REAPING REWARDS
IN THE UK AND THE US

John Connolly's latest crime novel The Reapers debuted in The Sunday Times Hardback Fiction List at No3 and No2 on The Irish Times Bestseller List, on a partial week's sales.

And now he is sitting comfortably at No8 on the New York Times Hardback Bestseller List.

Just fantastic.

"It is great to see everyone's favourite hitmen massacring the opposition...". - Says his publisher Sue Fletcher at Hodder:

"Connolly's a unique talent" - The Sunday Telegraph

‘It’s a must-read...offering a rare insight into the background of the slightly dark and dangerous duo who have featured in this series, where death and demons go hand-in-hand.’ - The Evening Telegraph

"This painstaking recreation of realistic settings sets the former journalist’s works of fiction apart from many of his contemporaries." - The Evening Herald

JANE COSTELLO
SKIPS DOWN THE AISLE

In the first two weeks of her writing career Jane Costello went straight to No23 with her fantastic debut novel Bridesmaids! After six weeks she's at No30 and continuing to sell strongly.

She's was No1 on the Fiction Heatseeker's List.

With less than an hour to go before her best friend, Grace, is to walk down the aisle, Evie is attempting to fulfil her most important bridesmaid role: to deposit the bride at the start-line at the appointed time. But with a bride famed for her chaotic sense of time, and the bride's daughter busy mashing Molton Brown into the expensive hotel carpet, minus underwear, the odds are stacked against her . . . At least she has her new 'chicken fillet' boob-enhancers to make her feel special. That is, until these are spotted poking over the top of her dress.

So spotted by Jack - the most ruggedly attractive man Evie has ever laid eyes on. Evie is twenty-seven; a sparkly, down-to-earth journalist. She has never been in love and has started to fret that she never will be.

Small wonder, then, that the prospect of being bridesmaid at no less than three impending weddings is one that fills her with trepidation. Things get worse when Evie learns that Jack is her friend Valentina's date. Valentina is beautiful, shallow and self-obsessed. Her dates tend to be mirror-images. Which can mean only one thing: Jack can't possibly be as good as he seems.

But as they sit together talking late into the night, Evie finds herself yearning to believe he's all real....

INSTANT SUCCESS IN TAIWAN

Patrick Woodrow's debut novel Double Cross has become an instant bestseller in Taiwan!

Double Cross was published last month in Taiwan (by Spring International) and went straight into the Top Ten in both the Kingstone List (Taiwan's biggest chain) and the mystery/thriller list on Books.com (Taiwan's biggest online bookseller).

MARTINA'S PAGE OF RAGE

This week Martina Cole reads a specially written piece for Radio 4's Week of Anger called So Many Things

The theme of the series is anger and the group of authors contributing includes Andy MacNab, Joanna Briscoe, Oliver James and Lord Falconer.

In this very personal piece Martina describes how she turned anger into a catalyst for positive action. Her own experience and righteous rage have led her to a campaigning role for the charity of one parent families.

Tune in to Radio 4 at 1998 LW on Wednesday 21st May at 3.30pm to hear it.

CRIME AUTHOR INTERVIEW
PATRICK LENNON







AGENCY AUTHORS IN LIBRARY
TOP 100

Three of the Agency's loved and longest standing authors Anne Baker, Tessa Barclay, Joan Jonker feature high in the Top 100 most borrowed books in the UK.

Between them they have written 48 books, well establishing them each as some of England's favorite writers of women's fiction.

LEE WEEKS TAKES THE TROPHY

Lee Weeks' debut novel The Trophy Taker is Harper Collins's biggest selling crime/thriller fiction title this week.

Hailed as The Female James Patterson Lee's stunning novel is No28 in the Bookscan Bestseller List.

Her books are flying out of the shops...

A serial killer is on the loose. His target? Lone Western women lured to Hong Kong by the promise of easy money.

As The Butcher's killing spree escalates, bags of mutilated body parts are found all over the island - and more girls are disappearing. Taking on his first homicide case, Detective Johnny Mann is determined to stop The Butcher's brutal reign.

Haunted by the memory of his father's death by the Triads, he's the only man who can track down a killer who's paralysing the city with fear.

Georgina Johnson has left her tragic past in England to start afresh in Hong Kong. But soon her life is in peril as she is sucked into the sinister world of the city's hostess clubs. Venturing into dark and dangerous places, Mann unearths chilling evidence about the killings.

And then another body is found, one which brings the murders closer to home! Bolt the doors, turn on the lights and pray for mercy.

PATRICK LENNON'S DEBUT NOVEL AWARD NOMINATION


Our very own Patrick Lennon’s Corn Dolls has been longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2008!

Patrick joins 19 other top crime writers including Reginald Hill, Peter James and Alexander McCall Smith.

Past winners are Mark Billingham and Val McDermid and 2007’s winner was Allan Guthrie.

The shortlist is decided by Waterstone’s customers online, so everyone get voting!

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=100

Read more about Patrick at:- http://www.patrick-lennon.com

And many congratulations Patrick!

CARMEN'S A FABULOUS REID

Carmen Reid is the proud author of six fabulous novels and the first book in her new YA series called Secrets At St Jude's, and New Girl will be published this summer!


SHEILA QUIGLEY'S MURDER INK

Another successful signing for Sheila Quigley at Murder Ink with fellow crime writers Martyn Waites and Ken McCoy.

Catch Sheila on the following dates: Tuesday April 22, 6.30 pm -Waterstones, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Wednesday April 23, 6.00 pm -Borders, Silverlink; Sunday May 4, 1.30pm - Borders, Teesside Park, Middlesbrough; Thursday May 15, 6.00 pm - Waterstones, Sunderland; Saturday August 30, 2.00 pm - Bookbarn, Houghton-le-Spring...

And look out for Sheila at CrimeFest in Bristol, 5 - 8 June.

MARTINA HITS OUR SCREENS


Martina Cole on telly!

Martina will examine the stories of female serial killers in a new series for ITV3. In the six-part “Martina Cole’s Ladykillers”, each 60-minute episode will feature a high-profile case.

The show will include a criminological perspective and will feature both contemporary and historical stories and reconstructions.

The series is scheduled to air on ITV3 in autumn 2008.

It follows an announcement by Sky One that the channel is adapting two of Cole’s bestellers, The Take and The Graft.

Filming will begin later in the year, and The Take is to air first in 2009 in four 60-minute episodes.

A further two Martina Cole novels are also being developed by Sky One and the production company Warner Sisters.

We'll be glued to the screen...

JOHN CONNOLLY'S UNQUIET SUCCESS IN THE STATES

International bestselling crime writer John Connolly's novel The Unquiet this week sits at No7 on the New York Times Bestseller List, in his third week on the lists.

John's novels regularly make Bestseller lists around the World and this year has seen five separate film deals for John's novels and short stories... Kevin Costner is tipped to star in the film adaptation of New Daughter which filming starts in 2009.

To read an interview with John about The Unquiet click - here:http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/interviews_unquiet.php

It's a standing ovation for the Agency's own Master of Menace! !

LEE CHILD IS A TREBLE
NUMBER ONE

Lee Child is No1 on the New York Times Mass Market Bestseller List with Bad Luck and Trouble.

Yes that's right. THREE UK and US Number ones.

An Emphatic Transatlantic No1 Success. Bad-a-bing!

Here's an excerpt of the biggest selling mass market novel this week by Lee Child: -

The man was called Calvin Franz and the helicopter was a Bell 222. Franz had two broken legs, so he had to be loaded on board strapped to a stretcher. Not a difficult maneuver. The Bell was a roomy aircraft, twin-engined, designed for corporate travel and police departments, with space for seven passengers. The rear doors were as big as a panel van's and they opened wide. The middle row of seats had been removed. There was plenty of room for Franz on the floor.

The helicopter was idling. Two men were carrying the stretcher. They ducked low under the rotor wash and hurried, one backward, one forward. When they reached the open door the guy who had been walking backward got one handle up on the sill and ducked away. The other guy stepped forward and shoved hard and slid the stretcher all the way inside. Franz was awake and hurting. He cried out and jerked around a little, but not much, because the straps across his chest and thighs were buckled tight. The two men climbed in after him and got in their seats behind the missing row and slammed the doors.

Then they waited.

The pilot waited.

A third man came out a gray door and walked across the concrete. He bent low under the rotor and held a hand flat on his chest to stop his necktie whipping in the wind. The gesture made him look like a guilty man proclaiming his innocence. He tracked around the Bell's long nose and got in the forward seat, next to the pilot.

"Go," he said, and then he bent his head to concentrate on his harness buckle.

The pilot goosed the turbines and the lazy whop-whop of the idling blade slid up the scale to an urgent centripetal whip-whip-whip and then disappeared behind the treble blast of the exhaust. The Bell lifted straight off the ground, drifted left a little, rotated slightly, and then retracted its wheels and climbed a thousand feet. Then it dipped its nose and hammered north, high and fast. Below it roads and science parks and small factories and neat isolated suburban communities slid past. Brick walls and metal siding blazed red in the late sun. Tiny emerald lawns and turquoise swimming pools winked in the last of the light.

The man in the forward seat said, "You know where we're going?"

The pilot nodded and said nothing.

The Bell clattered onward, turning east of north, climbing a little higher, heading for darkness. It crossed a highway far below, a river of white lights crawling west and red lights crawling east. A minute north of the highway the last developed acres gave way to low hills, barren and scrubby and uninhabited. They glowed orange on the slopes that faced the setting sun and showed dull tan in the valleys and the shadows. Then the low hills gave way in turn to small rounded mountains. The Bell sped on, rising and falling, following the contours below. The man in the forward seat twisted around and looked down at Franz on the floor behind him. Smiled briefly and said, "Twenty more minutes, maybe."

Franz didn't reply. He was in too much pain.

#

The Bell was rated for a 161-mph cruise, so twenty more minutes took it almost fifty-four miles, beyond the mountains, well out over the empty desert. The pilot flared the nose and slowed a little. The man in the forward seat pressed his forehead against the window and stared down into the darkness.

"Where are we?" he asked.

The pilot said, "Where we were before."

"Exactly?"

"Roughly."

"What's below us now?"

"Sand."

"Height?"

"Three thousand feet."

"What's the air like up here?"

"Still. A few thermals, but no wind."

"Safe?"

"Aeronautically."

"So let's do it."

The pilot slowed more and turned and came to a stationary hover, three thousand feet above the desert floor. The man in the forward seat twisted around again and signaled to the two guys way in back. Both unlocked their safety harnesses. One crouched forward, avoiding Franz's feet, and held his loose harness tight in one hand and unlatched the door with the other. The pilot was half-turned in his own seat, watching, and he tilted the Bell a little so the door fell all the way open under its own weight. Then he brought the craft level again and put it into a slow clockwise rotation so that motion and air pressure held the door wide. The second guy from the rear crouched near Franz's head and jacked the stretcher upward to a forty-five degree slope. The first guy jammed his shoe against the free end of the stretcher rail to stop the whole thing sliding across the floor. The second guy jerked like a weightlifter and brought the stretcher almost vertical. Franz sagged down against the straps. He was a big guy, and heavy. And determined. His legs were useless but his upper body was powerful and straining hard. His head was snapping from side to side.

The first guy took out a gravity knife and popped the blade. Used it to saw through the strap around Franz's thighs. Then he paused a beat and sliced the strap around Franz's chest. One quick motion. At the exact same time the second guy jerked the stretcher fully upright. Franz took an involuntary step forward. Onto his broken right leg. He screamed once, briefly, and then took a second instinctive step. Onto his broken left leg. His arms flailed and he collapsed forward and his upper body momentum levered him over the locked pivot of his immobile hips and took him straight out through the open door, into the noisy darkness, into the gale-force rotor wash, into the night.

Three thousand feet above the desert floor.

For a moment there was silence. Even the engine noise seemed to fade. Then the pilot reversed the Bell's rotation and rocked the other way and the door slammed neatly shut. The turbines spun up again and the rotor bit the air and the nose dropped.

The two guys clambered back to their seats.

The man in front said, "Let's go home now."

LEE CHILD JOINS THE SUPER ELITE


This week Lee Child joined an elite group of authors - those with simultaneous DOUBLE NO1s - that includes James Patterson, Danielle Steel and Terry Pratchett. Except that Lee must be the only author in this group to have acheived this with only his 11th and 12 books...

Lee's latest novel Nothing to Lose - is No1 in The Sunday Times Bestseller List on a four day week - in its first week on the shelves with sales of over 14,000 (double those of the book at No2)!

Bad Luck and Trouble is in its second week at No1 in The Sunday Times Paperback Bestseller List with emphatic sales to date of more than 70,000 copies!!

Lee's books sell a copy a minute around the world and this year Lee's been shortlised for the Crime Novel of The Year at The British Book Awards. At last year's awards the nomination went to Martina Cole.

As part of an extensive two week tour you can catch Lee this week at Waterstone's in Manchester (on the 27th), Nottingham and Milton Keynes (28th), Bluewater (31st), Aberdeen (2nd April), Dundee (3rd April) and York and Lincoln (4th April). Also Books@Hoddesdon in St Albans (1st April) and Blackwell in Edinburgh (3rd April).

Lee will give interviews on TalkSport (25th March) and with Simon Mayo on BBC Radio Five Live ( 27th March).

And as if this wasn't enough Lee's six year old title Without Fail has just entered the New York Times Mass Market Top Twenty at No18!!

Bad-a-bing!

A LIFETIME OF NOVELS

This year sees the publication of Margaret Dickinson's 23rd novel Sing As We Go.

So its big congratulations from everyone at the agency and an interview for her army of fans!

BIRDS AND THE BEES
MARKET LAUNCH


Milly Johnson is hosting a charity raffle to celebrate the publication of her second book The Birds and the Bees.

It's on Sat 23rd February from 11am onwards (until as long as it lasts) and in the semi-open market in Barnsley at the Bookshop stall (situated next to Stoddart's flowers).

Milly is combining a book signing with her birthday and selling raffle tickets for the local hospice which means that it's a grand excuse to do something good for the town, be in with a chance of a smashing prize and stuff your face on free birthday cakes. 

There are loads of Bird and Bee book related giveaways like bee chocolates and honey and shortbread!
 And lots of shops and people have donated great prizes and many authors around the country have sent signed books. 
 
DO COME ALONG!

***BRIMFUL OF BESTSELLERS***

The Darley Anderson Agency shows itself again to be the Agency of Bestsellers...with three authors in the top echelons of the Bestseller Lists in the same week!

