are My Bag Readers Award

Posted on 12/10/2021

We are so pleased that Meg Rosoff’s The Great Godden (Bloomsbury; paperback June 2021) has been shortlisted for the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2021 Books Are My Bag Readers Award. The award is truly one of a kind, putting together a panel of passionate booksellers across the country…

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My Experience as the First FBA Mentee

Posted on 28/09/2021

Picture this. It’s a (relatively) warm summer’s day in July, and you’ve recently moved to a new city to start a job in an industry you’ve been trying to break into for the better part of a year. You catch a bus to the office even though you could have…

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Damon Galgut’s The Promise Shortlisted for the Booker Prize

Posted on 16/09/2021

  We are overjoyed that Damon Galgut’s The Promise (Chatto & Windus, June 2021) has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Previously shortlisted in 2006 for The Good Doctor and in 2010 for In A Strange Room, Damon Galgut joins a remarkably strong line-up, starring the likes of Patricia Lockwood…

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Martin Walker Awarded the Prix Charbonnier for Services to French Culture

Posted on 14/09/2021

Félicitations to Martin Walker who has been awarded the Prix Charbonnier for his Bruno novels, set in the Périgord region of France. The Prix Charbonnier was created in 1991 to recognise M. Daniel Charbonnier of San Franciso, a past President of the Alliances Françaises Federation USA. Its purpose is to…

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Conversations on Love Hits #8 on The Sunday Times Bestseller List

Posted on 02/08/2021

We were over the moon to see Conversations on Love become a Sunday Times Bestseller, coming in strong at No.8. Based on her highly successful newsletter of the same name, Natasha Lunn’s book sets out to understand how relationships work and evolve over a lifetime. She turns to authors and…

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Mance and Newbery Make the Case for Treating Animals More Humanely

Posted on 27/07/2021

This summer saw the passing of the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act: a landmark legislation increasing the maximum prison term for animal abusers from six months to five years. The Act shows a rising preoccupation about the way we treat animals, introducing one of the toughest sentences in Europe for cruel…

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12 FBA BOOKS SELECTED FOR THIS YEAR’S SUMMER READING LISTS

Posted on 15/07/2021

It’s that time of the year again, when all the summer reading lists are published in full force. This summer may not be entirely back to normal – with many of us perhaps destined for grey-skies staycations – but we are nonetheless overjoyed to see eleven of our books chosen…

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Roderick Beaton Wins the 2021 Runciman for His Book Greece

Posted on 24/06/2021

Roderick Beaton has made history as the first person to ever win the Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award four times. In an online ceremony last Thursday, Beaton was announced to be this year’s winner for his book Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation, which was published by Allen Lane in 2019….

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THE FELICITY BRYAN PUBLISHING MENTORSHIP SCHEME

Posted on 26/04/2021

We are delighted to announce the Felicity Bryan Publishing Mentorship Scheme, created in honour of the pre-eminent literary agent Felicity Bryan, who died in June 2020. The scheme is an annual paid three-month mentorship programme aimed at anyone from an underrepresented background who is interested in pursuing a career in…

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Richard Ovenden’s Burning the Books shortlisted for Wolfson History Prize

Posted on 21/04/2021

Huge congratulations to Richard, head of the Bodleian Library, whose wonderful Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack, has been shortlisted for the £40,000 Wolfson History Prize. The winner will be announced on June 9th, and the paperback of Burning the Books – complete with striking new cover…

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Reni Eddo-Lodge Receives Nielsen Gold Bestseller Award

Posted on 31/03/2021

Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race has picked up multiple awards since its release in 2018 – including the Jhalak Prize, the Foyles and Blackwells Non-Fiction Book of the Year, and the British Book Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year, and now it has…

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Bookseller Previews of 2021 FBA Titles

Posted on 05/02/2021

AC Grayling – The Frontiers of Knowledge: What We Know About History, Science and the Mind, and How We Know it (Viking, May) Spanning the areas of science, history and psychology, the philosopher and polymath illustrates how each field has advanced to where it is now; from the rise of…

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Anna Hope picked by French booksellers as top ten favourite

Posted on 26/01/2021

As part of the celebrations around the 90th anniversary of Gallimard imprint Du Monde Entier in 2021, the French publisher asked indie booksellers to come up with their top ten translated works, and we are delighted to see Anna Hope’s The Ballroom make the list, alongside modern luminaries like Chimamanda…

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2021: Looking Forward

Posted on 11/01/2021

As 2021 begins, let’s see which FBA titles have been highlighted by national newspapers and magazines as ones to watch this year… The Guardian Bone Music by David Almond (Hodder, April) The Skellig author’s new novel focuses on a young girl who moves from Newcastle to rural Northumberland and finds…

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FBA Books of the Year

Posted on 17/12/2020

It’s that time again, and if you’re anything like me, you got your tree up early this year… only to have to take it down again because you have a new kitten. But this isn’t about an unutterably cute she-devil. It’s not even about Christmas. It’s about the amazing books…

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Half of Costa Children’s shortlist FBA titles

Posted on 25/11/2020

The Great Godden, Meg’s Rosoff’s “dreamy, seductive coming-of-age tale” and The Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, Natsha Farrant’s “compelling, joyous, tearjerking and delightful” adventure story, have both been shortlisted for this year’s Costa awards, making fully half the Children’s shortlist hail from our wonderful stable of FBA writers. The Costas have…

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New Children’s Classics This Christmas

Posted on 20/11/2020

With the history big hitters – not to mention the cookbooks and novels from national treasures – the wonderful children’s books we represent can often be criminally undertreated. So, this post is all about putting those magical wordsmiths front and centre, as they deserve – along with celebrating the myriad…

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New adult novel from multi-award-winning Sally Gardner

Posted on 20/11/2020

Although primarily known as a bestselling children’s author – the magical mind behind such classics as (Costa-winning) Maggot Moon, I, Coriander, and Invisible in a Bright Light (recently nominated for the Carnegie along with two other FBA titles) – Sally Gardner also writes novels for adults… the “irresistible” (Guardian) An…

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Spooky Special: Three Halloween Reads

Posted on 29/10/2020

1. The Search Party You won’t believe the twist in this compulsive new top ten bestseller from the ‘Stephen King-like’ Simon Lelic, screams the blurb, and this ‘hugely gripping’ (Mark Billingham) and ‘heart-stopping’ (Elly Griffiths) thriller is just the ticket for the spookiest day of the year. You see, 16-year-old…

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Super September: History

Posted on 03/09/2020

No one is clear on the exact amount of books being published today but everyone agrees it’s between 530 and actually-too-many-to-count. We were thrilled, then, when Radio 4 picked Burning the Books for what must have surely been one of the most competitive Book of the Week slots ever -…

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Out Today

Posted on 20/08/2020

Autumn madness begins! Following new titles from Richard Koch and Thomas Rid, today sees the beginning of a bumper few months for us, with titles delayed because of Covid joining those already scheduled in an all-out assault on bookstore shelves. In shops and online from today… Simon Lelic – The…

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eBook Summer Bargains

Posted on 11/08/2020

Temperatures are rising, but these prices are plummeting 🔥 We have four – yes four – titles in amazing cutprice deals across multiple platforms, including multiple bestsellers and a Carnegie nominee.  Grab a bargain while you can – the majority of these deals will be gone in a week or…

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This Week: The Craft and Inge’s War

Posted on 04/08/2020

After the lockdown-induced lacuna, things are picking back up in publishing terms, and following July’s sweeping, sparkling THE HISTORY OF MAGIC: FROM ALCHEMY TO WITCHRAFT we have two more non-fiction blockbusters hitting the shelves… Insiders call it ‘the Craft’. To the rest of us, Freemasonry is mysterious and suspect. Yet…

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We Know What You’ll Read This Summer

Posted on 21/07/2020

From Instagram readalongs to New York Times editor’s picks, there are plenty of FBA titles making a socially-distanced splash in 2020. This list will swell accordingly as more and more publications name their books of the summer 🌞 Click the titles to buy online at a discount while supporting your…

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Anna Hope’s ‘heartbreaking and razor sharp’ EXPECTATION released in paperback

Posted on 02/07/2020

The plaudits have rolled in ever since Expectation- Anna’s first contemporary novel after two historical smash-hits with Wake and The Ballroom – first hit the shelves… ‘Beautiful, sharp, moving. I urge you to read it” ELIZABETH DAY ‘Thoughtful, beautifully written, honest. A sensual book. I URGE YOU TO READ IT’ MARIAN KEYES ‘A brilliant exploration…

