Posting to the agency web site has been sporadic of late, entirely down to time constraints. Aside from the aftermath of Worldcon, there has been the Frankfurt Book Fair, the processing of the bi-annual royalties (a tough job, but the one of the reasons we’re here, I guess!) prep for this year’s World Fantasy Convention (in Columbus, OH) and a subsequent week of meetings in NYC and the fact that we’ve been to a number of rather nice parties! That said, here’s a little news…
Angry Robot have revealed this gorgeous David Frankland cover for Lavie Tidhar’s forthcoming novel, CAMERA OBSCURA, the follow-up to his Steampunk romp, THE BOOKMAN, due for release next May, and about which they say ‘… In this one we meet Milady de Winter, investigating some murders in, of all places, the Rue Morgue. (Why yes, that does sound strangely familiar…) As she dives deeper into Parisian society, it seems everyone knows who did it except her… and the real question is not who, but why? Her search for answers will take her to the far side of the world, and beyond.’
And THE BOOKMAN has just sold to Rani Graff at Graff Publishing in Israel.
Lavie’s CLOUD PERMUTATIONS, published by PS Publishing has been receiving some nice coverage and we’ve just done a deal with Peter Crowther at PS for a new Tidhar collection – more news on this anon.
And whilst we’re patting him on the back, congrats to Lavie for being winning the Last Drink Bird Head award for International Activism… follow that link to find out more.
And we’ve a couple of other Angry Robot covers to show off here – on the left is Colin Harvey‘s DAMAGE TIME, a seat of the pants, SF thriller from the author of WINTER’S SONG. This new one by Colin has just been released by AR and in a recent Guardian review was described thus by Eric Brown ‘The strength of the novel lies not only in the depiction of a detailed future of hardship and privation, but in the expert characterisation of [protagonist] Shah: a lone figure whose origins leave him open to prejudice within the police department, and whose problematic relationship with an intersexual courtesan reveals his own deep-seated prejudices.‘
And to the right, we’ve the cover for POINT by Thomas Blackthorn (a.k.a John Meaney), not due out until Feb 2011 and which looks rather splendid when placed next to EDGE, the first Blackthorn novel. Swapping identities and publishers for a moment, John reports he has just completed the second Ragnaroknovel for Simon Spanton at Gollancz… more on that in due course.
We’ve some delivery news too… Tim Powers handed in new novel HIDE ME AMONGST THE GRAVES (working title) to Nic Cheetham at Corvus, and Ian Sinclair delivered GHOST MILK to Simon Prosser at Hamish Hamilton.
And in deal news, we’ve been very busy indeed – highlights include recently cemented contracts for Michael Cobley, whose Humanity’s Fire books will be released by Audible next year; for Peter V. Brett (in a major deal with Voyager); for Charlaine Harris (more audio) ; numerous foreign sales of Sir Roger Penrose‘s CYCLES OF TIME; for Ian McDonald (foreign language sales); for Justina Robson (a brand new story collection forthcoming from Australian publisher Ticonderoga); a film option for Andrew Hodges; and an exciting top secret project for Ben Aaronovitch which we’ll be announcing in due course; and one or two other things too.
… by Ben Aaronovitch have arrived at Zeno towers, hot-foot from the Gollancz offices, books so fresh that the ink is almost wet!
There’s a very nice Diana Gabaldon quote on the front and a very nice Charliane Harris quote on the back and check out the cover copy below. RIVERS OF LONDON will be published next January by Gollancz.
“My name is Peter Grant and until recently I was just a probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddesses of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden.
But there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair. It’s falling to me to bring order out of the chaos – or die trying.“
MIDNIGHT RIOT will be published by Del Rey in the US and in the UK by Gollancz under the title RIVERS OF LONDON. Both releases are scheduled for late January 2011 and will be followed shortly thereafter by Book Two, MOON OVER SOHO.
The deal includes MOON OVER SOHO which Ben has just delivered to us here at Zeno towers and also to his editors, Betsy Mitchell over at Del Rey and Jo Fletcher at Gollancz. Both publishers are looking to publish book one early next year and so we hope to have some cover art to show you soon!
Having announced only recently the exciting news that Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON series is to be published in the US by Del Rey, we’re equally delighted to now announce that Jo Fletcher at Gollancz has acquired world rights (excluding USA/Canada, France and Germany) for the series and will be matching release dates with Del Rey, with the first two books due to be published in Spring 2011.
‘I’m delighted to have acquired Ben’s RIVERS OF LONDON series: CSI London meets The Sweeney – Urban Fantasy style!‘ says Jo Fletcher. ‘I love this series of fast-moving, plot-driven urban fantasy adventures, and the combination of rookie beat copper-turned-apprentice-wizard Peter Grant and his boss, the debonair Inspector Nightingale, aka the last wizard in England, is gripping stuff. The books are real page-turners, and enormous fun – I shall never look on the River Lea quite the same way again. Ben’s already got a devoted audience with his Doctor Who episodes; I am quite sure he’ll be winning a whole new audience with this series.‘
Betsy Mitchell, Editor-in-Chief at Del Rey has concluded a deal for US rights for the first three titles in Ben Aaronovitch’s RIVERS OF LONDON series, after an auction conducted by John Berlyne and John Parker at the Zeno Literary Agency. The first two books will be published in Spring 2011.
RIVERS OF LONDON is a fresh and exciting London-based Urban Fantasy focusing on 20-something police constable Peter Grant who finds himself seconded – much to his surprise! – to a secret and arcane branch of the Met specialising in crimes of a supernatural nature, and thus apprenticed to the last wizard in Britain.
“Ben Aaronovitch is a new Del Rey darling,” Mitchell said. “Both male and female readers here were delighted by the character of Peter Grant and Ben’s new take on the urban paranormal genre.”
We’re a little late in announcing this (so much to do, so little time!) but are delighted to be doing so nonetheless.
Zeno has taken on Ben Aaronovitch as a client and we’ve already got some excitement going on for his novel RIVERS OF LONDON, the first book in a quite superb fantasy crime series that I’ve been pitching as “NEVERWHERE meets THE SWEENEY“.
John Berlyne says “Ben’s arrival proves that the system works and should give hope to all unagented writers out there. His book came in during the last round of submissions and the process followed the proscribed protocols in textbook fashion. I received an enquiry letter which intrigued me, asked for an elevator pitch which excited me, then received an excerpt which impressed me and finally a manuscript which floored me. It’s exactly the scenario that both parties – writer and agent – long for.
RIVERS OF LONDON is one of the most exciting and commercial prospects I’ve seen in a good while and ticks every box. John Parker and myself are enjoying working with Ben enormously and can’t wait to get this series out into the world”
Angry Robot have revealed this gorgeous David Frankland cover for Lavie Tidhar’s forthcoming novel, CAMERA OBSCURA, the follow-up to his Steampunk romp, THE BOOKMAN, due for release next May, and about which they say ‘… In this one we meet Milady de Winter, investigating some murders in, of all places, the Rue Morgue. (Why yes, that does sound strangely familiar…) As she dives deeper into Parisian society, it seems everyone knows who did it except her… and the real question is not who, but why? Her search for answers will take her to the far side of the world, and beyond.’