Lesley Pearse hits the lists with her TWELFTH UK BESTSELLER - Faith is in at No3 in the Top Ten Paperback Fiction Bestseller List selling nearly 25,000 copies this week.

"Master of Menace" John Connolly is at No8 in the Top Ten Paperback Fiction Bestseller List with The Unquiet selling over 16,000 copies this week.

And in the Top Ten Non Fiction Bestseller Constance Briscoe's Beyond Ugly sits at No2! Its prequel Ugly spent six months on the bestseller lists after it was published last year.

CONGRATULATIONS LUCIE!!

The Darley Anderson Agency congratulates Lucie Whitehouse on the publication of her debut novel The House at Midnight!

Lucie
spent four and half years at the Agency as Foreign Rights Manager and Associate Agent and we wish her the very best of luck with her writing career.

An eery country-house location sparks a downward spiral of chaos...

A group of university cohorts arrives at Stoneborough Manor, the spooky country pile left to their friend Lucas after the suicide of his uncle. And after the house has left its malevolent mark with a clutch of unravelled relationships, sexual tensions, deadly feuds and disturbing familial revelations, the bunch wish they'd stayed away. Reminiscent of Donna Tartt's brooding The Secret History, this is an eerily atmospheric debut.

'Psychological suspense as elegant as a Swiss watch but as powerful as a locomotive ... subtle, intelligent, accessible and highly recommended' - Lee Child

AGENCY AUTHORS NOMINATED FOR BEST ROMANTIC NOVEL

Annie Murray and Janet Macleod Trotter have been longlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2008!

A panel of RNA members will now select six books for the shortlist, to be announced 14th January.

The winner of the 2008 award will be decided by the judging panel, which this year includes comedienne Helen Lederer, Good Housekeeping Books Editor Kerry Fowler, and Chris Rushby, Buying Director of Bertram Books, Britain's leading book wholesaler.

The 2008 winner will be announced at the Awards Lunch on February 4th at the Royal Garden Hotel, London.

BOOK OF LOST THINGS AT THE TOP OF THE TREE

It is officially announced today that The Book of Lost Things has been chosen as Books.com's Fiction Book of the Year and sold 1,049 copies in only one day.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN CRIME AT THE DARLEY ANDERSON AGENCY

Former journalist and crime buff Camilla Bolton will be working closely with Darley Anderson in an editorial and agenting role to develop the careers of other talented new crime and thriller writers.

 

SCARLETT WINS AWARD


 

Cathy Cassidy has won the Royal Mail Scottish Children's Book Award in 'older readers' category. Winners were announced at a spectacular ceremony in Glasgow.

This award is voted for by young readers all across Scotland. Congratulations Cathy!

 

DEBUT NOVEL THRILLS ON THE SUNDAY TIMES LIST


Tana French's novel, In the Woods, is number eight on The Sunday Times paperback lists.

An outstanding achievement for a debut novel. Congratulations Tana!

TOP US CRIME WRITER MOVES TO THE DARLEY ANDERSON AGENCY

In a major coup for the Agency the Boston-based bestselling thriller writer Chris Mooney has moved from the William Morris Agency in New York to Anderson for Worldwide representation.

Published by Atria in the US and Penguin in the UK, Mooney has just delivered his new novel The Secret Friend featuring his series character Darby McCormick for 2008 publication.

Says Anderson: “Chris Mooney is rightly regarded as one of crime fiction’s rising stars. A master of suspense and mystery, his writing is often scary and always thrilling. He’s also a lovely man, a highly promoteable author and a delight to work with.”

HOLLYWOOD IN LOVE WITH LEE CHILD

Paramount Pictures has renewed its option for Killing Floor and the Jack Reacher franchise and plan to co-produce it with an impressive group of Hollywood notables.

The project will be a co-production between C/W Productions and Mutual Inc, and the film will be produced by Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Gary Levinson and Kevin Messick.

Watch this space for updates ***

TV TURNS ONTO MARTINA

Two of Martina’s bestselling novels The Graft and The Take will be adapted for television by Independent production company Warner Sisters Productions.

As is usual for megaseller Martina both books went straight to Number 1 in the UK’s Sunday Times Bestseller list with The Graft topping the hardback charts for a record-breaking ten weeks.

Lavinia Warner founder of Warner Sisters and creator of the drama series Tenko comments: “We’re really excited about the project. It is high time for more of Martina’s work to be available to television viewers. Her honest and tough novels, vividly revealing the effects of violence and crime on family life in the UK today, are absorbing and addictive. Her talent for strong characters and storylines makes the books perfect for TV adaptation.”

Martina Cole adds, “I am thrilled to see two more of my books adapted for television. It really feels like I’m coming home - working and collaborating with Warner Sisters again.”

Says Anderson who negotiated the deal: ”Lavinia Warner has a sure touch when it comes to overseeing the dramatisation of Martina’s books for TV. Dangerous Lady and The Jump - both four part ITV dramas drew viewing figures of nearly 10 millions an episode".

NEW SIX FIGURE DEALS FOR AGENCY AUTHORS: ALEX BARCLAY & ANNIE MURRAY

Darley Anderson has negotiated a high six figure deal for another three books by bestselling Irish crime writer Alex Barclay. Alex’s debut novel Darkhouse was a Top Ten Sunday Times Bestseller and also made No3 in the French Top Ten list – a very rare achievement for a foreign debutant in that market.

Wayne Brookes, her Harper Collins editor says of the new deal: “Alex has the unique ability to not only shock her readers but drag them screaming into a world filled with subtle, unnerving twists, menace and murder. She’s a genius at the thrill and I’m delighted that the relationship between Alex and Harper Collins will continue a long time into the future.”

Another six figure deal negotiated by Anderson is for long time Saga writer Annie Murray who over the years has established herself as one of the top saga writers in the country. Her first novel Birmingham Rose hit The Sunday Times bestseller list when it was published in 1995

Imogen Taylor, her editor at Macmillan says:” I’m delighted to be in the lucky position of being Annie’s editor for her next three books.  The first, Hopscotch Summer, tells the story of Emma Brown an eight-year-old girl living in one of the poorer areas of Birmingham in the 1930s.  Through her we also meet her two friends, Katie and Molly, who become pivotal in the next two titles, taking us through the second world war and times of great change.  Annie is one of those lovely authors who knows her characters well, embracing their foibles as well as their virtues.  She researches the historical and social background meticulously, and understands the readership for whom she is writing. I can’t wait to publish Hopscotch Summer in May 2009”

NEW ANDERSON CRIME DISCOVERY

Darley Anderson’s uncanny ability to spot talent early has brought many top bestselling writers to the Agency. Now he believes he’s discovered another future bestselling crime writer in Lee Weeks.

Maxine Hitchcock, the Editorial Director of the new commercial Avon list at Harper Collins (UK) agrees and has bought Lee’s first novel The Trophy Taker and the follow up The Trafficked for a good five figure sum.

Foreign publishers, scouts and US film agents are currently reading the manuscript which features, tough,Triad-hating, Hong-Kong detective Johnny Mann who will feature in all Lee Weeks future novels.

Says Anderson: “Lee Weeks writes with fascinating authority about Hong Kong’s seedy underworld from first hand experience. And she writes with great pace. The Trophy Taker is a gripping, shocking, page-turning novel reminiscent of the early James Patterson.”

Maxine Hitchcock says: “I’m hugely excited to be publishing Lee Weeks. In The Trophy Taker she invites us into the murky underbelly of Hong Kong – a world of hostess bars, corruption and Triad-ruled terror. Pacey chapters, nerve-jangling suspense and wonderfully drawn characters combine for a captivating adrenalin-fuelled read which left me thirsting for more.”

The Trophy Taker will be published as a paperback original in the UK in March 2008.

A BRITISH KIND OF MUSLIM

- PURDAH AND LIPGLOSS -

Another new author to join the ranks at the Agency is Almas Khan whose stunning memoir charts the heart-wrenching and often hilarious struggles and conflicts she faced as a young muslim girl growing up in 1970s Bradford.

The unique insight into the truth about being a muslim girl in a Western society was snapped up by Kerri Sharp at Simon & Schuster. Says Kerri: I’m delighted to be publishing Almas Khan’s dazzling, hilarious debut. Her refreshingly original memoir sizzles with rebellious energy.’

It was agented by Zoë King who says: “This absorbing memoir has all the ingredients for commercial success: brilliantly well-drawn characters, high drama and complete authenticity all against a backdrop that couldn’t be more relevant to readers in this day and age. Almas also has a wonderful ability to turn situations on their head and make us roar with laughter.”

The memoir, provisionally entitled The Trouble With Almas, will be published in the UK in Spring 2009.

CLARE DOWLING SOARS WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Clare Dowling's latest novel No Strings Attached has hit the No1 position in the Irish Bestseller Lists for the second week running!

She scooped the No1 slot in her first week of publication -selling nearly double the book at No2 and ranking fifth across all categories.

Tesco selected No Strings Attached for their book of the week for two weeks running and Asda included it in their weekly charts promotions!

Borders and Books Etc are marketing it in their Best of Year campaign and it will be part of Waterstones' Paperback of the Year promotion.

Clare Dowling is flying high with no strings attached!

CONGRATULATIONS CLARE!

KEVIN COSTNER TO STAR IN JOHN CONNOLLY FILM

Hollywood heavyweight Kevin Costner will star in the film adaptation of the New Daughter by John Connolly - part of the stunning collection of short stories called Nocturnes.

Gold Circle will produce the film which is to be directed by Luiso Berdejo and will also star Ivana Baquero (of Pan's Labyrinth) and plan to commence filming in Spring of 2009.

TANA FRENCH IS EDITORS' PICK

Amazon.com has chosen In The Woods as No13 for their Editors’ Picks Top 100 Books of the Year!  And she's No3 in the Top 10 mystery and thriller category!

JOAN JONKER'S LEGACY OF FRIENDSHIP

The winner of the Joan Jonker 'Molly and Nellie' award for outstanding friendship has been announced!

The winner is Hazel Rowen and she was nominated by her best friend Lorraine Woodstock who described her as "A remarkable person with a heart of gold."

The award was created by Headline Books in memory of Joan who was known not only for her wonderful novels but also for her work in setting up the charity Victims of Violence in Liverpool, which over a period of 23 years helped 12,000 people and opened the first shelters for victims in the country.

Her long term editor and close friend at Headline Books, Clare Foss, said ‘Joan was an incredibly special woman whose novels touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people of all ages and of all walks of life. A day seldom went by without a letter arriving from one of Joan’s adoring fans and it was little surprise when a few years ago Joan was voted “Lancashire Woman of the Year”. She was a treasured friend as well as favourite author and she will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with her family’.

Her agent, Darley Anderson, said: ‘You don’t meet many truly special people in your life. Joan was one of the very few special people I have been fortunate to know. She touched so many people's lives and made them better.’

***MEGABESTELLING MARTINA***

Martina has shown she is the emphatic No1 with her FOURTEENTH BESTSELLER Faces which has exploded onto the lists at No1 with sales of over 40,000 hardbacks in the first ten days on the shelves!

She is now in her second week at NO1 in the Hardback lists. Congratulations Martina!

TV Adverts ran for three consecutive Fridays starting on the 5th in Coronation Street's mid-break.

Coronation Street has 10 million viewers.

Says Kerr Macrae, Deputy MD of Headline:

"Our campaign for Faces was deisgned with a certain result in mind - to alert fans to the new book and bring the message to new readers and budding Martina fans. The aim is to stagger the profile with full blown activity from just before publication right through to December the 24th and beyone - we wanted to make it clear that the experience of reading Martina Cole's books was like a rough and tumble roller coaster right, where the reader has to draw breath before moving on...

..the combination of TV, Bus Sides, Posters nationwide and PR via all medias will ensure there are not many people around who will not know about this book or that Martian is THE only person who tells it like it really is."

DOG WHISPERER GIVES CAPTIVATING PERFORMANCE

It was a rapt audience that witnessed Dog Whispering extraordinaire Graeme Sims' incredible performance at his beautiful medieval home last week.

With his publishers Headline, Graeme hosted a wonderful day for Bookbuyers from all around the country giving them the chance to see his unique dog training techniques in action. TEN DOGS OBEYED HIS EVERY COMMAND and the love and respect Graeme has each one was apparent to everyone.

There followed a grand supper attended by senior book buyers from Amazon, WHSmith, the National Trust, Darley Anderson Agency and Headline Books.

Says Graeme's publisher Val Hudson:

“Publishing events don’t come more amazing than Graeme Sims’…….   Watching our customers watching Graeme talk to fourteen dogs at a time, you realize what an extraordinary hold he has – over man as well as beast! We’re over the moon that Headline are Graeme Sims’ publisher.   He’s such an extraordinary man, with such extraordinary skills – we can’t wait to share his knowledge with dog lovers all over the world when we publish The Dog Whisperer in March next year”

Says Agent Darley Anderson:
"Graeme and his dogs have real star quality'.

BEST FICTION AWARD FOR DEBUT IRISH AUTHOR

New author Tana French has won the Best Fiction Award at this year's Clarion Awards for her stunning debut novel In the Woods.

The Clarion Awards are sponsored by SkyArts to recognise 'Excellence in the communication of Social Inclusion, CSR, Sustainable Development and Ethical Debate'. 

The Awards ceremony took place at London's BFI Southbank (formerly the NFT) before an audience of 450 guests - from the Communications Sector, the Arts, Government and the Media - Sir Roy Strong, Hadyn Gwynne, Moira Stuart, Margaret Tyzack and Floella Benjamin joined with many other leading figures from business, to give their personal congratulations to the winners.

The judges said of In The Woods::

'Tana''s brilliantly crafted first novel embodies, in its story of a murder on an archeological site in Ireland, a fascinating critique of human emotions, social mores, environmental issues and complex personal motivation.  It is an immediate, sometimes moving but always compelling reinvention of our most popular genre - the murder mystery.'

RICHARD AND JUDY LOVE
CATHY CASSIDY

Cathy Cassidy's Sundae Girl has been picked by Richard and Judy to feature in their Top Reads for the 9+ category!

The chosen few will feature in a ONE-OFF CHILDREN'S BOOKS SPECIAL this Autumn.
Broadcast on 28th October as part of the channel's literacy season, "Richard & Judy's Best Kids Books Ever" will feature 19 books, divided into four ability groups, with two winning titles in each category revealed during the programme.

HOMICIDE IN HOUGHTON PART 2

In Houghton-le-Spring it's Feast week, a time when all hell is let loose as the fair comes to town, and a frenzy of celebration and decadence provides a temporary distraction from the grim realities of everyday life.