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3 FBA titles make Sunday Times Summer Reads list

Posted on 29/06/2020

Delighted to see Miss Austen, The Beauty and the Terror, and Putin’s People make the Sunday Times Culture list, along with a whole host of other fantastic books. Click the links above to buy online with free P&P (or pick one up from your newly-reopened local bookshop) – no beach…

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Felicity Bryan MBE, 1945-2020

Posted on 22/06/2020

June 21, 2020: As you will have no doubt heard from the numerous news stories and social media posts, our deeply-loved Felicity died peacefully on Sunday in her beautiful home, as she would have wanted, surrounding by her close family. Two days before, she was awarded her MBE in a…

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Felicity Bryan, MBE (1945-2020)

Posted on 21/06/2020

In June 2020, Felicity passed away peacefully at her home in Oxfordshire, surrounded by her beloved family and equally beloved garden, prompting a flood of tributes from all the lives she had touched. “She was not just about promoting an author — she nurtured them, she encouraged them, she was…

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Reni Eddo-Lodge tops Sunday Times chart

Posted on 15/06/2020

The circumstances are conflicting, and it is a clear indictment of the publishing industry that it has taken until 2020 for a black British woman to reach the #1 spot, but we remain immensely proud of Reni and all the work she has done, including – but going much further…

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Enlightenment for the Time of Benightedness, by AC Grayling

Posted on 08/06/2020

Everyone knows that it is vastly easier to counsel fortitude than to exemplify it. But what was the counsel that made some of the sterling figures of Roman antiquity so sterling? The answer is Stoicism. The two greatest figures of late Stoicism were, respectively, an emperor and a slave: Marcus…

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FBA Support for Black Lives Matter

Posted on 05/06/2020

We are very proud that Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race was number one in the overall book chart on Amazon UK this week. Her insightful podcast ‘About Race’ is also currently the number one podcast on iTunes.   At Felicity Bryan Associates,…

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Two FBA titles on CrimeFest Award Nominees

Posted on 02/06/2020

Congratulations to Ursula Buchan and Simon Lelic, who have been nominated for the H.R.F Keating Award (for the best biographical book related to crime fiction) and the Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children for Beyond the 39 Steps and The Haven, respectively. Ursula’s biography of her famous grandfather was also…

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‘Companions’, by Emma Smith

Posted on 25/05/2020

How We Live Now is a series of pieces about these uncertain times, in the spirit of what the Guardian recently called ‘thoughtful, nuanced portrayals of life under altered circumstances’. Lucy Mangan was referring to Meg Rosoff’s classic novel How I Live Now, the inspiration for our title. ‘Companions’, by Emma Smith…

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‘Portraits at Social Distance’, by photographer Fran Monks

Posted on 07/05/2020

After bringing you a poem for the last How We Live Now we’ve gone even further outside of the (2m) box with a beautiful set of “isolation portraits” by photographer extraordinaire, Fran Monks (not directly an FBA client, but the wife of one). Here’s Fran herself on this project: As…

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How We Live Now

Posted on 04/05/2020

This series came from our initial response to the worldwide crisis. As well as Zoom interviews to highlight the agents’ ways of working, we called out to our authors to write something – anything they thought appropriate – as a response to their experience being in lockdown during a global…

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‘Soap, Lemons, Paracetamol’, by Rhidian Brook

Posted on 04/05/2020

How We Live Now is a series of pieces about these uncertain times, in the spirit of what the Guardian recently called ‘thoughtful, nuanced portrayals of life under altered circumstances’. Lucy Mangan was referring to Meg Rosoff’s classic novel How I Live Now, the inspiration for our title.   ‘Soap,…

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Two FBA books hit Sunday Times bestseller list

Posted on 03/05/2020

After The Well-Gardened Mind narrowly missed out on the top 10 by a single place last week, we were so, so pleased to see it rise by two spots to secure a comfortable position- along with Catherine Belton’s long-awaited book on Putin, Russia, and the KGB, Putin’s People, which went…

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‘Neurosis in the Time of Lockdown’, by Graham Caveney

Posted on 01/05/2020

How We Live Now is a series of pieces about these uncertain times, in the spirit of what the Guardian recently called ‘thoughtful, nuanced portrayals of life under altered circumstances’. Lucy Mangan was referring to Meg Rosoff’s classic novel How I Live Now, the inspiration for our title. ‘Neurosis in the Time…

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Barton’s ‘Bible’ Marches On

Posted on 30/04/2020

Huge congratulations to Professor Barton, shortlisted for the leading – and most valuable – history prize in Britain, the Wolfson, with £40,000 to the winner and £4,000 to each runner-up. According to organisers: This year’s shortlist has a distinctly global focus, with five of the six titles exploring non-British history….

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‘Alexanders the Great’, by Meg Rosoff

Posted on 27/04/2020

How We Live Now is a series of pieces about these uncertain times, in the spirit of what the Guardian recently called ‘thoughtful, nuanced portrayals of life under altered circumstances’. Lucy Mangan was referring to Meg Rosoff’s classic novel How I Live Now, the inspiration for our title. ‘Alexanders the…

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‘Isolation’, by Karen Armstrong

Posted on 24/04/2020

How We Live Now is a series of pieces about these uncertain times, in the spirit of what the Guardian recently called ‘thoughtful, nuanced portrayals of life under altered circumstances’. Lucy Mangan was referring to Meg Rosoff’s classic novel How I Live Now, the inspiration for our title. ‘Isolation’, by…

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‘All of Life Ahead of Us’, by Anna Hope

Posted on 20/04/2020

How We Live Now is a series of pieces about these uncertain times, in the spirit of what the Guardian recently called ‘thoughtful, nuanced portrayals of life under altered circumstances’. Lucy Mangan was referring to Meg Rosoff’s classic novel How I Live Now, the inspiration for our title. ‘All of…

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Rediscovering Nature in the Modern World

Posted on 16/04/2020

‘The wisest book I’ve read for many years. Such a captivating blend of knowledge, practicality, insight, experience and truthfulness is very rare. Much more than a gardening book, much more than a guide to better mental health, it is a wholly convincing story of how troubled minds might find a…

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Catherine Belton: How the KGB Took Back Russia & Then Took on the West

Posted on 15/04/2020

Today’s update from Felicity herself, on Catherine Belton’s superb PUTIN’S PEOPLE. Out now (USA in June). Already serialised in the Sunday Times as ‘THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK ON MODERN RUSSIA’. Review below. Eight years in the making. “No one knows the secrets that lie at the heart of the Kremlin like…

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Is The Well-Gardened Mind the perfect book for our times?

Posted on 14/04/2020

How can getting outdoors, even for a short time, help us to look after our mental health? In a powerful combination of contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis and brilliant storytelling, The Well Gardened Mind (click to buy) investigates the magic that many gardeners have known for years… working with nature can radically…

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Lucy Worsley – The Austen Girls

Posted on 14/04/2020

To celebrate the release of Lucy’s fabulous new novel The Austen Girls, we’ve been running an Easter giveaway on Twitter! The response was so huge we rootled around the FBAtrium and discovered some more of Lucy’s novels – to make FIVE prizes in total – the full set above, Austen…

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James Naughtie hits the Road running

Posted on 13/04/2020

For decades after moving into radio, James Naughtie has been a BBC superstar, presenting the flagship Today programme for over twenty years – being named the “best voice to wake up to” in a countrywide poll – and covering every election, British and American, since he began. It’s the second…

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Miss Austen: Audio and America

Posted on 07/04/2020

Based on a literary mystery that has long puzzled biographers, Miss Austen is a wonderfully original and emotionally complex novel about the loves and lives of Cassandra and Jane Austen, and it’s on audiobook read by none other than Juliet Stevenson – whose versions of all six original Austen books…

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Bruno Cookbook wins Gourmand International Prize

Posted on 02/04/2020

The Bruno series has sold over 3m copies in Germany alone, but the great detective’s cooking is almost as famous as his crime-solving, so it’s no surprise to the second in the series, Bruno’s Garten Kochbuch, scoop the prestigious Gourmand International for Best French Cookbook – just as the original did….