Join author Sheila Quigley and local historian Paul Lanagan on an investigation of the fictional murder scenes from Sheila's best selling books Run for Home, Bad Moon Rising, Living on a Prayer' and Every Breath You Take.

The tour departs from Houghton Library and refreshments will be served at the end, when Sheila Quigley will be signing copies of her books and reading an exclusive preview from Book 5: Road to Hell.

Book by Telephone 0191 520 5092
Numbers strictly limited.

To find out more click on http://www.houghtonfeast.co.uk

US SUCCESS WITH DEBUT NOVEL

Tana French's debut novel In The Woods has hit the New York Times Extended Bestseller List! Congratulations Tana!

When he was twelve years old, Adam Ryan went playing in the woods one day with his two best friends.He never saw them again.

Their bodies were never found, and Adam himself was discovered with his back pressed against an oak tree and his shoes filled with blood. He had no memory of what had happened.

Twenty years on, Rob Ryan - the child who came back - is a detective in the Dublin police force. He's changed his name. No one knows about his past. Then a little girl's body is found at the site of the old tragedy and Rob is drawn back into the mystery. Knowing that he would be thrown off the case if his past were revealed, Rob takes a fateful decision to keep quiet but hopes that he might also solve the twenty-year-old mystery of the woods.

READERS' FAITH IS AS
STRONG AS EVER

Bestselling favorite Lesley Pearse' fantastic new novel Faith is at No5 on the Hardback Fiction Bestseller List!

LESLEY'S ELEVENTH UK BESTSELLER!!

It is 1995, Scotland. The prison of Cornton Vale. And Laura Brannigan is in jail for a murder she claims she didn't commit.

For two years she's been battling for justice - insisting the police made a terrible mistake; pleading that she didn't kill her best friend, Jackie. With her spirits at their lowest ebb, she's resigned to her miserable fate - until, out of the blue, a letter is delivered to the prison.

At the sight of the letter's handwriting, Laura's heart lurches - taking her back to a different, happier time and memory of an old love... 1972 was the year Laura met Stuart and experienced her first summer of love.It was a heady time as she'd only recently been able to stop running. For Laura had always been a survivor: leaving an abusive home at fifteen and then life on her own - until she met Jackie.

She and Jackie became best friends, swore they'd be sisters for ever. So what went wrong in the intervening years? And why is Stuart writing to Laura now? Does he have faith in her innocence? And can he help free Laura from prison - and her past?

CATHY CASSIDY
HAS LUCKY STAR QUALITY

This Saturday was the grand finale of Cathy's MY BEST FRIEND ROCKS competition for which thousands of fans wrote in to tell Cathy what made their best friends rock and!

The finalists and their nominated best friends attended a very glamorous award ceremony, where Cathy announced the lucky winner.  The ceremony was also attended by Rachel Airey from WHSmith and Jess Tadmor from Mizz who were on the judging panel!

They were all then whisked off for an afternoon of Friendship Festivals and fun at the Innocent Village Fete, with Cathy and her van in residence.

The magic doesn't end there however and this month sees the launch of Cathy Cassidy's first ever hardback, Lucky Star AND an exciting new competition with Top Teen magazine Mizz , WHSmith, cathycassidy.com and the brand new Planetarium at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

Girls are being asked to explain what their star quality is, whether it's being a good listener, being able to run the fastest or being able to draw with their feet!

The prize will be a VIP tour of the sights of London, with an exclusive dinner and Planetarium show with Cathy that evening. more details to follow!

BOOK OF LOST THINGS FINDS FANDOM IN TAIWAN

John Connolly has been busy wowing readers across the globe on a promotional and book signing tour for The Book of Lost Things.

Following a highly successfully tour of Australia, John hit Taiwan where the critically acclaimed The Book of Lost Things has debuted at No1 in Books.com ASWELL AS BEING VOTED THE BOOK OF THE YEAR.

A special afternoon tea, reading and Q&A was arranged and was a complete sell-out.

To view pictures click on this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/little_bear/sets/72157600932754751/

The Book of Lost Things also went straight in at No5 in the Top Two Taiwan bookstores Eslite and Kingstone.

'John was so friendly and charming, shaking every reader's hand, chatting and personalizing every signature, with drawings even! I don't think there's any foreign author who has been as friendly with the readers.' said Gray Tan, the Agency's sub-agent:

***EXCLUSIVE PEAK INTO LESLEY'S NEXT STORY***

I'm currently working on a new book called 'Gypsy'. It's a story set in the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897, and in May I set off for Alaska and the Yukon in Canada to do the research for it.

The sepia picture was taken in Skagway, Alaska,and we were getting into character for the book.

Tough, dangerous men and the Saloon Girls who loved them or fleeced them are a pet passion of mine. I suspect in a former life I was one of the latter! 

While in Skagway I saw many original photographs the Gold Prospectors had taken there. Mostly men in their early twenties, their eyes full of hope and excitement. Sadly that exuberance quickly faded on the hazardous 800 mile trail to Dawson City and few of them found the fortune they hoped for. 

As for the saloon girls, there is plenty of evidence they did well for themselves at the time, but precious little is known about how they fared when the Stampede was over and they returned home.  Beth, my heroine has a nickname of 'Gypsy' in the saloons where she plays her fiddle, and I think I can guarantee she'll have a happy ending!

***A STARRY LAUNCH ***


When Janet MacLeod Trotter launched her new saga A Handful of Stars at Waterstones in Newcastle, they had to put out extra chairs and some people even ended up sitting on the steps! 

Janet's new novel A Handful of Stars is set against the background of 1930s fascism on Tyneside and is a gripping tale of love and survival against all the odds. 

Janet's husband Graeme helped dramatise readings from the novel which kept the large audience entertained and their was a sign reader there for a deaf guest.

Janet followed this event with signings around the North East region.
 
A Handful of Stars is the number one selling book in Newcastle's prestigeous department store, Fenwicks.

THE UNQUIET MAKES
A BIG BANG IN OZ

John Connolly's latest thriller The Unquiet made a very unquiet impact in Australia where he hit FOUR TOP TEN BESTSELLER LISTS including The Australian, The Sunday Morning Herald, Cairns Post, and The West Autralian.

"The Unquiet puts the seal on his reputation as one of the most original crime novelists around" - Courier Mail.

"Spine tingling... will keep you up all night" - The Daily Advertiser

"Suspense and revelation are masterfully handled by Connolly. IN A WORD: Macabre" -
- The Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin.

CARMEN REID'S PERSONAL SHOPPER AT TESCOS

To celebrate the launch of Carmen Reid's fabulous new novel The Personal Shopper Tesco is running a competition with clothing line Florence & Fred to win up to £250 of F&F vouchers!! With a total prize fund of £1000, 14 lucky winners will win between £50 and £250 of F& F vouchers to redeem at a store of their choice. 

The Personal Shopper which hits the shelves of 440 Tesco stores was afforded a higher chart position than several other authors, including David Baldacci, Dean Koontz and Alexandra Potter, which is indicative of Tesco's enthusiasm for the new package.

The Personal Shopper hit No16 and No15 in the English and Irish Bestseller Lists respectively in its first week on the shelves!

CATHY CASSIDY WOWS HAY FESTIVAL

It was queues around the block for Cathy at this year's Hay literary festival. Cathy signed books for OVER AN HOUR for fans who had come from all over the country to see her.

Many of Cathy's fans email her via her website and, says Adele Minchin, Publicity Director at Puffin, fans were "Absolutely thrilled to meet Cathy in person".

Each girl received a free copy of Love, Peace and Chocolate with the purchase of another of Cathy's titles.

Cathy spoke about Sundae Girl in her talk, explaining that the book is about Jude who thinks she has got the most embarrassing family in the entire world.  Parents in the audience loved the fact that Cathy said she thought it was a parent's duty to be embarrassing and that she herself was having a huge amount of fun embarrassing her own children.

***TRANSATLANTIC***
BESTSELLERDOM

Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble was an instant New York Times Bestseller List going straight in at No2 with number twelve in the Jack Reacher series.

Bad Luck and Trouble - the thriller Janet Maslin, the top New York critic, calls 'Electrifying' has seen top bestseller listings coast to coast including The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle and Publishers Weekly.

This outstanding success follows hot on the heels of ELEVEN WEEKS spent on The Sunday Times Hardback Bestseller List.

AGENCY OF BESTSELLERS

This week the Agency celebrates FOUR AUTHORS on The Sunday Times Bestseller Lists.

Martina tells it like it is nabbing the No1 spot in the Paperback Bestseller List ONLY A PARTIAL WEEK'S SALES with her novel Close .

Cathy Cassidy is sitting pretty at No10 in the Children's Bestseller List with Sundae Girl.

In the Hardback Bestseller List John Connolly's The Unquiet is at No6 closely followed by Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble at No8.

Lee Child is No1 in New Zealand AND No6 on the Italian paperback bestseller lis with Bad Luck and Trouble...closely flanked by John Connolly is No7 on the Italian paperback bestseller lists!

CONGRATULATIONS MARTINA, CATHY, LEE AND JOHN!

READERS CRY OUT FOR LATEST BY SHEILA QUIGLEY

Sheila Quigley packed a small bookshop to the gills with customers eager to get their hands on a copy of her latest novel Every Breath You Take.

Even the town cryer muscled in to get a signed copy!

"I was amazed at the huge number of people who turned up on a usually quiet Thursday morning to meet Sheila," said The Bookcase's proprietor Eileen McKnight-Smith.

A couple of local bobbies who came to the event threatened to turn out to control the crowds who flocked to hear Sheila talk about her lastest hair-raising dark thriller set in the mean streets of Sunderland.

One DI who bought a copy of the book said " Sheila is my favourite author and Detective Inspector Lorraine Hunt is my role model!"

"I have read a proof copy of this thriller," said Eileen, "And I must say I didn't sleep for 3 nights afterwards ...it is her best novel yet...what a page-turner!!"

Eileen sold more than 200 of Sheila's novels during the morning and said "I must remember to order in twice as many of her next novel. In 18 years of selling books here I have known nothing like it! I even had to tell the town cryer to stop promoting the book around the town."


CATHY'S SUND-AE TIMES BESTSELLERDOM

Cathy Cassidy latest novel Sundae Girl has been storming the Children's Bestseller List this week in its fourth week!

She went in at No10 in her first week, rising to No6 with a fanbase growing by the day....

Cathy was the first children's author to be signed by Darley Anderson whose prediction from the beginning was that she was going to become a top bestseller.

His enthusiasm and belief was shared by Puffin MD Francesca Dow who originally acquired Cathy in a highly competitive auction.

Cathy Cassidy's warm, funny, tender fiction has won her an army of dedicated fans, both boys and girls. Her fan club now has 5,000 members and counting. Watch out for a new star!

Find out more at: http://www.cathycassidy.com

DARLEY TAKES HIS 'ANGELS' SHOPPING WITH HEADLINE

Last week The Darley Anderson Agency took a day out to learn about how books are bought and sold in various book outlets outside of London.

UK Sales Director at Headline James Horobin and Regional Manager Tony McGrath accompanied the Agency to Milton Keynes' Waterstones, WHSmith, Woolworths, Tescos and Costco.

Steph Bateson, the book buyer for Asda, generously gave up her time to introduce Darley and the team to Asda's book aisles.

It was a valuable insight and an exciting day for the self-proclaimed ruthlessly commercial Agent Darley Anderson and his 'Angels', Julia, Emma, Zoe, Maddie and Ella.

Many thanks to Headline and Asda.


CONSTANCE'S MAGIC HALF MILLION

Constance Briscoe has now spent RECORD SIX MONTHS IN THE BESTSELLER LISTS and has sold OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES of her stunning debut memoir Ugly in the UK alone.

Constance's bestselling memoir sold over a quarter of a million copies in hardback. It was a No 1 bestseller that stayed in the charts for TEN WEEKS.

The paperback stayed in the charts for FOURTEEN WEEKS - and continues to sell well all over the country.

Constance is now published in NINE territories.

The chart topping autobiography tells how the injustice Constance suffered as a child fuelled her determination to climb to the top in the legal world.

Constance's sales are anything but Ugly...



GET BOOKED WITH ALEX AND LEE


Bestselling agency writers Alex Barclay and Lee Child will take part in Booked For Breakfast - on online mystery and crime book club that sends a you a portion of a new crime, thriller, or mystery every Monday morning.

Subscribe and read an extract from Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble and Alex Barclay's The Caller.

To find out more or subscribe visit: www.bookedforbreakfast.com



LEE CHILD'S TREBLE NO1


Lee Child has hit No1 THREE TIMES in The Sunday Times Bestseller List with two titles - in the last three weeks!!!

The Hard Way is in its third week in the paperback charts hitting the top spot in its very first week. Total sales now exceed 110,000 - a 27% increase on sales of One Shot in the same period last year.

Bad Luck and Trouble grabs the No1 spot for hardback fiction for the second week selling more copies than the No2 and No3 spots combined.

Two books. Two lists. Two No1s. In less than a month. Congratulations Lee!

In Australia Bad Luck and Trouble hit the list at No5, the highest position ever reached in that territory.

And in New Zealand Bad Luck and Trouble has hit the No1 spot!

AGENCY AUTHORS ARE MOST BORROWED

SEVEN of the Agency authors areong the most borrowed from libraries in the UK!!!

Joan Jonker, Anne Baker, Martina Cole, Rebecca Shaw, Freda Lightfoot, Janet Macleod Trotter and Elizabeth Waite prove they're among of the nation's best-loved authors by featuring in The TOP 100 list.

One Shot by Lee Child and The Graft by Martina Cole were the 20th and 22nd most borrowed titles respectively in 2006 - in a list that mixes adults and children's books of all genres.

Across the waters The American Library Association recommends The Book Of Lost Things as the No1 adult book with appeal to teenage readers!

Catch Freda Lightfoot at the following libraries in April:-

17 th April 2.30pm Haltwhistle Library Northumberland

17 th April 7.30 pm The Parish of Penrith Tuesday Club at St Andrews Centre Penrith

18 th April 10 am for 10.30 am Anchorsholme Library Blackpool

19 th April 11.am Castle Hill Library Tonge Moor Bolton

19 th April 2.30 pm Haydock East Library St Helens

20 th April 12 noon Bury Moorside Community Library Lunch Club

24 th April 10 am Macclesfield Library Cheshire.

25 th April 10.30 am Stockton Heath Library Warrington

25 th April Denton Library Tameside

26 th April 2.30 pm Keswick Library Cumbria

26 April 7.30 Kendal Library Cumbria

28 th April Prudhoe Library Northumberland

PPC AWARD FOR UGLY

Ugly sees even more success with Hodder's Head of Publicity Kerry Hood, and Eleni Fostiropoulos, receiving The PPC Silver Trophy for Hardback Non-fiction for their outstanding work on Ugly.

U
gly is in its FOURTEENTH week in The Sunday Times Bestseller List - standing steady at No4.

Says Kerry Hood: "It's as much Constance's award as it is mine - all I know is that she worked incredbily hard to make the book a success, and - as ever - displayed copious amounts of the determination and single-mindedness that makes her so unique!"

The PPC Awards ceremony was held on January 30th at a dinner at Mosaico, in Mayfair.

Congratulations go to Constance and all the team at Hodder!

AGENCY AUTHORS GO FOR GOLD

***FOUR AGENCY AUTHORS NOMINATED FOR***
***THE 2007 ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD!***

CAROLE MATTHEWS for Welcome To The Real World - Fun and heartwarming.  This is the gripping tale of Fern Kendal, a struggling singer working as a barmaid to make ends meet.  When she takes a job as assistant to opera singer Evan David she takes on a whole lot more than she bargained for. 

MARGARET DICKINSON for Pauper's Gold -
Full of love and hardship, jealousy and friendship this novel will take you to both the highs and the lows of a girl who always sees the best in everything and everyone despite the hardships she endures. 

ANNIE MURRAY for Family of Women -
The absorbing story of one family and three generations of women beginning over 50 years ago just after the war and set in the Victorian slums of Birmingham.  Poverty, death and bullying are rife and by turns heartrending but always in the background there is joy and hope that life will make a turn for the better for some, and it does.

LESLEY PEARSE for Hope - It is Somerset, 1836, and baby Hope is cast out from a world of privilege as living proof of her mother's adultery. Smuggled away from the Harveys and Briargate House to a nearby village, Hope grows up in the arms of the warm and loving Renton family, unaware of her true identity. But fate has harsh plans for Hope.

The Romantic Novel of the Year Award was established in 1960 by the Romantic Novelists' Association to recognise excellence in romantic fiction

Following tradition, a shortlist of six titles will be announced for Valentine's Day - on Tuesday 13th February - and the shortlisted books will be read by a distinguished panel of judges headed by athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson. The winner of the 2007 Romantic Novel of the Year Award will receive an engraved glass trophy and a cheque for £5,000 at the Award Luncheon, held on Friday 27th April at London's Savoy Hotel.

Find out more at: http://www.rna-uk.org/

DARLEY ANDERSON AGENCY
HITS NEW HEIGHTS

2006 marked the BEST YEAR EVER for the Agency in terms of the number of deals made with Foreign pubishers.

188 foreign rights deals were done - a 28% increase on 2005 which totalled 147 deals.

Total value of the deals equates to over three quarters of a million pounds sterling - a 62% increase on the 2005 turnover.
 
In short - we are selling MORE BOOKS to MORE TERRITORIES for MORE MONEY!
 
2007 got off to a successful start with the Agency's first ever book sold to Vietnam...

Onwards and Upwards!

JOHN CONNOLLY'S GROWING READERSHIP

John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things has been nominated for the prestigious Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Award. The winner will be announced on March 15th.

The Book of Lost Things is the proud winner of the Alex Awards!!

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults aged from 12 to 18.

Find out more at: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/alex07.htm

CATHY CASSIDY ROCKS HER READERS

A FIRST OF ITS TIME AWARD which celebrates Friendship has been launched by Cathy Cassidy with her publishers Puffin called 'My Best Friend Rocks'.

Girls will show how their best friend rocks through a drawing, photograph or piece of writing - and can either post or scan and send their entries to Cathy's website: www.cathycassidy.com

There will be one winner and five runners up. The top prize winner gets the sleepover of their dreams! - including vouchers from M&S, HMV, Topshop, Maxfactor and a copy of Cat and Mouse - Cathy's fantastic new book, in hardback.


LEE CHILD IN STELLAR LINE-UP

Lee Child is to feature in a stellar line-up of authors in the second season of US Court TV's hit series Murder By The Book.

The popular original series features best-selling writers who offer insights into true crime cases that have long captivated or touched them in some way. Series one attracted over a million viewers.

Manager for Programming and Marketing at Court, Marc Juris says: " The caliber of authors we've signed continues to be A-list, among the best-selling, most popular crime writers in the country and the true crime stories they will tell are riveting."

Watch the trailer: http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/murder_by_the_book/


DANNY KING - THE CRITICS CHOICE

The televisation of Danny King's hilarious novel The Burglar Diaries premiered this week on BBC Three - highlighted by critics as PICK OF THE WEEK.

Entitled Thieves Like Us the six part sitcom follows classic comic double act Bex and Ollie, a pair of jobbing burglars who pull of jobs wherever and whenever possible.

Although essentially criminals, Bex and Ollie have a strong sense of morality and won't break into normal people's homes, or touch anything with deep sentimental value. They're also allergic to violence - they break out in cuts and bruises.

Bex has a steady girlfriend in Mel, whereas Ollie is somewhere in the top ten with Belinda. Each girlfriend has differing views about what their fellas do for a living and this can sometimes create problems, though at the end of the day both Mel and Belinda know what Tammy Wynette was banging on about when she sung her most famous song.

The Trotter brothers used to knock off hooky gear in Only Fools and Horses. Here's who they got it off.

Watch Thieves Like Us Monday nights at 8.30 on BBC Three!


AGENCY AUTHORS TRIUMPH

 

***DARLEY ANDERSON AGENCY AUTHORS DOMINATE
THE BESTSELLER LISTS***

**Martina is in her THIRTEENTH week in the hardback fiction bestseller list with her compulsive novel Close...she hit the list at No1 AFTER ONLY THREE DAYS SALES...

***Constance Briscoe's stunning debut memoir Ugly has now spent ELEVEN weeks in the paperback non fiction bestseller lists... the hardback sold over a quarter of a million copies and spent 20 weeks in the Lists!!!

****Lesley Pearse has gone straight into the paperback fiction bestseller lists this week at No2 with her magical new novel Hope...selling over 26,000 copies!

***Thieves like us - the televisation of Danny King's hilarious Burglar Diaries was The Sunday Times' Critics Choice of What to Watch this week!!!***



HOPE ROCKETS TO THE TOP


Lesley Pearse's latest novel Hope is in its fourth week in The Sunday Times bestseller charts. Hope shot to the No2 spot in its first week - with sales of over 26,000 copies!!!

Hope is Lesley's fifteenth novel.

Hope tells the story of a young girl cast out from a world of privilege as living proof of her mother's adultery smuggled away from the Harveys and Briargate House to a nearby village, Hope grows up in the arms of the warm and loving Renton family, unaware of her true identity. But fate has harsh plans for Hope and a chain of events sees her forced to lead a vagabond's existence until she finds the courage to fight back and prove herself a fearless and able nurse, a vocation that takes her to the horrific battlefields of the Crimea.

But the secrets of the past are not yet done with Hope Renton and she must return to England to face the legacy of her birth …

With the storytelling magic that has won Lesley Pearse millions of fans, Hope is the portrait of a remarkable woman who will never let the world - or injustice - bring her down.



THE BOOK OF LOST THING'S
A REAL FIND


Taiwanese rights (complex Chinese characters) to The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly have been sold to Rye Field for $30,000.

The unprecedented advance is the BIGGEST for the agency in Taiwan and the BIGGEST DEAL EVER DONE by our sub-agent.

Gray Tan our superb sub-agent for China and Taiwan had 16 interested publishers.Ten made initial offers and eight participated in the final bid.

Final offers ranged from $7,000 to $30,000 so we asked the four highest bidders to put together a marketing proposal for the book.
Rye Field, who also bought Bad Men for £10,000 gave the most impressive marketing plan, and they are treating The Book of Lost Things as their SUPER LEAD TITLE in 2007.

In a pre-publication publicity stunt they plan to bring out 5 samplers before they publish; each sample will have a voucher inside and when you collect all 5 you get a discount on the book.




JACK REACHER DOES IT BETTER


From the beginning of Lee Child's career, agent Darley Anderson has always believed his publishers should sell his hero Jack Reacher as the new James Bond. 

No lesser personage than Random House supremo and Jack Reacher fan, Peter Olson calls Reacher "The James Bond of the 21st century". 

Until now Lee's publishers have been reluctant to adopt this strategy. But last week all that changed.

At the London premiere of the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, Transworld staff including senior copy writer Maria Goodwin and media buyer Jayne Lunnon, plus a number of glamorous models handed out free copies of Lee Child's latest bestseller and waved placards saying

"JACK REACHER DOES IT BETTER"

 
Emma White from the Agency, who sold the rights to the BBC back in 2005, spent a day on location with Danny and the crew.

She says:" It was amazing to see The Burglar Diaries being filmed. There were over 100 people on location from the film crew to the set construction team, and it's wonderful to think they are all there for the same purpose of making this six-part sitcom a huge hit. There was such a buzz on set - Danny has a whole new legion of fans!"

The series is being directed by Ben Kellett (Two Ronnies, Swiss Tony, Swinging) and produced by Pete Thornton (The Smoking Room, Father Ted) and has several familiar faces acting - Gary Beadle (of EastEnders fame) and Roger Sloman, as well as some fresh new talent in the lead roles - look out for Tom Brookes who plays lead character 'Bex'.

Author and script-writer of The Burglar Diaries Danny King has even managed to secure himself an acting role in the production - watch out for 'Man at bar' ... 


Thieves Like Us is on BBC3, Mondays at 8.30. View a clip: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/thieveslikeus/

 


 

 

 

 

 


CONNOLLY IS IRISH FAVORITE

John Connolly is busy dominating the Irish Bestseller lists with his latest two novels.

The Unquiet is No1 on the Original paperback Irish Bestseller list after entering at No3 on only a partial week's sales.

The Book Of Lost Things rises is the Irish Paperback Bestseller List to No8 in its fourth week on the shelves.


TRANSATLANTIC SUCCESS

SWEET CHILD O' MINE...

Lee Child's The Hard Way is blazing a trail across the globe -in its third week on The New York Times Bestseller List at No8 and in its EIGHTH WEEK on The Sunday Times Paperback Bestseller List - The Hard Way entered the paperback list at No1.

Tenth in the Jack Reacher series - The Hard Way hit the NYT No3 slot in the first week and continues to be the bookshops' favorite : No1 in Borders US and No3 at Barnes & Noble.

Other BESTSELLER CHART LISTINGS to date are:

No5 on The Washington Post Bestseller List.

Two weeks at No1 on the Book Sense Bestseller List, currently at No3.

Voted No3 in prestigious trade rag Publishing Weekly - Lee's first top-five PW debut.

LONDON BOOK FAIR 2007


Another record year for the agency at the London Book Fair.

We saw more publishers from more countries than we've ever seen before. Over 3 days the agency's foreign rights team took over 120 meetings with publishers from over 20 countries. A number of deals were brokered at the tables and well over 400 of our author's titles will be sent out over the coming weeks.

Emma White, Head of Foreign Rights at the Agency, says: "It was a very enjoyable fair this year - back in West London the atmosphere was much more relaxed than last year in the Docklands! I'm happy to report that the Rights Department and had a record number of appointments with foreign Publishers that we've not seen before. I'm confident of a good number of deals in the coming months. I'd also like to congratulate Maddie on doing such a wonderful job at the fair. Having only joined the Agency 3 weeks before the fair, she was phenomenal!!"

JOHN CONNOLLY CONTINUES TO WOW READERS

The Book of Lost Things hits the Irish Mass Market bestseller lists at No9 this week - further proof of its continually growing popularity.

John Connolly's masterful work The Book Of Lost Things caused a stir among booksellers and literary judges at home in Ireland and the UK and across the Atlantic.

So far prizes and recommendations are as follows:

- Shortlisted for the Hughes & Hughes Irish Book of the Year Award.

- Selected to be The Times Book Club choice for April ’ 07.

In the US:

Winner of the Alex Award. These Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.

The Book of the Month club will feature it in their main selection for the of the Book of the Month smart reader sub-club, in May.

Voted No1 Booksense Pick of the Month for December by The American Bookseller ’s Association.



NEW RIGHTS MANAGER
JOINS THE RANKS


 

 

We are delighted to announce that Madeleine Buston has now joined the Rights Department as a 'Rights Manager' as of the 26th March.

Madeleine joins us from Literary Agen
cy A P Watt, and will be working closely with Emma White, Darley Anderson's Head of Rights, to ensure continuing success in the Foreign Rights Department.

Madeleine will be a full time member of the Rights Team and replaces Lucie Whitehouse, who is sadly leaving us at the end of March after 5 years at the Agency to pursue her already successful writing career.



MARTINA AT THE NIBBIES


 

 

Biggest selling adult fiction writer Martina's latest novel Close has been nominated for the popular fiction award at the British Book Awards 2007.

The British Book Awards - the oscars of the publishing world - bring together and eclectic mix of literary giants, sports stars, comedians and bestselling mainstream authors.

The winners will be announced on the 28th March. See the action on Channel 4 on the 30th March.

Find out more at: http://www.britishbookawards.co.uk/pnbb_index.asp?



Q&A WITH ANNE BAKER


 

 

Read an interview with prolific author Sunday Times bestseller Anne Baker who this year sees her 22nd novel in print...



JACK REACHER'Z THE TOP


Lee Child with hard-man series character Jack Reacher has shot straight to No1 in The Sunday Times paperback bestseller list with The Hard Way!

With sales of 42,000 copies in his first full week - a 40% increase on like for like sales last year - he sets a NEW RECORD at Transworld.

Janet Maslin in The New York Times calls Lee Child "THE BEST THRILLER WRITER OF THE MOMENT".

The Boston Globe say Child is "THE BEST THRILLER WRITER IN THE BUSINESS".


CONGRATULATIONS LEE AND JACK, WE SALUTE YOU!

Bad Luck and Trouble is published in the UK in April and the US in May this year.

To keep up with Lee and Jack sign up for the Reacher Report at: http://www.leechild.com/report.html



READER'S NO1
BOOKSELLER'S NO1
HEADLINE'S NO1


Not only was Martina THE NO1 BIGGEST SELLING ADULT HARDBACK FICTION WRITER OF 2005!

S
he is now also officially the THE NO1 BIGGEST SELLING ADULT HARDBACK FICTION WRITER OF 2006!

Close -Martina's latest novel she went into the lists at No1 AFTER ONLY THREE DAYS SALES...WHSmith boasted selling a copy of Close every thirty seconds setting a Fiction Hardback Record for Book of the Week!!!