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Incoming for April: FBA’s Easter Treats

Posted on 01/04/2020

Spring has sprung (well, the clocks have changed) and since the Lord of Misrule seems to have taken up permanent residence we thought we’d eschew the irreverent date as redundant and instead do a round up of our upcoming April books…  and trust us, there are no fools here. We’ll…

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Karen Armstrong talks to CNN about adjusting to ‘aloneness’

Posted on 31/03/2020

Interviewed by Christiane Amanpour, Karen talks about the impact social distancing is having on religious communities around the world, and discusses methods for coping, both physical and spiritual. “We don’t have to go to Church to be in touch with the Sacred or the Divine,” she begins, and goes on…

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Paperbacks in the Time of Pandemic

Posted on 19/03/2020

In the current climate, posting about books on the internet – which is, after all, an increasingly large part of our job – can feel somewhat disconcerting, as if we should be ceasing anything resembling “frivolity” and concentrating on retweeting medical advice; graphs and predictions; heartfelt pleas to small sections…

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How Self-Isolation Works

Posted on 19/03/2020

Matt Ridley – award-winning author of Genome, The Rational Optimist, and The Evolution of Everything – is back with what he believes could be his best book – and best-seller – yet, quite a statement given his towering backlist… The official release date is two months from today, but Matt is…

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Announcing the Bruno Fellowship

Posted on 16/03/2020

The inaugural Bruno Fellowship is a nine-month reporting opportunity for an early to mid-career journalist, sponsored by Martin Walker’s Bruno Foundation and facilitated by Coda Story. The Fellowship will fund one ambitious investigative project culminating in a single story or series of impactful stories, unearthing information that powerful forces do…

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Edmund de Waal’s acclaimed ‘Library of Exile’ opens at the British Museum

Posted on 13/03/2020

On Wednesday Felicity attended the magnificent launch party of Edmund de Waal’s LIBRARY OF EXILE at the British Museum. Hartwig Fischer, director of the museum, and Edmund himself gave speeches to officially open the exhibition. The installation, which includes over 3,000 books written by exiles, was commissioned by the Venice…

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Film Deal for Anna Hope’s ‘Expectation’

Posted on 11/03/2020

Prestigious French film company Haut et Court have optioned Anna Hope’s “profoundly intelligent and humane” (Guardian) Expectation for an English-language feature length drama adapted and directed by Clémence Poésy, the acclaimed actor and filmmaker whose last short, The Tears Thing, was screened in Official Competition at the 2019 Venice Film…

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The Oxford Literary Festival – Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th April

Posted on 09/03/2020

Called the most elegant and atmospheric of literary festivals, the Oxford Lit Fest is certainly a highlight of the bookish year…  What can you expect on a packed final weekend?  Find out below… Saturday, 4th April 12pm, Sheldonian Theatre AC Grayling–The Good State: On the Principles of Democracy World-renowned philosopher…

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The Oxford Literary Festival 2020 – Friday 3 April

Posted on 06/03/2020

Called “a privilege… Oxford at its most atmospheric” by Dame Hilary Mantel, the Oxford Lit Fest is a highlight of the bookish calendar… Friday, 3rd April 10am, Sheldonian Theatre Michael Wood–The Story of China Historian, author and broadcaster Michael Wood talks about his book – and BBC television series.  Michael…

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In Search of Future Fossils

Posted on 05/03/2020

Over the past 10 days, leading up to the UK publication of Footprints, David Farrier has been collecting brief glimpses at possible future fossils in his Twitter feed, the sort of thing you can see explained at further length, depth and detail in the book itself, called a “fascinating peek…

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The Tides of Time… and Chasing the Light

Posted on 04/03/2020

Emily Windsnap, the little girl who lives on a boat with a big secret (spoiler: she’s half-mermaid) has won the hearts of children everywhere, from America to Germany and far, far beyond.  The ninth in the five-million-selling series, Emily Windsnap and the Tides of Time, is released this week, and…

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The Oxford Literary Festival – Wednesday 1st April

Posted on 04/03/2020

Called “the leading literary festival of the year” by Tim Waterstone, the Oxford Lit Fest has certainly become a bookish highlight… Wednesday, 1st April 12pm, Oxford Martin School Seminar Room Adrian Tinniswood–The House Party: Leisure, Pleasure and the Country House Weekend The architectural and social historian gives a unique insight…

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Thriller! Rebecca Fleet and Simon Lelic with brand new books

Posted on 04/03/2020

Rebecca Fleet’s The House Swap took domestic noir to a whole new level when it was released in 2018, called “dark, smart, sexy, gripping, and totally brilliant”, and her long-awaited follow-up, The Second Wife, is out in bookshops and available to buy online this week – as always, with free…

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The Oxford Literary Festival 2020 – Monday 30th March

Posted on 02/03/2020

Described as “the best day I have enjoyed at any festival – anywhere” – by twice Booker-winner Peter Carey, the Ox Lit Fest is one of the highlights of the literary year… Monday, 30th March 6pm, Sheldonian Theatre James Barr interviewed by Matthew Stadlen–Lords of the Desert: Britain’s Struggle with…

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The Oxford Literary Festival 2020 – Saturday 28th March

Posted on 28/02/2020

Called the most elegant and atmospheric of literary festivals by none other than Colin Thubron, the Oxford Lit Fest is one of the highlights of the bookish year… 11am, St Cross College Elleke Boehmer & Naomi Ishiguro: The Art of the Short Story Elleke is a professor of world literature…

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Taking Up Space in The Good State

Posted on 27/02/2020

An exciting day for us at FBA as we see not just the new book from A.C. Grayling, but also the paperback release of Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change. A.C. Grayling was born in Zambia, raised in Malawi, and settled on his vocation at age fourteen,…

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Sleepless Martinis, Going Big, and Feeling the Magic

Posted on 24/02/2020

Last week was event-packed for us here at the agency, beginning on Monday with the launch of Clover Stroud’s “tender, blazing, funny, unflinching” (Rachel Joyce) My Wild and Sleepless Nights at the Bloomsbury Club, which set Instagram on fire and even featured a special “Sleepless Night” martini: You can buy…

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PENELOPE HOBHOUSE GIVEN SGD LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2020

Posted on 12/02/2020

Renowned garden designer, plantswoman and author Penelope Hobhouse has been given the SGD Lifetime Achievement Award at the SGD Awards Ceremony 2020. You can watch the wonderful short film made to mark the award here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64PVAakyHjQ The SGD Lifetime Achievement Award, which is gifted by the Council of the Society…

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Miss Austen Hits Sunday Times Bestseller List

Posted on 28/01/2020

We are delighted to see that Gill Hornby’s “magnificent” (Spectator), “richly imagined” (Mail on Sunday), and “entirely Austenian” (Observer) novel Miss Austen has made the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list, coming in at number six in its first week of release, on only three days sale. The news comes on…

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Miss Austen optioned for TV by Baby Cow Productions

Posted on 24/01/2020

We are delighted to announce that Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow has optioned Gill Hornby’s Miss Austen for a long-form TV drama. “Gill has brought such wit, ingenuity and heartbreaking tenderness to this literary mystery, turning it into a terrifically compelling and relevant novel,” said Baby Cow CEO Christine…

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Ursula Buchan nominated for Edgar Award

Posted on 24/01/2020

Each spring, Mystery Writers of America present the Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in the genre, and this year, we are delighted to announce that Ursula Buchan has been nominated in the Best Critical/Biographical category for her wonderful life of her grandfather, the spy thriller…

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Gill Hornby talks Miss Austen on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour

Posted on 22/01/2020

It was a pleasure to tune in this morning to hear Gill speak so eloquently and passionately about her new novel on Radio 4. The full interview is available to catch up with on BBC Sounds – after the moving and inspiring interview with Gail Porter – but here are…

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Gill Hornby’s Miss Austen garners stellar weekend reviews

Posted on 20/01/2020

1840: twenty three years after the death of her famous sister Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury. She knows that, in some dusty corner of the sprawling vicarage, there is a cache of family letters which hold secrets she is desperate should not be revealed. As Cassandra…

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Welcoming our New Intern

Posted on 17/01/2020

Nina graduated from Oxford with an English degree in 2018 – and she is very pleased to be back! After unversity, she completed an editorial internship at an arts and culture magazine before spending four months travelling around South America. On her return, she worked in the marketing department of…

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Jonathan Coe wins Costa Best Novel Award