Spanning forty years of the criminal underworld Close is intense, shocking, unsettling and utterly addictive and features one of her strongest and most appealing heroines yet - Lily Diamond.

CONGRATULATIONS MARTINA!

Find out more about Martina's gripping latest novel at: www.gettingcloser.co.uk



HOME GROWN ESSEX TALENT


This year Bernadine Kennedy takes part in both the Essex Book Festival and the Southend Libraries Book Festival where she will be talking about her latest novel Past Chances.

Both events highlight some of the best home-grown talent and feature readings, discussion and family events.

Book tickets for these events go to:http://www.harlow.gov.uk/news/events/events and http://www.southend.gov.uk/resources/SBFbookletlowresproof.pdf

In her compelling novel Past Chances Bernardine Kennedy brilliantly conveys how the damage caused in the past can cause one's life to spiral out of control.

Eleanor Rivington has always felt like an outsider. Abandoned by her mother and brought up in fear of her father, she's desperate to leave home and live like other girls in London in the seventies. When a barman from work invites her to share a flat with him and two of his friends, it is her chance to break free.

But when Eleanor confronts her father the terrible tragedy that follows haunts her forever. And, despite the support of her new friends, Eleanor's life seems destined for further disappointment!



LUCKY NUMBER THIRTEEN


Tana French's stunning debut novel In the Woods has now been sold in THIRTEEN TERRITORIES.

To date In the Woods is sold in the UK, US, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Israel, France, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Romania and Lithuania...and all this before the book is even out in hardback!

This week
sees Tana at various London bookshops signing copies of In The Woods including: Waterstones (in Picadilly, Garrick street, Trafalgar Square, Oxford street, Notting Hill Gate, High Street Kensington and Harrods) Borders (in Oxford street and Charing Cross rd) and Foyles, Murder 1, Goldsboro books and Books Etc (Oxford street and Whiteleys). Pick up your signed copy this week!

Listen to an interview with Tan here:
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/fof/index.html#


MAN ALIVE - NUMBER FIVE


Clare Dowling's fabulous new novel No Strings Attached has now spent FIVE WEEKS IN THE IRISH TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLERS!

No Strings Attached was Easons Book of The Week and has been awarded a FOUR STAR **** rating from Heat magazine, Goodhousekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Candis aswell as being voted READ OF THE MONTH by Elle Magazine.

After a series of toxic bachelors, Mia finally meets David. But the night before their wedding, David's car is discovered on the top of a steep cliff, with his clothes neatly folded on the bonnet. To add insult to injury, his credit card number shows up two days later in the south of France. Has he got cold feet? Or has something more sinister happened to David? Mia sets off to France in search of answers, accompanied by David's best friend Lenny, the most toxic bachelor of them all. He's on a mission to convince Mia that relationships were never meant to last forever. And he's game if she is!

ANCIENT ROME CONQUERS US

Congratulations to David Wishart on publication of his ELEVENTH Marcus Corvinus novel - In At The Death hits the shelves in hardback on the 22nd March!

The surprise suicide of a young man with – apparently – everything to live for – prompts his family to ask Marcus Corvinus - THE PHILLIP MARLOWE OF ANCIENT ROME - to investigate. All they really want is an explanation. But Marcus’s sleuthing uncovers many contradictory elements in the tale, and he is forced to conclude that this wasn’t suicide at all, but murder.

FURTHER CONGRATULATIONS for breaking into the US with Ovid - the first in the Marcus Corvinus series. Paperback rights to Ovid and Germanicus have been licensed to Maggie Topkiss at Felony & Mayhem and Ovid will be published in Fall 07.

**Comic, bawdy and extremely engrossing, Ovid is an intriguing tale of mystery and suspense***

"Like Chandler's Marlowe, Corvinus wisecracks his way through a weary world of murder and intrigue until he hunts down the truth. A taut thriller in which ancient Rome springs to life."
- The Times

"Wishart is a fine Scholar and perfectly at home in the period." - The Sunday Times

"Ancient Rome's shrewdest and most sardonic detective...the best balance of hystery and mystery yet." - Kirkus Review.

"Innate humour and pace carry one through to the tragi-comic climax." - The Irish Times

NEW DARLEY ANDERSON DISCOVERY

Successful talent-spotting Agent Darley Anderson - who when it comes to animals is well known for his love of cats (His own cat – called ‘Little Cat’ is something of a media star having featured prominently in the work of two Agency clients: an hour long documentary of ‘Sunderland’s Granny’ Sheila Quigley, and in the paintings oft Kwon Kuen Shan whose cat books Anderson sold to Random House) is convinced he’s found a big bestselling dog book, and Val Hudson at Headline – who has done a number of successful dog books in her time – agrees and pre-empted in less than 24 hours with a high six figure offer.

The inception of the book was as follows: Darley, who is an avid reader of Country Life (“I’m a country house property voyeur” he says), came across a tiny piece about Graeme Sims – a clergyman, successful farmer shepherd and self-taught experienced dog trainer who had just come back from a successful US lecture tour on Dog Whispering. Darley Immediately sensed a bestseller – Graeme is so knowledgeable and so promotable – so signed him up and worked with him editorially until the manuscript was ready to submit.

Graeme says:“ When Darley Anderson rung to say that Headline had bought my book I had two sleepless nights (not through worry but for joy) Everyone at Darley Anderson's seem able to combine professionalism with bucketfulls of charm and my meetings with Val Hudson at Headline have been my idea of fun and productivity. If I was a footballer I would be over the moon and maybe that's just how I feel- it’s like signing on for a great club and being determined to score more goals than anyone thought I could.

It means that I can afford to do what I have always dreamed of which is to live in the most rural area spending my mornings training my dogs and the afternoons and evenings writing about them.

I learned about dogs as a shepherd among Celts now I shall return to sheepdog country where the place names have built in musicality and the valleys echo to the sounds of sheep and the whistles of the shepherds.

My first real job was writing blurbs at a publishing house; I never, in my wildest dreams , imagined that one day someone might write one about my book. It's a great feeling!”

Val Hudson says:“Thanks to Darley, we are now the proud publishers of the nation’s most renaissance author. Graeme Sims is an ex-advertising director, award-winning children’s book illustrator, country vicar and – most importantly – a man with the unique and uncanny ability to ‘speak dog’. His book tells you how you too can control, help and communicate with your best friend. His is a simple series of instructions, truly original and – quite simply – one that works like magic.

I’ve published quite a few books about man’s best friend in my time, but Graeme combines sparkle and instruction and sheer ‘trustability’ in a unique way, one that I know will appeal to the Great British Dog-owning public. His books will be at the top of the lists, and Headline will have a lot of fun getting him there.”

BORN IN THE USA

US rights to two of Martina's titles have been sold in the US for a high advance to Jamie Raab of Time Warner.

The first title is Close which American readers will be able to buy in 2008. Publication will be backed by a "far-reaching marketing and publicity campaign."

Close - which went into the No1 spot in the Hardback Bestseller charts AFTER ONLY THREE DAYS SALES - spent sixteen weeks in the Top Ten. WHSmith boasted selling a copy every 30 seconds.

ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR

Carole Matthews has been shortlisted to win the Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2007 for her fabulous novel Welcome to the Real World.

A longlist of 22 titles was whittled down to six by a panel ffrom The Romantic Novelists' Association which organises the Award. The overall winner will receive an engraved glass trophy and a cheque for £5000 at the Award Luncheon, to be held on Friday 27th at the Savoy Hotel in London.

The Romantic Novel of the Year Award was established in 1960 by the associatin to recognise excellence in romantic fiction.

***Fern Kendal has the voice of an angel but, as a badly paid barmaid and pub singer, she's going nowhere. Then she enters the TV talent show Fame Game and this could be her big break. If only, in the real world, things were that simple.

Evan David's exquisite tones have enthralled opera buffs throughout the world. His agent, his coach, his chauffeur and his chef are just a few of those who pander to his every need. But what Evan needs now is a break - from it all.

When Fern is picked to be Evan's assistant their two worlds collide and neither one is prepared for the dramatic effect they will have on each other. For something happens when they are together - and it's more than just music...

Welcome to the Real World is an irresistibly romantic story of what happens when two people from totally different worlds can't help falling in love....

Vote by visiting: http://www.rna-uk.org

LESLEY PEARSE'S
WOMEN OF COURAGE WINNER


Nicole Gallagher is the proud winner of the inaugural Lesley Pearse Women of Courage Award.

The announcement was made at a special Awards lunch attended by the five Award finalists, their friends and family, representatives of Penguin Books, Love It!, Woolworths and of course Lesley's agent Darley Anderson.

Nicole Gallagher (44) from Kent was nominated by her best friend, Anne Bunning, because of her care, courage and devotion to her two children; Aishling (5), who was born with internal malformations and Niamh (7), who suffers with Arnold Chiari malformation – where parts of her brain protrude into the spinal column. Both children have endured almost 20 operations between them and her love and support for them has never faltered.

Lesley Pearse said: ‘Nicole is an inspiration to all mothers. To have two children with severe medical problems, the endless sleepless nights, the agony of waiting by hospital beds, the fear and the anxiety, must be terrible. Yet Nicole has taken it in her stride without complaint, she sparkles and bubbles and doesn't ask 'Why Me?' I think she is marvellous and a truly courageous woman.’

Elizabeth Smith, Penguin's Commercial Marketing Director, said:'We have been incredibly moved by the stories we have received; all the women nominated have shown such bravery and sacrifice in their lives. Nicole's story touched us all. Her selfless and positive approach to dealing with such a heart-breaking situation is incredibly inspiring; she is a deserving winner of the first Lesley Pearse Women of Courage Award.

Karen Pasquali Jones, Editor of Love It!,said: ' Reading about how Nicole has loved and cared for both her children was an incredibly moving story. Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs in the world. All any mum wants for her children is that they can lead healthy and happy lives. Nicole is making sure that both her beautiful children manage to live fulfilled, contented lives, despite the challenging medical problems they face. The fact Nicole has managed to do so with such selflessness and grace shows that she is a true woman of courage, and an inspiration to us all.'

Gerry Berkley, Woolworths' Books Trading Managersaid: ‘We at Woolworths are incredibly proud to be associated with the Woman of Courage Award and are delighted that the prizes went to such worthy and deserving winners’.

Lesley's latest novel Hope is the portrait of a remarkable woman who will never let the world - or injustice - bring her down. And is in its fifth week on the paperback bestseller lists at No7.

Read more about Lesley and her bestselling books at: http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/lesleypearse/books.html#hope



WHITE HOT FOREIGN RIGHTS TEAM


 

Emma White has been promoted to Head of Rights at the Agency effective from the beginning of this year.

White joined the Darley Anderson Agency in May 2004 as Rights manager.


JOHN CONNOLLY IS ITALIAN NO1

ITS A FIRST FOR JOHN CONNOLLY. AND A FIRST FOR THE DARLEY ANDERSON AGENCY.

The paperback edition of The Black Angel - L'Angelo Delle Ossa -has gone straight to No1 in the Italian Bestseller Lists....

***The Black Angel was a Sunday Times and Irish Times Bestseller***

A young woman goes missing from the streets of New York. Those who have taken her believe that nobody cares about her and that no one will come looking for her. They are wrong.

She is “blood” to the killer Louis, the man who stands at the right hand of private detective Charlie Parker and Louis will tear apart anyone who stands in the way of his attempts to find her. But as Louis’ violent search progresses, Parker comes to realize that the disappearance is part of an older mystery, one that is linked to an ornate church of bones in Eastern Europe, to the slaughter at a French monastery in 1944 and to the quest for a mythical prize that has been sought for centuries by evil men: the Black Angel.

Yet the Black Angel is more than a myth. It lives. And men are not the only creatures that seek it...

Congratulations John!



RACE OF THE MINI YORKSHIRES


Simon & Schuster is holding a competition to celebrate publication of The Yorkshire Pudding Club by debut novelist Milly Johnson.

Anyone who is pregnant and working in the publishing industry is eligible to enter to join the Yorkshire Pudding Publishing Club prize draw and win vouchers for Mothercare.

There will be even be a bonus prize for the first 'publishing' baby born in 2007! And one name will be selected at random to win a mother-to-be Pamper Parcel.

To enter email Amanda Shipp (amanda.shipp@simonandschuster.co.uk) with your name, work address and job position and the approximate baby due date.

Entry closes 31st December 2006.

The Yorkshire Pudding Club will be published on the 7th March 2007.



BAD MEN TO HIT SILVER SCREEN


Sobini films in association with Lionsgate have bought the film rights to John Connolly's bestselling thriller Bad Men.

Bad Men which topped the Irish and Australian bestseller lists and was a Sunday Times Top Five Bestseller tells the story of a mysterious woman who takes refuge on a haunted island off Maine.

The screenplay is being written by hot Hollywood talent Stephen Susco famed for his work on The Grudge and Cirle of Confusion.

Sobini most recently produced Peaceful Warrior which was released by Lionsgate.



CLARE DOWLING IN THE HOT SEAT


 

 

Read about Clare's books, where she gets her inspiration from, her heroes and favorite reads and what's in store for the 2006/2007!



FIRST OF ITS KIND AWARD


 

 

The UK's No1 selling hardback adult fiction author Martina Cole is the FIRST EVER WRITER TO SPONSOR AN AWARD at the Bookseller Retail Awards.

The Martina Cole General Retailer of the Year 2006 award was won by Tesco.

The winners can boast a sales uplift of 52% in 2005 - as well as that one in five of their 15 million customers now buys books in their local Tescos.



JOHN CONNOLLY
A US SUCCESS


John Connolly's dark and magical novel The Book of Lost Things is proving a massive hit in the US where it has been picked as December's Book of the Month by Booksense as well as starred and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by the Library Review.

The Book of Lost Things which is being hailed as a feat of modern storytelling tells the story of a young boy mourning his mother. David is angry and he is alone, with only the books on his shelf to keep him company.

But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness and as he takes refuge in the whispers and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother he finds that the real world and the fantasy world have begun to meld. The Crooked Man has come, with his mocking smile and his enigmatic words: " Welcome your majesty, all hail the new King."

As war rages across Europe, David is violently propelled into a world that is both a construct of his imagination and frighteningly real. A strange reflection of his own world composed of myths and stories, populated by hybrid wolves - the Loups, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a legendary book of lost things...

"For a most unique flight of fantasy, The Book Of Lost Things is a powerful testament of growth, change and acceptance in a world of endless possibilities." -The Clarion Ledger

"A tale sure to be a hit with adult and teen readers of Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl" - The Poisoned Pen



RECORD YEAR AT THE FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2006


 

t was another great year for the agency's Foreign Rights department who had over 150 meetings with scouts and foreign publishers.

Highlights included a substantial pre-empt from the Italians for new children's author Adrienne Kress's Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and a heated Greek auction which started at the fair and concluded the following week with a record breaking advance for three books - the largest the agency has ever had in this territory.

Another new agency author Jane Costello's debut novel Bridesmaids was met with great enthusiasm and Italian rights were snapped up for a very good sum by Mondadori in Italy.

The Foreign Rights team say:

Emma White:"Frankfurt is the highlight of the Rights calendar, and the increased number of appointments we have with a wider range of Foreign Publishers from far-flung territories gives us exciting opportunities for the year ahead."

Lucie Whitehouse: "The foreign editors were certainly in a buying mood and there were offers at the table from publishers already enjoying overseas success with Agency authors. Frankfurt remains critical for keeping up to date with developments in all of the many markets in which our authors are published."



FROM BUSES TO BOOKS


 

 

The Agency's oldest author Elizabeth Waite has just celebrated her 84th birthday!

Her first book was taken on by Darley Anderson and bought by Little Brown when she was seventy years old.

Elizabeth - ex driver of the No18 Tooting bus has written fifteen books in fourteen years and has already started on her next one!

To add to her wonderful writing career, Elizabeth is in the TOP CATEGORY of the most borrowed books from libraries nationwide - for the FOURTH YEAR running.

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST BIRTHDAY WISHES ELIZABETH!



SUN SEA AND SAGAS


 

 

Bestselling writer Lynda Page shone brightly at her first ever spanish book signing in Costa Blanca!!

Recently named No5 FAVORITE SAGA WRITERS, Lynda was met with a resounding Ole by hordes of loyal fans buying copies of Onwards and Upwards and For What it's Worth and was in her element discussing their favourite characters, plots and surprise endings.

Lynda says:" I couldn't believe I'd been named in a list which included such amazing authors as Agatha Christie and Josephine Cox, I was stunned. Even better was that it was a people's poll. That's what is the most important to me, what the actual readers think. That's why days like this are fantastic, I get to meet the readers and I get completely honest feeldback."


DARKHOUSE IS HUGE INTERNATIONAL HIT

 

 

Alex Barclay's debut crime novel Darkhouse is now published in FIFTEEN languages!!!

As well as UK and US editions Darkhouse has so far been sold to fifteen other territories including France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Russia, The Czech Republic, Poland, Taiwan, Turkey, Portugal, Brazil, Norway, Japan, Greece and Bulgaria.

Darkhouse hit both the UK AND Irish Hardback Bestseller Lists on publication last year.


FRIENDS RE-UNITED

 

 

Darley Anderson catches up with Harper Collins Managing Directors Sally Gritten and Amanda Ridout at their wonderful annual author party at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington gardens.


LESLEY PEARSE LAUNCHES
WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD

 

 

It's official. The Lesley Pearse Women of Courage Award in association with The Sun and Woolworth's has been launched!

This FIRST OF ITS KIND AWARD will celebrate the achievements of ordinary women who have lived extraordinary lives - real Women of Courage. Inspiration comes from Lesley's own incredible life story - risen from an orphanage to become one of the nation's favorite bestselling authors.

Lesley says:'I'm so thrilled to be involved with this award and whether you win the prizes or not the nomination will mean so much to someone. You simply can't have too many opportunities to tell a friend or a loved one that you think they are - or something they've done - is special. Simply by registering nomination you are bringing somebody to wider recognition - and I can't imagine not being moved by that.
'

Nomination period starts in July when Lesley's wonderful new novel Hope will be on the shelves!

To find out more visit: www.womenofcourageaward.co.uk

SCARLETT SOARS INTO
TOP TWENTY

 

 

Cathy Cassidy flies into the Top Twenty Bestseller list at No17 with her latest novel Scarlett !!

Scarlett's not red like a sunset, she's red with rage. She cannot believe her mum's sunk so low as to pack her off to Ireland to stay with the dad who left them. Surely he's the reason for everything going wrong, her never being able to stay in a school, rules always just, somehow, seeming to get broken? Ha! They won't get round her so easily.

But she hasn't reckoned on the gorgeous Kian. He might just find a way to change Scarlett's mind. There's a chance that – this time – things will be different...

Can Scarlett manage her anger or will she die of boredom?

Find out more about Cathy Cassidy at: www.cathycassidy.com

ANNE BAKER CELEBRATES A SPECIAL CAREER AT HEADLINE

 

 

Headline Books will throw a lavish lunch party for bestselling saga writer Anne Baker to celebrate publication of her 21st book!

Anne's editor Marion Donaldson says: "I'm thrilled to be celebrating publication of Anne's 21st book with Headline with her agent, Darley Anderson. Carousel of Secrets is the latest in a series of wonderfully evocative, page-turning sagas from an author who has won the hearts of legions of readers over the years, and we are thrilled and proud to have been her publishers from the very first one.We look forward to the next 21!"

Carousel of Secrets was published on June 5th 2006.


AGENCY AUTHORS MAKE BIG IMPRESSION ON BESTSELLER LISTS WORLDWIDE

 

 

 


Agency authors are featuring strongly on Bestseller Lists AROUND THE WORLD...

*** Martina Cole's latest crime thriller The Take has taken the No1 slot on the Sunday Times Paperback Fiction Bestseller List IN ITS FIRST WEEK OF PUBLICATION!***

***Constance Briscoe's memoir Ugly has now been on The Sunday Times Hardback Bestseller list for TWENTY WEEKS. ***

***Cathy Cassidy's Scarlett has entered the Bestseller List at No17 with her wonderful novel Scarlett***

***Lincolnshire's queen of the romantic saga, Margaret Dickinson spent SEVEN weeks on the Heatseeker's list with Pauper's Gold - her latest heart rending story of love and survival .***

***Lee Child's The Hard Way is now A COAST TO COAST BESTSELLER, listed on TWELVE BESTSELLER LISTS ACROSS THE US including the New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, the Dallas Morning News, the Independant Mystery Booksellers association,The NAIBA, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post, the Washington Post, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Rocky Mountain News and the San Francisco Chronicle.***

***The Hard Way also celebrates a TOP TEN rating in the New York Times Book Review.***

***Lee Child's thriller One Shot spent SIX weeks in The Sunday Times Top Ten Paperback Bestseller List.One Shot hit the lists at No2 in only its second week***.

***And John Connolly's latest offering The Book Of Lost Things featured as a TOP TITLE in The Bookseller's literary, historical and general listing.***

It may be the World Cup scoring goals this summer but authors on Darley's list are the true winners.....


PAUL CARSON HITS US

 

 

 

US rights to Paul Carson's thrillers Ambush and Betrayal have been sold to Daniela Rapp at St. Martin's Press in the US.

Betrayal will be published in Hardback in Spring ' 07 - followed up by Ambush in Spring 08.


HOLLYWOOD ZAPPED

 

 

 

Bruckheimer and Disney have bought the film rights for Ahmet Zappa's The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless for a monstrous $1.5 million through Helen Breitwieser of the Cornerstone Literary Agency,an associate to the Darley Anderson Agency.

Walt Disney emerged victorious after the feverish auction with Buena Vista Motion Pictures and Warner. The screenwriter is Tim Firth - who's latest screenscript was Kinky Boots.

Watch this space for more news on The Monstrous Memoirs' mighty screen appearance!


WILD RIGHTS BONANZA

 

 

 


We've had a flurry of sales for Kate Wild's The Hercules Gene, published in Spring 2007 by Chicken House.
 
Taiwanese rights go to Crown, Italian rights to Salani and Danish rights to Sesam, all in record breaking deals for the agency.

Watch this space for further news...

TANA FRENCH IS HOT PROPERTY

 

 

 

Exciting new talent Tana French has been snapped up by publishers Hodder in the UK, Hodder Headline in Ireland and Viking/Penguin in the US for her stunning debut novel In The Woods.

Jointly acquired for a large six figure sum by Sue Fletcher at Hodder UK and Ciara Considine of Hodder Headline Ireland In The Woods is SET FOR GREAT THINGS.

Darley Anderson says: "Tana has a great talent. Her characters are absolutely superb. So is her plotting. She will be a BESTSELLER."

Emma White, who sells US rights at the agency, negotiated a six-figure sum with Viking/Penguin US for two thrillers by Tana including In The Woods. Viking's Kendra Harpster says: "Everyone at Viking was absolutely floored from the very first page of Tana's novel. We have a massively appealing masterpiece that readers are sure to love.This is a very exciting addition to the Viking list."In The Woods is a haunting psychological crime thriller that starts with the discovery of a little girl's body on an archealogical site just outside Dublin.

Investigating the crime is detective duo Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox. What Rob hides from his colleagues is that the murder brings back memories of a traumatic event in his own past, and the investigation becomes inextricably entangled with that long-ago event.

Sue Fletcher says: "It's hard to believe this is Tana 's first novel, because it is so confident and assured. She has superb plotting skills and the gift of creating sympathetic, flawed characters."

Ciara Considine says: "From the first page this stands out from the crowd, completely engaging and full of surprising twists and turns. This surely marks the BEGINNING OF A BESTSELLING CAREER for Tana."

LOCAL STAR KICKS OFF TOUR

SHEILA QUIGLEY

 

 

 

Thursday 6th April saw the hugely successful signing and launch of Sheila Quigley's latest thriller - Living On A Prayer at Ottakars in Sunderland.

The event was a lively mix of fans, friends and family - with Sheila signing well over hundred copies!

Sheila really is a local star and the enthusiasm and excitement from everyone at the party was tangible. Among Sheila's family were her three daughters Dawn, Janice and Diane and son Micheal. Also in attendance were Susan Sandon, Alex Hippisley-Cox and Dave Westwood from Random House and Emma White and Zoe King from the Darley Anderson Agency.

Over the forthcoming weeks Sheila will be touring bookshops nationwide!
See where Sheila will be next and get your copy signed - www.randomhouse.co.uk/events

A GOLDEN CELEBRATION FOR

MARGARET DICKINSON

 

 

 

On 7th April Pan Macmillan hosted a celebratory champagne tea at Ottakars in Lincoln for Margaret Dickinson - Lincolnshire's queen of the romantic saga.

The party celebrated publication of Margaret’s 21st novel Pauper’s Gold and 50 years of writing – a staggering achievement!

The party was attended by a wonderful mix of people. Philippa McEwan, Catriona Row and Sandra Taylor were there from Pan; Julia Churchill from the Darley Anderson Agency; Sue Coley, Dawn Bradley, Sue Walker and Sue McNair from Skegness Library; Gill Hart and Peter Lord were there from Ottakars. Friends and family also came, and of course Dennis, Margaret’s husband.

The Mayor of Lincoln also came to toast Margaret’s success!

Two of Margaret’s biggest fans were there too, having won a competition run in The Lincolnshire Echo.

They had both read all of Margaret’s books – one of the winners even shares names with one of Margaret’s characters.

That morning Margaret signed 250 books at WHSmith Skegness, with queues out of the door, and the following day she signed 115 books at Ottakars in Lincoln. She has a promotional tour of nearly 30 events and signings, on top of her normal busy schedule. She really is indefatigable...

Find out where Margaret's next signing is at: www.panmacmillan.com/events

MONSTROUS ADVANCE FOR

AHMET ZAPPA

 

 

 

Ahmet Zappa's thrilling debut children's novel - The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless has been sold to Puffin after a very hard fought auction for an almighty six figure advance.

Zappa, son of legendary rock star Frank Zappa, says it was his childhood obsession with monsters that provided the origins of The Monstrous Memoirs - the story of monster hunts, a kidnap and a daring rescue.

Brother sister duo Max and Minerva McFearless set out to save their father - a renowned monster hunter - from the most loathsome diabolical monster in the universe.

"Scientific data" on all the things that go bump in the night and recipes for keeping bloodthirsty beasts at bay abound in this fabulously illustrated hysterical adventure story.

Sarah Hughes at Puffin says:"It has such direct child appeal, it's the kind of book that turns non readers into readers. This kind of distinctive talent doesn't come along every day."

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless will be published in the UK and US in August 2006.


MARTINA COLE TAKES ON THE LISTS

 

 

Martina Cole takes on both the The Sunday Times paperback Bestseller List AND the Irish Bestseller List with her latest page-turning thriller The Take going straight in at No2!!!

The Take was the biggest selling hardback adult fiction title of 2005 and continues to receive rave reviews.


LEE CHILD HITS LISTS THE HARD WAY

Lee Child's highly acclaimed latest thriller The Hard Way is now in it's THIRD WEEK in The Sunday Times Hardback Bestseller List - after going straight in at No2.

The Hard Way - also a New York Times Bestseller is proving itself to be a A COAST TO COAST TRANS-ATLANTIC BESTSELLER - listed on TWELVE BESTSELLER LISTS ACROSS THE US including the New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, the Dallas Morning News, the Independant Mystery Booksellers association,The NAIBA, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Denver Post, the Washington Post, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Rocky Mountain News and the San Francisco Chronicle.


***IF YOU HAVEN'T MET REACHER....YOU DON'T KNOW JACK.***


HIGH HOPES FOR LESLEY'S LATEST

 

 

This week long term Agency author Lesley Pearse climbed to No4 in The Booktrack HARDBACK Bestseller Lists with her latest novel Hope - her highest hardback position yet!

Lesley has previously pipped the top spot at No1 in The Sunday Times paperback Bestseller lists...

Lesley was also the most borrowed romantic fiction novelist in 2004/5!!

CONGRATULATIONS LESLEY!


AGENCY'S ANNUAL VISIT TO HAY FESTIVAL

 

 

 

It was another great year for the Agency at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival with Cathy Cassidy a favorite nominee for the Red House Children's Book Award.

The Agency got together with authors, publishers, booksellers, and friends for a culinary feast and champagne, organised by Julia Churchill.


THE HARD WAY

TAKES OFF LIKE A SHOT

 

 

 

IT'S STANDING ROOM ONLY AT EVERY LEE CHILD EVENT across the US on his tour to talk about and promote his new book The Hard Way now in its second week in THE NEW YORK TIMES HARDBACK FICTION LIST. The Hard Way debuted at No3!!

The highly influential New York Times critic Janet Maslin says The Hard Way : "TAKES OFF LIKE A SHOT...Jack Reacher is the rough, tough superman of the crime-busting genre...as smart and charismatic as he is unbeatable"

More praise for The Hard Way includes:

"Electrifying" - Entertainment Weekly

Lee Child's Thrillers are "the BEST written, BEST plotted, BEST in just about every way." -The Boston Globe

Late at night in a New York café, army-cop-turned-drifter Jack Reacher orders coffee in a foam cup so that he can move on at a moment’s notice. He owns nothing, carries less. He has never met a female colleague he can’t seduce, or a case he can’t solve.