Posted on 08/01/2020

Last year, Jonathan Coe grew a beard.  Since this distinguished chin-growth, he’s been shortlisted for the Prix Fémina and won the Prix du Livre Européen, and now, on Monday night, he added the Costa Best Novel Award to his cabinet. Some might say this is due to the literary qualities…

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Measures, Magicians, and the Marvelous Miss Austen

Posted on 06/01/2020

Everyone is back to work, your overflowing recycling bin has finally been emptied, and you’ve (hopefully) polished off the last of the now-slightly-stale mince pies… yes, it’s the first week of the new year, and what else can that mean but lists of 2020’s upcoming literary highlights?  SPOILERS: every single…

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Felicity made MBE in New Year Honours list

Posted on 28/12/2019

We are thrilled to see the founder of our agency and all-round superagent Felicity Bryan recognised in the New Year Honours for Services to Publishing, joining the likes of Gok Wan, Gabby Logan, and Cricket heroes Jos Buttler and Joe Root in being made an MBE in the 2020 list. …

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The Super-Darb, Hotsy-Totsy FBA Books of the Year Round-Up 2019

Posted on 13/12/2019

It’s the final month of the final year of the decade… and you know what that means.  Yep, in just under three weeks we’ll be in the Roaring Twenties 2: Roar Harder™.  Flapper hats and Charleston swingsteps at the ready!  But first, there’s the little matter of the 2019 Books…

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Three FBA authors on Edward Stanford Travel Writing shortlists

Posted on 10/12/2019

Congratulations to Nick Jubber, Dan Richards, and Chloe Daykin, making the shortlists for Travel Book of the Year, Adventure Travel Book of the Year, and Children’s Travel Book of the Year, respectively. Winners in each category will be presented with a hand-made globe, with the winner of the Travel Book…

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Three FBA Titles Shortlisted For Costa Book Awards 2019

Posted on 27/11/2019

After last night’s announcements Felicity Bryan Associates is honoured and delighted to see three of our authors’ wonderful books recognised by the Costa judges, meaning there is an FBA title in three of the four eligible categories: Jonathan Coe’s Middle England in the Novel grouping, Lindsey Hilsum’s In Extremis: The…

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Jon Savage’s THIS SEARING LIGHT named Rough Trade Book of the Year

Posted on 20/11/2019

Jon’s “definitive” (Mojo, Five Stars) and “extraordinary” (Nicholas Lezard) biography of Joy Division, one of the twentieth century’s most influential rock bands, has been named Rough Trade’s UK Book of the Year, a few months after it hit the Sunday Times Bestseller list. Rough Trade said: “In This Searing Light,…

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Peter Frankopan wins Calliope Prize for Migration Research

Posted on 18/11/2019

Unanimously chosen by a panel of five judges, Peter Frankopan has won the €20,000 Calliope Prize, awarded biennially by the German Emigration Centre for practical research into migration. The jury commented that “Frankopan’s research on global history, embodied in his work The Silk Roads, breaks with the Eurocentric perspective and…

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Tim Harford launches podcast with Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Industries

Posted on 15/11/2019

Writer, presenter and ‘undercover economist’ Tim Harford has launched an exciting new podcast, Cautionary Tales, with Pushkin Industries, a company co-founded by Jacob Weisberg and non-fiction megastar Malcolm Gladwell. We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education…

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Seven FBA titles nominated for CILIP Carnegie/Greenaway Medals 2020

Posted on 04/11/2019

Nominations were released today for the prestigious Carnegie and Greenaway medals, awarded to books written in English for children and young people that create an outstanding reading experiences through writing and illustration, respectively.  And our authors made a very good showing indeed. FBA’ers nominated for the Carnegie Medal were… Linda…

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North Parade Newsletter: Spooky Special

Posted on 30/10/2019

The clocks have run backwards and All Hallows’ Eve is almost upon us, so this month we’ve decided to question the FBA offices about the scariest books ever written. But first, what’s been happening in October? Well, across the country, an F word has been on everyone’s lips, but in…

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Jonathan Coe shortlisted for France’s Prix Femina Étranger

Posted on 28/10/2019

Middle England, Jonathan Coe’s latest novel and the third in his Rotter’s Club series, has been shortlisted for one of France’s most prestigious literary awards.  Le Coeur de l’Angleterre – which has also hit the French bestseller lists – will compete for the prize with Edna O’Brien, Giosuè Calaciura, Manuel…

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Elif Shafak’s Blackwell’s Lecture at the Sheldonian, Oxford

Posted on 28/10/2019

On Thursday evening we were honoured to be invited by Blackwell’s to their Annual Lecture, given this year by British-Turkish writer activist, Elif Shafak, whose latest Booker-shortlisted novel, Ten Minutes Thirty-Eight Seconds In This Strange World, was called “a masterpiece” by our very own Peter Frankopan.  Speaking eloquently on politics,…

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The North Parade Newsletter, September-October

Posted on 11/10/2019

Change was rife at the FBAtrium last month as administrator and digital manager Amy left Oxford for a new life with her boyfriend in London (there was cake, there was champagne, there was sadness).  Alice—who’d previously run admin for the Oxford Creative Writing MSt—joined the team in her stead, though,…

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Cheltenham Literature Festival

Posted on 02/10/2019

The world’s oldest literature festival turns 70 this year, and we must say, it’s looking sprightlier than ever!  As always, an array of our authors are set to appear, speaking on subjects that range from the history of philosophy to the future of feminism, from family secrets to the nature…

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Graham Caveney longlisted for Portico Prize

Posted on 30/09/2019

Congratulations to Graham Caveney, who has been longlisted for the Portico Prize for Literature with his searingly evocative memoir The Boy with Perpetual Nervousness.  Once described as ‘the Booker of the North’, The Portico Prize awards £10,000 to the book that best evokes the spirit of the North of England,…

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Insect Crisis Sold at Auction

Posted on 30/09/2019

UK and Commonwealth rights for The Insect Crisis, the first book by Guardian journalist Oliver Milman, have been sold at auction, on behalf of Zoe Pagnamenta, to Atlantic Books.  Atlantic will publish in 2021.

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John Barton signs with Allen Lane for ‘Bible’ follow-up

Posted on 17/09/2019

Professor John Barton, whose A History of the Bible: The Book and its Faiths is a best-seller with Allen Lane, has now signed with editor Ben Sinyor for a follow-up, Translating the Bible. Allen Lane – who have sold A History in 9 languages – have World Rights.

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‘Heartbreaking’ debut, The Space We’re In, launched in London

Posted on 12/09/2019

Katya Balen’s stunning middle-grade novel was launched last night at Bookseller Crow on the Hill, Crystal Palace, with lashings of crisps, cupcakes, and flying saucers (the fizzy confection, not the extra-terrestrial taxicab).  For those who couldn’t be there, this is the gorgeous launch speech by commissioning editor at Bloomsbury, Lucy McKay-Sim….

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Professor Roderick Beaton receives Order of Honour from President of Greece

Posted on 12/09/2019

Renowned philhellene and scholar Roderick Beaton has been presented with the Greek Order of Honour this week for his “emblematic contribution” to Hellenic literature and culture, in a special ceremony at the Presidential Mansion in Athens. Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History at King’s College, London, Roderick is one…

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Finbarr Livesey (1972- 2019)

Posted on 10/09/2019

We are very sad to report that Finbarr Livesey, author of From Global to Local (Profile Books/Pantheon), died peacefully on Monday 2 September.  A memorial service will be held for Finbarr at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was a Fellow, on Thursday 12 September.  Our thoughts are very much with…

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Sue Prideaux on Shortlist for Non-Fiction Crown

Posted on 06/09/2019

I Am Dynamite! – Sue Prideaux’s stunning new life of the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche – has been shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association 2019 Non-Fiction Crown, alongside Helen Rappaport and Ben MacIntyre, among others.  The winner will be announced at an award ceremony on the 6th of November.

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Elleke Boehmer wins Olive Schreiner Award for Prose

Posted on 28/08/2019

Elleke Boehmer has won the Olive Schreiner Award for Prose, for her “enthralling” (JM Coetzee) historical novel THE SHOUTING IN THE DARK. She will collect her prize, awarded by the English Academy of Southern Africa, in Johannesburg next week, before flying on to Melbourne to receive her commendation from the…

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Lindsey Hilsum wins James Tait Black Prize

Posted on 19/08/2019

Lindsey Hilsum won the James Tait Black Prize for her biography of Marie Colvin, IN EXTREMIS. The £10,000 prize awarded each year by the University of Edinburgh, were announced by broadcaster Sally Magnusson at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Saturday (17th August).