But now Reacher is confronted by a situation so disturbing and deceptive that the truth eludes him. Has he painted targets on the good guys’ backs?

The Hard Way is published in the UK on 3rd July 2006.

MARTINA TELLS IT LIKE IT REALLY IS AT THE NIBBIES

 

 

 

Martina Cole's bestselling novel The Take has won the prestigious Crime Thriller of the Year award at the British Book Awards 2006 - the Oscars of the publishing world.

The Take - which went straight to No1 in The Sunday Times hardback Bestseller List - was the biggest selling HARDBACK ADULT FICTION title in 2005.

Find out more at www.britishbookawards.co.uk

LEE CHILD HITS WORLDWIDE

BESTSELLER CHARTS

 

 

 

Lee Child's thriller One Shot spent SIX weeks in The Sunday Times Top Ten paperback Bestseller List.One Shot hit the lists at No2 in only it's second week.

'Sharp... addictive...a first rate thriller' - One Shot is our annual, much awaited Reacher-fix.

'Jack Reacher is irresistible.’
Observer

‘Hot, indomitable… knockout...pure escapist gold.'
New York Times

Read about the man behind Jack Reacher at www.jackreacher.co.uk

DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR DARKHOUSE

 

 

 

It was a double whammy for Alex Barclay's stunning debut novel Darkhouse which went into both The Sunday Times Bestseller List at No7 AND Irish Bestseller List at No4 - quickly rising to No1 (ahead of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code).

A DECADE OF JACK REACHER

 

 

 

Monday 6th March 2006

Lee Child and Darley Anderson jointly hosted a lavish party to celebrate TEN YEARS OF WORLDWIDE PUBLICATION at the exclusive Westminster Penthouse overlooking the Houses of Parliament.

Hailed as THE PARTY OF THE LONDON BOOK FAIR it was a lively mix of Lee's worldwide publishers, movie people, friends and fans from the industry.

The atmosphere was buzzing - with champagne on tap and delicious canapes - and both Lee and Darley made a point of thanking the various guests for their hardwork and contribution to what will soon be the Jack Reacher phenomenon. Lee encapsulated the mood saying :"This party is for all of you".

And there was huge excitement when Lee's Hollywood agent Steve Fisher proudly announced the sale of the Jack Reacher Book Series Film rights to Paramount.

In his speech Darley looked back on what has been an amazing success story and recalled his excitement on reading the first manuscript about 'sex-on-legs' Reacher with that universal theme of "feared by the bad loved by the good, Robin Hood, Robin Hood."

To further set the mood was an enormous world map showing in red the countries where Lee is currently published and the bold insignia - THE SUN NEVER SETS ON JACK REACHER.

Click here to view the party snaps.

Read more about Lee in his interview with The Bookseller at www.thebookseller.com

LONDON BOOK FAIR 2006

 

 

 

Another record year for the agency at the London Book Fair.

We saw more publishers from more countries than we've ever seen before. Over 3 days the agency's foreign rights team took over 100 meetings with publishers from over 30 countries. A record number of deals were done at the table and well over 400 of our author's titles were requested and will be sent out over the coming weeks.

**CHANCE ENCOUNTER **

In a chance encounter Darley Anderson gave one aspiring author Linda Chapple some key insights into the trade. Here's what she wrote:

I'd been harbouring a grudge against Darley Anderson for eight years. Ever since he'd dismissed my phone call - and rather pathetic first attempt at a novel with 'I don't do issue books.'
Now sitting opposite him at table 331 at the London Book Fair, he laughs at me and says, 'Did I really say that?'
For the next forty minutes, I watch him eating ciabatta and drinking coke and he gives me something that few busy agents would be willing to give. His time. As he talks, I realise he's not the gruff, fob-you-off agent I first thought. He's a darling. He probably wouldn't thank you for that description, because, after all, he hasn't got where he is today by being nice to people. But he did take time out to talk. And what he said made so much sense.

He tells me that around 150,000 titles are published a year. But how many of these authors can you actually name? I agree perhaps no more than ten, off the top of my head. Darley Anderson's mission is to build careers, to make names, and unashamedly to make money.

In the bestseller market, he explains, people read books in bits, they're multi tasking. Watch any popular television programme and you can see this. So keep your chapters short. He shakes his head when I tell him mine are around thirty pages.

Another important thing is to keep the drama happening - every five pages or so. The reader must have a reason to keep turning those pages. Whether it's romance, sex or violence. He smiles again, ' particularly violence.'

And then there's the title. It's so important. Less is more. One word can say it all - like one of his most recent author's books,'Ugly' - a true story about overcoming child abuse - by Constance Briscoe.
He's always on the look out for a new story - a buzz - something to capture the imagination. I guess that's really the meaning of the word 'novel.'

Last but not least, you have to like the main character. He has a twinkle in his eye when he tells me. But then that's Darley Anderson. What a Darling.

NEW YORKSHIRE WRITER RISES NICELY

MILLY JOHNSON

 

 

 

One of the Agency’s newest authors, Milly Johnson, is celebrating going international with her debut novel The Yorkshire Pudding Club

The manuscript was submitted to overseas publishers to coincide with this year’s London Book Fair and German and Italian rights have subsequently been snapped up in heated auctions. 

Full of heart and humour The Yorkshire Pudding Club is the story of three Barnsley friends whose lives are turned upside down when they all become pregnant – shortly after a picnic on a prehistoric fertility symbol. At the centre of the book are moving stories about love and family.

Early readers have compared Milly’s powerful, warm and funny writing to the books of Marian Keyes and The Full Monty.

The Yorkshire Pudding Club will be published in the UK by Simon & Schuster and in March 2007.

THRILLING NEW CHILDREN'S AUTHOR

KATE WILD

 

 

 

We are delighted to announce the arrival of a major new talent in children’s fiction.

Kate Wild's first two books have been acquired by legendary talent spotter Barry Cunningham at Chicken House. The Hercules Gene is the first in a series of adventure thrillers for 10+ featuring gypsy boy Freedom Smith.

Two hundred years ago, legendary bare-knuckle champion Hercules Smith passed on a dangerous inheritance to his descendents - a rogue gene giving phenomenal strength and fighting skills. Sixteen year old Freedom has inherited it but all it does is cause him trouble. And things are about to get worse.

Barry Cunningham says: 'Kate Wild is a great new writer - bold, exciting, and with a real grasp of terrific 'all action' plotting, plus a feel for unusual and colourful characters who will hook right in to children's imagination.'

The Hercules Gene will be published in the UK and US in Spring 2007.

BURGLAR ON THE BOX

 

 

 


A major new deal will see Agency novelist Danny King's The Burglar Diaries transformed into a TV sitcom. 

The Burglar Diaries (first published by Serpent's Tail in 2001) have been bought by the BBC and will be turned into a six part series to be screened on BBC3 early 2007 with Pete Thornton producing.
 
BBC3 is described by the BBC as an outlet for "New drama, New talent, British comedy, top films and accessible news". Danny King's The Burglar Diaries will be in good company at BBC3, the home of Little Britain, The Smoking Rooms and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
 
BBC Creative Head for Mainstream Comedy, Michael Jacob who commissioned the show said ' We're all very excited ... Burglar has the same feel as 'The Smoking Rooms' - classy writing, a bit out of the ordinary, great characters and very funny.'
 
Danny King's latest novel Milo's Run was published by Serpent's Tail on 15th March.

Watch this space for more news about 'Burglar' screening dates...

CONSTANCE BRISCOE TOPS THE BESTSELLER LISTS

 

 

 

Constance Briscoe's childhood memoir, Ugly, made the hardback fiction No1 spot after only one week of sales. Ugly is now in its EIGHTEENTH week in the charts holding strong at No3 (UGLY Spent nine weeks at No2).

Constance has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes, from GMTV to Newsnight and her story has also featured in most national newspapers including The Daily Mail, The Sunday Times,The Guardian, The Financial Times and The Independent.

As a child, Constance was beaten and mentally abused by her mother, yet went on to become one of our first black female judges. Her autobiography, Ugly, tells how the injustice she suffered as a child fuelled her determination to climb to the top in the legal world.

BLACK ANGEL SWOOPS TO CONQUER

 

 

 

John Connolly's latest crime novel The Black Angel flew to No1 in the Irish Bestseller List after going in at No2 in its first week of publication.

The Black Angel swooped into the the Sunday Times paperback Bestseller List at No4 in it's first week on the shelves.

MUCH LOVED AUTHOR DIES

 

 

 

Joan Jonker died on Monday 13th February.

Joan was a remarkable woman quite apart from being a bestselling writer.

In 1976 Joan set up the charity Victims of Violence in Liverpool and over a period of 23 years she and her charity helped 12,000 people and opened the first shelters for victims in the country.

She was recently voted one of the Greatest Merseysiders in a BBC poll.

Her long term editor and close friend at Headline Books, Clare Foss, said ‘Joan was an incredibly special woman whose novels touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people of all ages and of all walks of life. A day seldom went by without a letter arriving from one of Joan’s adoring fans and it was little surprise when a few years ago Joan was voted “Lancashire Woman of the Year”. She was a treasured friend as well as favourite author and she will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with her family’.

Her agent, Darley Anderson, said: ‘It was always a pleasure, a privilege and an education to be involved with Joan as her literary agent which I was for many happy and successful years. You don’t meet many truly special people in your life. Joan was one of the very few special people I have been fortunate to know. She touched so many people's lives and made them better.’

 

LESLEY PEARSE STRAIGHT INTO THE BESTSELLER LISTS

 

 

 

A Lesser Evil, Lesley Pearse's latest bestseller, went straight into the paperback lists at No3. Lesley's sales are up 30% on the Secrets paperback published last year.

To win a copy of this latest book, send an email to enquiries@darleyanderson.com with the subject line "A Lesser Evil". Two winners will be picked at the end of the month..

NEW YEAR/OLD SCORES

Read about Bernardine's books, where she gets her inspiration from and what's coming up in 2006.
Old Scores is out now in hardback and will be published in paperback in March '06.

ARTINA COL

COSTA DEL BESTSELLER

 

 

 

SPAIN’S COSTA DEL Sol became the Costa del Bestsellers when it played host to Headline’s top crime author Martina Cole, as she undertook a series of signings for holidaymakers and expats at resorts along the Mediterranean coast for the international launch of the hardback of The Take.

Headline is planning a global “brand-building” strategy, to be launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair, when Cole will meet foreign publishers, booksellers and distributors.

Read more about this story at www.publishingnews.co.uk

Visit Martina's website at http://authorpages.hoddersystems.com/MartinaCole

FIFTY YEARS FOLLOWING HER DREAM

 

 

 

Fifty years ago this year, at the age of fourteen, Margaret Dickinson sent her first short story to Woman’s Own. For as long as she can remember, Margaret dreamed of being a published author, determined that one day she would walk into a book shop and see her own paperback book there on the shelf.

It was not accepted and neither were many more short stories and a first novel written between the aged of sixteen and twenty. But the rejections acted not as a deterrent but as a spur. Margaret was resolved to become a writer, typing out scripts on a portable typewriter in the evening after a full day’s work as a secretary.

In 1968 Robert Hale accepted her novel Pride of the Courtneys. Between 1969 and 1984, seven other titles followed, but success was tempered by more rejections and today, seven novels (each representing at least a year’s work) lie unpublished in her loft. ‘And there they will stay,’ Margaret says. ‘If they weren’t good enough for publication then, they certainly aren’t now! But I look upon them as a learning curve.’

There then came a seven-year gap when Margaret had to set aside her writing ambitions because of family commitments. But in 1991 with her dream still unfulfilled – she hadn’t yet achieved paperback publication - Margaret had that piece of luck that everyone needs at some time in their life. She found Darley Anderson. It was the turning point for her. Darley advised her to write a regional saga and, eighteen months later, he was able to hold an auction between five paperback publishers for Plough the Furrow. A week of bidding followed when Margaret describes herself as being “on cloud nine” when Pan Macmillan won the auction and offered a two book contract. Plough the Furrow was published in September 1994 and a month later, Margaret walked into WHSmith in Cardiff (a fair distance from her home in Lincolnshire!) and the paperback was on the shelf. It had taken thirty eight years, but at last it was there! The dream had come true,

2006, as well as celebrating her fiftieth year as a writer, sees the publication of Margaret’s twenty-first novel, Pauper’s Gold, which is also her thirteenth for Pan Macmillan.

And her future ambitions? ‘Ah well, now that would be telling, but Darley will be the first to know,’ Margaret says and then adds, ‘Of course, I could try another short story for Woman’s Own…’

MARTINA COLE TAKES CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE

 

 

 

Martina Cole has taken the prestigious Christmas number one spot for the second year running.

She sold 25,000 of The Take harback in one week to bring her back up to the top spot in 2005.

Congratulations Martina! M

AGENCY SIGNS NEW CRIME AUTHOR

The Agency is delighted to announce the arrival of a brand-new major crime talent.

Patrick Lennon has signed with Hodder & Stoughton for the first books in a new series of Cambridge crime novels featuring Detective Inspector Tom Fletcher.

The first novel in the series is Corn Dolls which Hodder will publish in August. Tom Fletcher begins to investigate a pair of suspicious deaths in an isolated fenland community and discovers a trail that leads him back to a trio of suspicious deaths in the 1970s and an enigmatic Russian gangster hell-bent on revenge.

Corn Dolls is extremely accomplished, announcing Patrick as a writer of enormous originality and style. He has a unique voice, a real understanding of character and psychology and the ties that bind father to son, country to city, past to present…

ALEX BARCLAY DEBUT IN TOP TEN


Alex Barclay's outstanding thriller, Darkhouse, debuted at number seven in The Sunday Times hardback besteller list.

Darkhouse caused a real stir when the Agency started to sell translation rights at last year’s London Book Fair, with some seriously hot bidding for the rights to publish. Successful bidders included Hakurosha of Japan, Luebbe in Germany and Editions Michel Lafon in France.

Alex has since been invited to sales conferences across Europe to introduce her book to foreign booksellers. Her adventures have included a day of go-karting with German booksellers at the Schumacher brothers’ track!

Read all about the author and her bestselling book in this month's author interview. Click on the Q&A to hear about how she got started and the bones of her latest work...

 

 

20 LANGUAGES FOR THE RICE MOTHER

Rights in Rani Manicka’s sweeping epic debut, The Rice Mother, have now been sold into TWENTY languages. Russian rights were sold to the Ukraine-based Family Leisure Club.