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Sally Gardner new ambassador for Listening Books

Posted on 06/08/2019

Authors Jenny Eclair, Kit de Waal, Sally Gardner and Bali Rai have been made ambassadors for national audiobook charity Listening Books as it marks its 60th anniversary. The four authors will help to promote the work of the charity and the importance of audiobooks as an accessible way for everyone…

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New deal for Anna Hope to co-edit Letters to the Earth

Posted on 26/07/2019

Grace Pengelly, Assistant Commissioning Editor at William Collins, has bought world rights in LETTERS TO THE EARTH.  Published in partnership with climate movement Culture Declares Emergency, the letters will be co-curated by Anna Hope, and introduced by Dame Emma Thompson. Publication will be this November. LETTERS TO THE EARTH, a…

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New foreign deals for Peter Gatrell

Posted on 22/07/2019

Peter Gatrell’s The Unsettling of Europe: The Great Migration, 1945 to the Present, which is published by Penguin Press in August, has sold to Ginkgo Book Co. for Simplified Chinese Character rights and to Giulio Einaudi Editore for Italian rights.  Basic are publishing in the US.

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Peter Gatrell is elected as a Fellow of the British Academy

Posted on 22/07/2019

Four University of Manchester academics have been made Fellows of The British Academy, in recognition of their contribution to the humanities and social sciences. Professor Peter Gatrell is among 76 distinguished scholars to be elected to the prestigious fellowship. He first established his academic reputation as an economic historian of tsarist Russia. Since then,…

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New deal for Emma Smith, author of the best-selling ‘This is Shakespeare’

Posted on 22/07/2019

Penguin Press UK and Pantheon US have commissioned PORTABLE MAGIC, a history of our intimate relationship with reading by Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, Oxford and author of the best-selling This is Shakespeare.  Rights have also been acquired by Mondadori in Italy and Azbooka-Atticus in Russia.

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Sue Prideaux wins Hawthornden Prize 2019

Posted on 11/07/2019

Many congratulations to Sue Prideaux who won this year’s Hawthornden Prize for her biography of Nietzsche, I AM DYNAMITE! The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender.  

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Professor Ulinka Rublack wins top history prize

Posted on 05/07/2019

“Professor Ulinka Rublack, Early Modern European History specialist and a Fellow of St John’s College, wrote The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Kepler’s Defence of his Mother about Katharina Kepler who was caught up in the witch hunts which swept across Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Around 50,000 women were…

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Welcoming our new intern

Posted on 04/07/2019

Aoife is a former Waterstones bookseller who graduated in 2018 with an MA in History from the University of Manchester, where she specialised in researching the connection between memory and the physical landscape in post-conflict communities. In 2016 she worked as an intern for Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press…

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Day out at Blackwell’s

Posted on 27/06/2019

Catherine, Caroline, Sally and Carrie had an inspiring day out at Blackwell´s book shop on Friday 21st July. The tour started in the beautifully restored Gaffer´s office named after Sir Basil Blackwell (son of the original founder), the first bookseller to be knighted. Zool Verjee and David Kelly, the sales…

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Edinburgh Festival – author talks

Posted on 25/06/2019

In an era of contradiction and division the 2019 Edinburgh International Book Festival invites authors and audiences to find new stories to give meaning to the world.  Running from 10-26th August, the 2019 programme brings together writers from all over the world for the most international gathering in the Festival’s…

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New deal for Jon Savage

Posted on 24/06/2019

Faber Social have bought world rights excluding USA and Canada in Jon Savage’s new book, provisionally entitled All Pop is Gay, to be delivered in 2021.

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Speaker line-up at Chalke Valley History Festival

Posted on 18/06/2019

In the heart of the beautiful Wiltshire Chalke Valley, the festival runs from 24th – 30th June 2019. Throughout the week you can expect over 150 talks from eminent historians, TV personalities and experts on a wide range of topics. Many of our authors have been booked to appear. Don’t…

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New deal for Matthew Burton with Wren and Rook

Posted on 11/06/2019

Educating Yorkshire’s Matthew Burton has signed a deal with award-winning non-fiction imprint Wren and Rook at Hachette Children’s to write Go Big: The Insider’s School Survival Guide, for publication in May 2020.

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New deals for Sue Prideaux

Posted on 10/06/2019

Sue Prideaux’s I AM DYNAMITE! THE BIOGRAPHY OF FRIEDRICH NIETSZCHE has been bought by Les Novateurs in France and Klett Cotta in Germany, making a tally of 18 translation deals.

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Rosamunde Pilcher Memorial Tribute by Felicity Bryan, May 31st 2019

Posted on 10/06/2019

Rosamunde Pilcher Memorial Tribute    May 31st 2019   It was in 1973 that I first experienced Rosamunde Pilcher with her keen eye and her gentle wit.  We were having lunch. I was a fledgling agent at Curtis Brown literary agency which had represented Ros for her short stories and novels…

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The Growth Delusion shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing

Posted on 10/06/2019

THE GROWTH DELUSION: THE WEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF NATIONS by David Pilling (Bloomsbury Publishing) has been shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The Orwell Prize for Political Writing (formerly The Orwell Book Prize) is one of the UK’s most prestigious prizes for non-fiction, awarded to the book or…

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Sally Gardner’s MAGGOT MOON adapted for stage

Posted on 29/05/2019

The award-winning novel Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner is adapted for the stage by Jemma Kennedy in a production which runs at the Unicorn from 26 September to 27 October. Jesse Jones directs the piece, which is for 9 to 13 year-olds and set in a sinister 1950s Britain, that has spies…

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THE DAM by David Almond wins Andersen Prize 2019 in Italy

Posted on 28/05/2019

David Almond’s THE DAM, illustrated by Levi Pinfold is an Andersen Award prizewinner for ‘Best Illustrated Book’. The Award Ceremony was held at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa on Saturday 25 May, in the context of Genoa City of the Book for Children and Young People – a national review of reading and…

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Fortnum & Mason ‘Personality of the Year’ award for Mary Berry

Posted on 17/05/2019

Mary Berry CBE wins a Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Award 2019 for ‘Personality of the Year’ voted for by the public. Congratulations, Mary! The awards recognise excellence in food and drink writing, broadcasting and photography. For over three centuries, Fortnum & Mason has been passionate about seeking out…

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Hay Festival – who’s speaking?

Posted on 16/05/2019

The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for ten days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as “The Woodstock of the mind”. This year…

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LADY JANE shortlisted for Young Quills prize

Posted on 15/05/2019

Thrilled to see LADY JANE by Lucy Worsley shortlisted for the Historical Association’s 2019 Young Quills prize for historical fiction! “Subjects ranging from the discovery of dinosaur bones to Anglo-Saxons kings, Egyptian mysteries, life in the Soviet Union and Antarctic exploration have all been explored through the lives of characters…

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Lucy Worsley wins BAFTA for SUFFRAGETTES

Posted on 13/05/2019

Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley won a BAFTA TV Award 2019 for Specialist Factual in what was a competitive year after so much fantastic television. Well done, Lucy. Greatly deserved!  

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MURMUR – a “future classic” – wins Wellcome book prize

Posted on 02/05/2019

We are absolutely thrilled that Will Eaves’ Alan Turing inspired novel, MURMUR won the Wellcome Book Prize 2019. Winners were announced last night. ‘Will Eaves’s fictionalised account of the chemical castration of Alan Turing, Murmur, was hailed as “a future classic” as it won the £30,000 Wellcome book prize on…

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Diarmaid MacCulloch shortlisted for Elizabeth Longford Prize

Posted on 23/04/2019

Diarmaid MacCulloch’s Thomas Cromwell: A Life (Allen Lane) is on a shortlist of four for the 2019 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography. Roy Foster (chair) said: “These biographies demonstrate how four remarkable people not only made their own history, but sensed the zeitgeist and came to personify it -…

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New deal for Nick Potter

Posted on 16/04/2019

Nick Potter’s THE MEANING OF PAIN: what it is, why we feel it, and how to overcome it is a brilliantly thought-provoking examination of how the stress of modern life is making us hurt. Foreign sales are mounting: sold to DeA Planeta in Italy, to Otwarte in Poland – both…

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New deal for Hella Pick

Posted on 11/04/2019

Alan Samson at Weidenfeld has bought UK and Commonwealth rights in Invisible Walls, the autobiography of Hella Pick, former Kindertransport child and the first woman journalist to cover major news stories for The Guardian.

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New Deal for Svenja O’Donnell’s moving memoir

Posted on 11/04/2019

Clare Bullock of Ebury has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in journalist Svenja O’Donnell’s moving memoir Where the Trees Whisper, which uncovers her grandmother’s hidden past and how she was shaped by the loss of her homeland during the Second World War.  Andrew Nurnberg Associates have sold rights to Droemer…

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‘Kat Wolfe Investigates’ shortlisted – Best Crime Novel for Children

Posted on 10/04/2019

KAT WOLFE INVESTIGATES by Lauren St John has been shortlisted for CrimeFest’s Best Crime Novel for Children (8-12) in the 2019 awards. Eligible titles were submitted by publishers, and reviewers of fiction for children and young adults voted to establish the shortlist and the winning title. Winners will be announced…

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Jonathan Coe wins BAUER award 2019 in Italy

Posted on 10/04/2019

Jonathan Coe attended a speaking event with Flavio Gregori and a dinner with members of the Italian public as part of Crosses of Civilisation, an International Festival of Literature in Venice hosted by Ca ‘Foscari University of Venice where he was presented with the BAUER award. “From the first year…

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New deal for Greg Wise

Posted on 05/04/2019

Katy Follain has acquired World rights in Last Christmas: Memories of Christmases past – and hopes for future ones by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson. It is a compilation of short personal essays written by a wide range of people – from actors, politicians and singers to homeless people, charity…

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Welcoming our new intern

Posted on 03/04/2019

Camille was born in Scotland but is a dual national (French mother and Scottish father) which, it turns out, is a rather handy thing to be in the current climate. She has an MA in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Publishing from Edinburgh Napier…

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Will Eaves’ MURMUR wins Republic of Consciousness prize

Posted on 29/03/2019

Will Eaves with MURMUR (CB Editions) is one of two prize winners for the Republic of Consciousness prize 2019 along with Alex Pheby, LUCIA (Galley Beggar Press). They won £3,500 each, with £2,500 going to the press and £1,000 to the author. The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses rewards the…

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MURMUR and I AM DYNAMITE! longlisted for Rathbones Folio Prize

Posted on 19/03/2019

Murmur (CB Editions) by Will Eaves, and Sue Prideaux’s I AM DYNAMITE – A Life of Friedrich Nietzsche (Faber) have been longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize. Open to English-language writers from around the world, the Rathbones Folio Prize, which rewards the best work of literature published in the UK,…

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MURMUR shortlisted for Wellcome Book Prize

Posted on 19/03/2019

Will Eaves’ Alan Turing-inspired novel Murmur (CB Editions) has been shortlisted for the 10th anniversary of the Wellcome Book Prize celebrating the best new books that illuminate the many ways that health, medicine and illness touch our lives. Inspired by the life of Alan Turing, Murmur by Will Eaves fictionalises the devastating period before…

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Oxford literary festival – more authors announced

Posted on 06/03/2019

We are into March, with the Oxford Literary Festival getting closer and closer, and happily even more of our authors have been booked to appear. On Monday, 1st April, Ursula Buchan talks about her biography of John Buchan—BEYOND THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS—explaining how there was much more to her acclaimed grandfather…

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New Deal for Henry Mance

Posted on 05/03/2019

Bea Hemming at Jonathan Cape has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights at auction to award-winning Financial Times journalist Henry Mance’s In the Company of Animals, a wide-ranging, personal and sometimes humorous journey looking at how we live with other animals and how that might change in the future. North American…

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‘MURMUR’ shortlisted for Republic of Consciousness Prize

Posted on 26/02/2019

The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses rewards the best fiction published by publishers with fewer than 5 full-time employees, yearly. We are thrilled that MURMUR by Will Eaves,  published by CB Editions has been shortlisted for the prize. Each press on the shortlist is awarded £1000, and all…

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The Kim Scott Walwyn Prize 2019 is open for submissions

Posted on 19/02/2019

Co-chaired by Felicity Bryan Agent and MD, Catherine Clarke, the Kim Scott Walwyn prize recognises the professional achievements and promise of women in publishing. It is open to any woman who has worked in publishing in the UK for up to seven years. Founded in 2003, the Prize honours the life…

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UK Premiere of YULI

Posted on 19/02/2019

The UK premiere of YULI – a film based on Carlos Acosta’s memoir, NO WAY HOME – is at the Glasgow Film Festival on 23 February, before going on general release on 12 April. Watch the official film trailer here.

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Tribute to Rosamunde Pilcher by Felicity Bryan, February 14th 2019

Posted on 15/02/2019

It was in 1973 that I first experienced Rosamunde Pilcher with her keen eye and her gentle wit.  We were having lunch. I was a fledgling agent at Curtis Brown literary agency which had represented Ros for her short stories and novels since 1948.  We had immediately felt at home…

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Tim Harford gives a TED talk, and wins a Japanese Office Furniture Award

Posted on 13/02/2019

Tim Harford, whose writings reveal the economic ideas behind everyday experiences has given a TED talk – A Powerful Way to Unleash your Natural Creativity. https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_harford_a_powerful_way_to_unleash_your_natural_creativity “What can we learn from the world’s most enduringly creative people? They “slow-motion multitask,” actively juggling multiple projects and moving between topics as the…

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Oxford Literary Festival – who’s speaking?

Posted on 11/02/2019

The Oxford Literary Festival has become something of an institution over its two-decades-plus existence, and we are once again delighted to see a number of our authors feature in this captivating week of “intellectual viagra”, as the inimitable Lucy Worsley once put it. And speaking of Lucy, she appears on…

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New Deal for Farhan Samanani

Posted on 11/02/2019

Cecily Gayford at Profile has bought UK & Commonwealth rights to the first book by social anthropologist and Max Planck Institute research fellow Farhan Samanani’s COMMONWEALTH. The book, which will be published in 2020, is a wide-ranging and hopeful exploration of how humans live in diverse societies. Using his own…

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New deal for A C Grayling

Posted on 11/02/2019

Oneworld have acquired world rights in A C Grayling’s THE GOOD STATE, a lucid exploration of the fundamental principles that should underlie a democratic constitution that receives its legitimacy, its powers, their use and scope, from the active consent of the governed. Oneworld published his acclaimed DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS in 2017.

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Rosamunde Pilcher

Posted on 07/02/2019

Rosamunde Pilcher has died in Dundee at the age of 94.  Felicity has represented her since 1973, when she was at Curtis Brown, and they have been together for more than 40 years. During that time Ros’ early novels earned critical acclaim in New York, leading to publisher Tom Dunne…

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New deal for James Hamilton

Posted on 04/02/2019

Weidenfeld have commissioned James Hamilton, author of the highly acclaimed Gainsborough: A Portrait (‘compulsively readable’ Sunday Times) to write a biography of John Constable, the revolutionary nineteenth-century painter of the landscapes and skies of southern England.

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In Extremis by Lindsey Hilsum shortlisted for two awards

Posted on 01/02/2019

IN EXTREMIS: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE WAR CORRESPONDENT MARIE COLVIN by Lindsey Hilsum, has been shortlisted for the Plutarch Award 2019 from Biographers International Organization in the US, a literary organization devoted to biographers and biography. The award honours the best biography published in 2018 and is the only international literary…

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‘Murmur’ by Will Eaves on the Republic of Consciousness longlist

Posted on 15/01/2019

Congratulations to Will Eaves who is on the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2019 longlist for his novel, MURMUR. An annual prize for  small presses, the criteria is “hard-core literary fiction, and gorgeous prose”. “Murmur is a marvel. Will Eaves has conceived an avatar for Alan Turing and then conjured up his dream…

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Major new deals for Thomas Halliday

Posted on 11/01/2019

UK and Commonwealth rights in 27 year old paleobiologist Thomas Halliday’s YESTERDAY’S WORLDS: TRAVELS IN EARTH’S EXTINCT ECOSYSTEMS, a lyrical, on-the-ground geological history of the world, has sold to Laura Stickney at Penguin Press after a 6-way auction. US rights have been acquired by Hilary Redmon at Random House US,…

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New deal for Jonathan Phillips – THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF THE SULTAN SALADIN

Posted on 11/01/2019

Mondadori have just acquired Italian rights in THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF THE SULTAN SALADIN by Jonathan Phillips. Bodley Head publish the UK edition in April 2019, and Harvard University Press in November 2019.  ‘Outstanding. Jonathan Phillips has written a compelling account of arguably the most inspirational of Islamic military…

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An OBE for Tim Harford

Posted on 02/01/2019

Huge congratulations to Tim Harford  who has been awarded an OBE in this year’s Honours list for services to improving economic understanding. Absolutely well-deserved, and fantastic news!!

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Books of the Year, 2018!

Posted on 18/12/2018

It’s that time of year again!  The ground is frosty, the pies are minced, our stomachs are swelling with anticipation… and the papers are full of their Book of the Year roundups. This year we must have been very good indeed, because our authors have been featured in so many…

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Richard McGregor – Prime Minister’s Literary Awards winner 2018

Posted on 06/12/2018

ASIA’S RECKONING by Richard McGregor has won the PM’s award for best non fiction book of the year. The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards celebrate outstanding literary talent in Australia and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.

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Linda Newbery and David Almond – Books of the Year 2018

Posted on 28/11/2018

THE KEY TO FLAMBARDS has been chosen as one of Books for Keeps’ ‘Books of the Year 2018’ Chosen by Ann Lazim from CLPE, she says it is “chosen for an excellent and three-dimensional portrayal of a young amputee. In relation to the injury Newbery depicts her protagonist experiencing a convincing…

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New deal for Tim Harford

Posted on 28/11/2018

Tim Harford’s latest book. HOW THE WORLD ADDS UP, has been commissioned by his regular UK and US publishers, Little Brown and Riverhead, for delivery in 2019 and publication in 2020.

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US deal for A C Grayling

Posted on 28/11/2018

Will Heyward at Penguin Press in the US has acquired North American rights in A C Grayling’s forthcoming HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, out from Viking in the UK in April 2019.

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David Almond shortlisted for 2018 Costa Book Awards

Posted on 26/11/2018

Multi-award winning author, David Almond’s beautiful novel THE COLOUR OF THE SUN has been shortlisted for the 2018 Costa Children’s Book Award. ‘…it embodies my constant astonishment at being alive in this beautiful, weird, extraordinary world.’ – David Almond

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THE BALLROOM optioned by Parallel Films

Posted on 22/11/2018

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Greet. THE BALLROOM by Anna Hope has been optioned by Parallel Films for award-winning film-maker Aisling Walsh (AN INSPECTOR CALLS, MAISIE) to write and direct.        

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Lucy Worsley appointed an OBE

Posted on 16/11/2018

TV historian Dr Lucy Worsley has been appointed an OBE for services to history and heritage. Lucy Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and the author of many non-fiction books including If Walls Could Talk, Cavalier, Jane Austen at Home, and her biography of Queen Victoria published in September this year. She has also written…

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New Statesman ‘Best Books of 2018’

Posted on 15/11/2018

As the end-of-year ‘best books’ roundups start to roll in, it’s always exciting to see our authors making the lists. Featured in “Best books of 2018” by New Statesman: I Am Dynamite!, Sue Prideaux’s biography of Nietzsche (Faber & Faber), Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads (Bloomsbury), and Lords of the Desert: Britain’s Struggle with…

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New deals for Diarmaid MacCulloch

Posted on 13/11/2018

Diarmaid MacCulloch is planning a major work: SEX AND THE CHURCH – A HISTORY for delivery in 2023. It has been commissioned by Penguin Press UK, Viking USA and C.H Beck in Germany.

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New Deal for Richard Ovenden

Posted on 30/10/2018

Bodley’s Librarian Richard Ovenden’s BURNING THE BOOKS: A HISTORY OF THE DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE has been acquired in a pre-empt by Georgina Laycock at John Murray, for publication in 2020. Critica pre-empted Spanish language rights, and in Italy, Solferino won an 8-way auction. Suhrkamp have German rights after a…

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NEW DEAL FOR ADRIAN TINNISWOOD

Posted on 29/10/2018

Jonathan Cape have commissioned THE GUILT AND THE GINGERBREAD – Life in the English Country House 1945-74. This is a sequel to his best-selling THE LONG WEEKEND – Life in the English Country House Between the Wars .  Basic Books have commissioned for the USA.  

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Anna Hope contributes to anthology on the Armistice

Posted on 26/10/2018

Anna Hope is one of thirty authors who have contributed to a beautiful new anthology, ARMISTICE published by French publisher, Gallimard. The contributors express their thoughts on what the Armistice evokes for them, to commemorate the centennial of the Armistice of 1918.    

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Welcoming our new client, Tiffany Watt Smith

Posted on 25/10/2018

We are very excited to welcome our new client, Tiffany Watt Smith. Tiffany is author of Schadenfreude: The Joy of Another’s Misfortune (UK, Wellcome/Profile; US, Little Brown), published this month to high praise: Is our zeitgeist a Spitegeist? – The Guardian,  The Joy of Another’s Misfortune by Tiffany Watt Smith — why we love a…

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David Almond becomes an ambassador for new children’s book prize

Posted on 25/10/2018

We are very proud that David Almond is an ambassador for the Hachette Children’s Novel Award, an exciting new initiative set up by Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) partnering with New Writing North (NWN). The prize is for debut children’s writers of middle-grade or young teen fiction who have written a complete but…

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Carlos Acosta wins prestigious dance award

Posted on 17/10/2018

On October 15th Carlos Acosta received The Queen Elizabeth 11 Coronation Award from the Royal Academy of Dance.  It is recognised internationally as the highest award in Dance. It  was presented by Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance at a ceremony in Spencer House, London.

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US deal for Alec Ryrie

Posted on 16/10/2018

Alec Ryrie’s UNBELIEVERS, A HISTORY OF THE ABOLITION OF GOD, has been sold to Joy de Menil at Harvard University Press.  HarperCollins have UK rights.

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New deal for Richard Koch with Little Brown UK

Posted on 10/10/2018

Bestselling business guru and author of THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE Richard Koch’s next book, HOW TO BE UNREASONABLY SUCCESSFUL, has just been sold to Little Brown UK in a world rights deal, for publication in summer 2020

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New Deal – TAKING UP SPACE

Posted on 08/10/2018

The first acquisition for grime artist Stormzy’s imprint at Penguin Random House, #Merky Books, is TAKING UP SPACE by Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi, a book tackling the urgent issues of access to higher education by two recent university graduates. TAKING UP SPACE will be an indispensable guide as well…

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BBC History Weekends

Posted on 04/10/2018

Two BBC History Weekends are coming up this month, in the lovely cities of Winchester (5-7th Oct) and York (19-21st Oct), with some of FBA’s top historians taking part. In Winchester, Diarmaid MacCulloch discusses his major new biography of Henry VIII’s right-hand man, THOMAS CROMWELL: A LIFE, lauded by Hilary…

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station jim by Louis de Bernières to Harvill Secker

Posted on 04/10/2018

Harvill Secker have acquired UK & Commonwealth rights to STATION JIM by Louis de Bernières, a charming children’s book for Christmas 2019, inspired by the dog ‘Jim’ who was brought to Slough Station as a three month old puppy in 1894 and began working as a Canine Collector for the…

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Julie Summers’ new book to S&S

Posted on 04/10/2018

Simon and Schuster have acquired world rights all languages in Julie Summers’ new book, provisionally entitled THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN LONDON, for publication in 2020. The book’s central figure is Audrey Withers, who edited Vogue through the difficult years of World War Two in London, combining glamour with practical…

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Major deals for Violet Moller

Posted on 04/10/2018

Violet Moller’s The Map of Knowledge – How Classical Ideas Were Lost and Found, a History in Seven Cities, to be published by Macmillan UK and Doubleday US,  has sold in Italy to Francesco Anzelmo at Mondadori and in Spain to Miguel Aguilar at Taurus.

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Welcoming Robin

Posted on 02/10/2018

We are delighted to welcome Robin Ganderton to the FBA team! Born in Wales, Robin studied literature at York and has just completed a master’s in Creative Writing at Oxford.  His short stories have won or been shortlisted for various prizes – including the PEN International New Voices Award -…

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MURMUR by Will Eaves shortlisted for the Goldmiths Prize 2018

Posted on 27/09/2018

Huge congratulations to Will Eaves for making the shortlist for the Goldsmiths Prize 2018 with MURMUR. “Murmur is a novel of multiple ideas, which seems right given its main protagonist, Alec Pryor, is loosely based on the predicament of the philosophical mathematician, Alan Turing.  It is also a novel forged from…

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HOW I LIVE NOW – Meg Rosoff to be ‘July Read’

Posted on 27/09/2018

As part of the campaign to celebrate women’s voices across the literary world, The Women’s Prize for Fiction in partnership with Natwest bank has launched a Young Adult Reading List. We are thrilled that the chosen book for July is Meg Rosoff’s HOW I LIVE NOW, a powerful and unforgettable story…

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Thame Literature Festival

Posted on 21/09/2018

A number of our authors will be appearing at the Thame Literary Festival in Oxfordshire this October. On Friday 19th October Mr Peacock’s Possessions author Lydia Syson will be appearing with author Anna Mazzola discussing their books with Nicole Russell at Thame Library. Also on the Friday, Jambusters author Julie…

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Deal for Ridley

Posted on 21/09/2018

Matt Ridley has agreed a deal with Fourth Estate for his new book, How Innovation Works. This major new title from the acclaimed science and economics writer will explore the concept of innovation, drawing on a wide range of fields including evolutionary biology and archeology as well as technology, politics…

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UK Literacy Association Longlist

Posted on 18/09/2018

We are delighted that three of our children’s authors are longlisted for the UK Literacy Association Awards. Stardust by Jeanne Willis has been chosen in the ages 3-6 category, The Children of Castle Rock by Natasha Farrant in the ages 7-11 category; and The Colour of the Sun by David…

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Castro History to Faber

Posted on 06/09/2018

UK and Commonwealth in Ten Days in September, Simon Hall’s new book about Castro’s eventful visit to New York in September 1960, to Laura Hassan at Faber, for publication in 2020. Simon Hall is Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical…

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US Deal for Agent Jack

Posted on 06/09/2018

US rights in Robert Hutton’s AGENT JACK: The True Story of MI5’s Secret Nazi Hunter have been sold to Michael Flamini at St Martin’s Press for publication in 2019. Throughout the Second World War, Britain’s defence against the enemy within was Eric Roberts, a former bank clerk from Epsom. Equipped…

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Stephen Jay Gould Award

Posted on 04/09/2018

We are delighted that Professor Tim Birkhead has been award the Stephen Jay Gould award for communicating science. Professor Birkhead received the award at a ceremony in Montpelier, France in August. Tim Birkhead is Professor of Behavioural Ecology at Sheffield University and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He has…

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Cheltenham Literature Festival

Posted on 04/09/2018

We are thrilled that some of our authors will be taking part in the Cheltenham Literature Festival this year, which takes place on 5 – 14 October. Peter Frankopan, author of the 2015 global bestseller, The Silk Roads is Guest Curator of the festival. He will be leading two discussions:…

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Boy, Girl, Sea to Zephyr

Posted on 10/08/2018

Zephyr have acquired world rights in Chris Vick’s Boy, Girl, Sea, a powerful novel about two teenagers shipwrecked off the Moroccan coast, in the same storm but from different boats, who survive against the odds and form a deep bond. Publication is set for 2019. Chris Vick’s first book Kook,…

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Monster Deal for Downham

Posted on 09/08/2018

David Fickling Books and Scholastic US have acquired World English language rights in Jenny Downham’s new YA novel Monster, for publication in 2019. Jenny’s debut novel, Before I Die, won the Waterstones inaugural teenage book prize and the Branford Boase Award, and sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide. It was…

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Marvellous Machines

Posted on 09/08/2018

Scribe’s children’s imprint Scribble have acquired world rights in Mr Shaha’s Marvellous Machines by Alom Shaha, a follow-up to his highly successful book of practical science experiments for children, Mr Shaha’s Recipes For Wonder. Emily Robertson will illustrate the new volume, which is set for 2020 publication. Alom Shaha is…

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Plitt named a Rising Star

Posted on 24/07/2018

We are delighted that agent Carrie Plitt has been selected by The Bookseller as an industry Rising Star. The Bookseller pointed to Carrie’s success championing ‘thoughtful non-fiction’, ranging from Reni Eddo-Lodge’s bestselling, prize-winning Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (itself the Bookseller’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year),…

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More McTavish Mayhem

Posted on 17/07/2018

Meg Rosoff’s adorable dog McTavish is set for further adventures. Barrington Stoke have acquired world rights in McTavish Takes The Biscuit, in which the Peachey family take part in a disastrous bake-off, and McTavish On The Move, in which the Peacheys up sticks to a new home, with all the…

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Frankopan explores The New Silk Roads

Posted on 17/07/2018

International bestseller Peter Frankopan returns this autumn with The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World, publishing in November 2018 (Bloomsbury). The Silk Roads quickly became an international phenomenon when it published in 2015 and has sold over a million copies worldwide. The New Silk Roads brings the…

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Faber Deal for Daykin

Posted on 17/07/2018

Faber Children’s Books have acquired world rights in Chloe Daykin’s next two novels, The Secret of the Shadow Snap Girl, set in Peru, and The Voice Catcher, set in Venice. Chloe’s first novel, Fish Boy, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase award in 2018, and her new book The Boy…

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Gill Hornby New Deal

Posted on 17/07/2018

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby, a moving, fictional account of Cassandra and Jane Austen’s final years, was pre-empted by Selina Walker at Century (World English Language) for a six-figure sum. Miss Austen is scheduled for publication in spring 2020. Gill is a journalist whose debut novel, The Hive, sold to Little,…

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Welcoming our new intern

Posted on 06/07/2018

We are delighted that Grace Nyaboko has joined us as our latest intern and will be working with us until the end of September. Grace graduated from Newcastle University in 2017 with a law degree. She loves being creative and writes poetry which you can find on her blog astudentoflifewritingblog.wordpress.com. She…

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The Astronomer and the Witch

Posted on 19/06/2018

Ulinka Rublack’s The Astronomer and The Witch has been optioned to Andy Patterson of Sympathetic Ink Ltd., producer of The Railway Man and Girl with a Pearl Earring. The Astronomer and the Witch: Johannes Kepler’s Fight for his Mother tells the extraordinary true story of when Joseph Kepler’s widowed mother,…

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OBE for Lucy Worsley

Posted on 11/06/2018

We are delighted that historian and author Dr Lucy Worsley has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to history and heritage. Lucy Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and the author of many non-fiction books including If Walls Could Talk, Cavalier, Jane…

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John Julius Norwich

Posted on 04/06/2018

Historian John Julius Norwich has died in London at the age of 88. Felicity Bryan has represented him since 1975 and he was a much-loved and admired author at our agency. John Julius was born in 1929, the son of the politician Duff Cooper – later Viscount Norwich – and…

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French Award for Anna Hope

Posted on 31/05/2018

Anna Hope has won the 2018 Elle readers’ grand prix des lectrices for her second novel, The Ballroom. The Elle Readers’ Grand Prix was founded in 1970 and is chosen by readers. The Ballroom was published in January 2016 and was selected for Richard and Judy’s Autumn promotion. It has…

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Flood of Awards for Reni Eddo-Lodge

Posted on 12/05/2018

Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race has been in the Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller list for 35 consecutive weeks. In May Reni won the 2018 British Book Award for a work of Narrative Non-Fiction. The judges described the book as ‘brilliant’ and ‘breathtaking’. Reni…

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The Silk Roads an international phenomenon

Posted on 01/03/2018

International phenomenon and New York Times and Washington Post bestseller The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan has sold over a million copies around the world and has been praised by French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe as “un livre magnifique”; ‘magnificent’—Sunday Times; ‘history at its most invigorating’—Wall Street Journal; ‘the most…

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Mary returns with Fast Cakes

Posted on 23/01/2018

Fast Cakes is the unmissable and definitive baking book from Mary Berry. Mary has incorporated her ‘all-in-one’ method of preparation into as many recipes as possible, so her recipes are faster to make than ever. Nearly 100 of the bakes take only 10 minutes to make and Mary has included…

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