The Rice Mother has captured the imaginations of readers across the world. In particular, the Dutch edition has sold more than 100,000 copies and the Portuguese edition has been a number two bestseller this spring.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW


This month's author interview is with Lesley Pearse. Click on Q&A to hear about her latest offerings and insights.

 

VILLAGE LIFE'S A 'SHAW' THING


21st March 2005

Rebecca Shaw, author of the hugely successful Turnham Malpas and Barleybridge series, proved that tales of village life are as popular as ever with her latest novel, Whispers in the Village, entering The Sunday Times hardback Bestseller List at an impressive No 8.

The eleventh book in the Turnham Malpas series, Rebecca has been steadily climbing up the lists since the publication of her first novel, The New Rector, in 1994.

Her enchanting tales of village life have secured her place as one of the most popular writers on Orion’s list.

 

ORANGE PRIZE NOMINATION FOR AGENCY'S YOUNGEST AUTHOR


21st March 2005

The Agency is delighted to announce that Kira Cochrane’s Escape Route for Beginners has been long-listed for this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction.

Surreal, subversive and deliciously black, the novel is the second ingenious and extraordinary novel from Cochrane.

Anderson instantly recognized her talent and secured a six-figure two-book deal on the basis of the first six chapters of her first novel, The Naked Season, making her the youngest author at the agency.

Born in Essex in 1977, she studied American Literature at the Universities of Sussex and California before moving to London to work as a journalist.

The Orange Prize for Fiction Shortlist will be announced on the 18 th April 2005.

 

PORTUGUESE BESTSELLER FOR

RANI MANICKA


21st March 2005

International award-winning author Rani Manicka has climbed the Portuguese bestseller list to a remarkable No. 2 with her debut novel, The Rice Mother.

Translated into 18 languages, The Rice Mother won the South East Asia and South Pacific Region 2003 Commonwealth Writer’s Prize and has received international acclaim.

She has also written Touching Earth and is currently working on her third novel.

 

CATHY CASSIDY SOARS INTO THE BESTSELLER LISTS


24th February 2005

Anderson’s belief that he’d discovered a major bestselling children’s writer in Cathy Cassidy was proved right again this week as Cassidy’s second book Indigo Blue continued to soar up the Children’s Titles List to an impressive No. 25 in the charts.

And with her third book Driftwood scheduled for Autumn publication this year, Anderson believes for Cassidy the only way is up.

Driftwood is about four children, two girls and two boys, in a Scottish high school by the sea. It’s about being different, feeling lost…and falling in love. Anderson say’s simply, ‘It’s a masterpiece’.

Indeed, Managing Director Francesca Dow and the Puffin Team, wanting high level involvement from the very top down, gave a copy of Driftwood to Pearson boss Marjorie Scardino who liked the writing so much that she rang Anderson to tell him what a great author Cassidy was and how thrilled she was that Puffin were publishing her.

Have a look on Cathy's website for fabulous photo's of the Indigo Blue launch: www.cathycassidy.com/launch

AUTHOR INTERVIEW


This month's author interview features Linda Taylor. Click on Q&A to hear about how she got started, Grandad's Rizzlas, Desert Island Books and more...

 

FOUR AGENCY AUTHORS IN 2004 GUARDIAN TOP 100


The Agency is celebrating a record number of entries in The Guardian list of bestselling paperbacks 2004.

Martina Cole with THE KNOW, John Connolly with BAD MEN, Lesley Pearse with REMEMBER ME and Lee Child with PERSUADER sold over a million copies between them last year and continue to sell strongly in 2005.

LITTLE CAT STRIKES AGAIN



The office cat, Little Cat, is well on her way to stardom. This year she featured in a BBC documentary, alongside Darley Anderson and Sheila Quigley. For weeks after the programme we received fan mail, poems and even offers of representation from agents.

 
Now Little Cat features in the bestselling gift book, THE PHILOSOPHER CAT by Kwong Kuen Shan. It's a lavishly illustrated book of philosophy and cats, from the author and painter of THE CAT AND THE TAO and a must have Christmas treat for all feline fans.
 
Have a look at the author's website at www.kwongkuenshan.net

15 YEAR BASH


 

November 11th, 2004

The Darley Anderson Literary celebrated its fifteenth birthday last week with a grand party at Dartmouth House in Mayfair.

It was a generous affair, with an unending supply of champagne and cocktails and lots of tempting canapés, and toward the end of the evening - the better to absorb the alcohol - bacon butties.It was something of a love-in, with the eponymous Darley Anderson praising the work of his team, nicknamed Darley's Angels, and his gallery of authors many of whom - Elizabeth Waite, Martina Cole, Lee Child, Lesley Pearse and John Connolly - made for speeches, For Pearse, Anderson is "the dream maker" and he's certainly made a few dreams come true these past 15 years, enriching his authors beyond their wildest dreams.

Sadly Anderson's partner, Adèle, who died suddenly last year, wasn't able to live out her dreams and the agent was close to tears as he bravely paid fulsome tribute to her. Publishers, who included Penguin's Helen Fraser, Headline's Clare Foss and Random House's Susan Sandon - many of whom knew Adèle - were visibly moved. But it was by no means a down-beat affair - indeed Connolly provided the evening's stand-up ragging poor Anderson mercilessly over his sartorial tastes, which run to white suits, pink jackets and loud ties.

Article supplied by Publishing News

Click here for party snaps

MARTINA COLE'S THE GRAFT IS NUMBER 1 FOR 10 WEEKS


January 4th, 2005

The phenomenal Martina Cole has done it again with the success of The Graft, her latest hardback release.
 
Martina has spent 10 straight weeks at Number 1 on the Sunday Times Bestseller list, winning the position with record-breaking sales even before the original publication date of October 25th. No one had ever before gone to Number 1 on initial part-week sales. An incredible achievement not matched by any other UK bestselling author. For the second consecutive year Cole took the Christmas Number 1 and her sales show no sign of flagging.
 
In her latest novel, Cole tells the story of Nick Leary, a devoted father and shrewd businessman, and what happens when a masked intruder breaks into his home.
 
The hardheaded Nick has always been focused on protecting the things he treasures most: his family, his privacy, his reputation. He ’s grafted for these things all his life and no one can jeopardise them, or so he believes. But events beyond his control were about to infect his world and change it forever.
 
In her unique style, Cole holds up a mirror to our society, writing about tough and often harrowing subjects in a brutally honest and compassionate way. Her characters are injected with sympathy and warmth and there is an honesty in her books that speaks to millions of people.
 
Watch this space for further news

SOUTH SEA ADVENTURE THRILLS
AT AUCTION


The agency is delighted to announce the signing of a two-book deal for Patrick Woodrow with Random House. Oliver Johnson, a senior editor for the Arrow and Century imprints, secured the rights to Double Cross and Green Gold (working title) for an undisclosed sum after a spirited auction.

Described by Random House as “a stunning debut thriller in the best-selling tradition of Clive Cussler” Double Cross looks set to make a big impact on next summer’s shelves. “We are thrilled and excited to have signed Patrick.” Says Johnson. “He has a huge talent and we will be using every sinew and ounce of energy to bring him the success he deserves.”

PERCEPTIVE AMERICANS BUY DEBUT THRILLER



US rights have been sold in PERCEPTION OF DEATH by Louise Anderson to Kate Miciak at Bantam (US), part of Random House Inc.
 
Having been with the agency for less than six weeks, Emma White has secured her first US deal by selling this debut thriller for a six-figure sum.
 
The two book US deal (along with the sales already made in Germany, Sweden and a Dutch option) have proved the author will have a huge fan-base with international appeal. All this before her book is even published in the UK (5th August 2004). The Rights team are predicting more big sales after the Frankfurt Book Fair... watch this space for more information!


DON'T MISS SHEILA AND ALL THE QUIGLEYS PLUS DARLEY ANDERSON AND LITTLE CAT


Thriller writer Sheila Quigley is the subject of a fly on the wall BBC1 documentary. The program will also feature Darley Anderson and the Agency pet, Little Cat.
 
Chris Terrill, the Emmy Award Winner filmmaker behind The Cruise and Jailbirds, follows Sheila from the high profile sale of her book, RUN FOR HOME, through to publication a year later.

The crew tailed her for over a year, even accompanying her and her family on "the cruise from hell" - a choppy winter voyage to Norway and back. "Ee, it was hysterical," says Sheila, "Chris was ill and Vanessa, his `girl Friday', was laid up in bed because of this squall. We were almost two hours late getting into port so we only had about 40 minutes in Bergen. I wanted to see the fjords."

It's an inspiring and warm-hearted film that you can't miss.

FEMALE AUTHORS CAUSE GERMAN
CRIME WAVE


Three of the agency’s leading female crime thriller writers have launched a top-level offensive on the German market.
 
The past three months have seen Martina Cole, Alex Barclay and Louise Anderson all sign two-book deals with top German publishers. Between them they have secured advances amounting to almost a quarter of a million Euros.
 
The Agency’s male thriller writers already represent a formidable presence on the German scene, with Lee Child, Paul Carson and Patrick Dunne all scoring recent bestsellers. But now the girls are biting back…

DOUBLE WHAMMY: CHILD HITS THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LISTS WITH PERSUADER AND THE ENEMY


Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series has been causing a sensation stateside. Child hit the prestigious top 15 with THE ENEMY and PERSUADER. While in the UK he spent 4 successive weeks at number 2 in The Sunday Times hardback chart with THE ENEMY.

To read an excerpt or listen to Lee talk about it visit his website at www.leechild.com

VILLAGE FEVER: NEW DEAL FOR REBECCA SHAW


Rebecca Shaw, author of the hugely successful Turnham Malpus and Barleybridge books, is to sign new six-figure contract with publisher, Orion.
 
The eagerly awaited hardback of COUNTRY PASSIONS will be published in July, followed by the best-selling INTRIGUE IN THE VILLAGE, released in paperback in August. Such is the interest in the characters and village (in Turnham Malpas in particular) that Rebecca is planning to write a SHORT HISTORY OF TURNHAM MALPAS.
 
Rebecca has been steadily climbing the bestseller lists since the publication of her first novel, THE NEW RECTOR in 1994. Her enchanting tales of village life have secured her place as one of the most popular writers on Orion’s list.
 
Visit her at www.rebeccashaw.co.uk

'BAD MEN' FOR HOLLYWOOD & 'THE KNOW' FOR TV


John Connolly's fifth novel BAD MEN, a stand alone thriller, has just been optioned in Hollywood by Graham/Rosenzweig Films and Steven Susco.


And rights in Martina Cole's No 1 bestselling novel THE KNOW have been bought for TV by Lavinia Warner in conjunction with STG. Lavinia Warner was the producer of Martina Cole's two hugely successful TV four part dramas, adapted from DANGEROUS LADY and THE JUMP.

US SALE FOR BARCLAY...


Bantam (US) emerge victorious in the States after securing Alex Barclay’s first two novels for a high six figure advance.
 
Bantam publishing VP Kate Miciak says:
'Alex’s novels showcase a tantalizing blend of  thrilling suspense, first-rate forensics, and richly crafted characters.  The combination was irresistible and we’re thrilled to be publishing her powerful debut on the Bantam Dell list'.

A RACY LITTLE NUMBER...


Britain's best-selling small car, the Ford Fiesta comes alive in a series of short stories which bestselling author Carole Matthews has been especially commissioned to write.

Carole says:  'Who says girls don't like cars?  I've always been mad about motoring and my first brand new car was a Ford Fiesta XR2i - so writing these stories feels like a perfect fit.  I've had great fun doing them and they're guaranteed to make you smile.  Who hasn't dreamed of meeting their perfect man while driving the perfect car?  And there are some car habits that are definitely peculiar to women.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses her car like an extended handbag or gives it a pet name!  If you see me around town in my new Fiesta, Flossie, be sure to give me a wave!

Ford says:  'Fiesta is a firm favourite with young, trendy women and we wanted to bring the car alive in a contemporary way.  Carole is a bestseller and so is Fiesta... a great combination!'
The stories will be updated every month. Check it out at:
 http://www.ford.co.uk/fiesta/carolematthews

**HOT NEWS: ONE OF THE DARLEY ANDERSON AGENCY’S BIGGEST EVER ADVANCES FOR A FIRST NOVEL**

HarperCollins emerge victorious in battle for Anderson’s sensational new Irish writing discovery, Alex Barclay.

First novel Darkhouse is an Irish-American thriller that will have Patricia Cornwell and Tami Hoag watching their backs.
 
Says Anderson: “Darkhouse announces the arrival of a major new player in crime thriller writing. It’s pacy, exciting, frightening, page turning and impeccably structured.”
 
A fiercely contested auction eventually left two publishers Hodder and HarperCollins slugging it out round for round and ended up in a deciding presentation by both publishers to author and agent.
 
Both publishers went to great lengths to persuade Anderson and Alex Barclay to sign with them. Hodder editor Sara Kinsella turned up at Anderson’s office with two fierce looking Harris Hawks (Hawks feature prominently in Darkhouse). Whilst over at Hammersmith HC hung a huge HARPERCOLLINS WELCOMES ALEX BARCLAY poster in the atrium and sealed off the building inside and out as if it were a police crime scene.
 
Says HC MD Amanda Ridout: “We are thrilled to welcome a new writer of such talent and international appeal to the Harper Fiction list.  Together we are going to take the world by storm”
 
Alex Barclay was born in Dublin in 1974. She studied journalism in university and then pursued successful careers in journalism and as a copywriter for some of the country’s leading companies and design studios. Alex left in March 2003 to write Darkhouse.

LEE CHILD: HIS TIME HAS COME

Lee Child’s US publisher Bantam Dell have announced a blockbuster print advertising and promotion campaign in Time Magazine for Persuader.

Readers coast to coast will be given an unprecedented opportunity to discover Lee Child, and his fictional hero Jack Reacher, in a one and half page gatefold advertisement.

Never before has this format been used to promote an author or book. It is an unprecedented advertising commitment that can reach up to 23 million readers!

The Enemy will be a Book-of-the-Month Club Dual Split Main Selection and Literary Guild, Mystery Guild, and Doubleday Book Club alternate. 

Expect big things from Lee Child this year. Visit his website at www.leechild.com

TOP MODEL JOINS THE AGENCY

Top international model, Lorraine Pascale, came to fame with the famous Häagen Dazs ad campaign and was the first black British model to grace the cover of American Elle. She is less known for her love of football and, and like Darley Anderson, is a fervent supporter of Manchester United.

Lorraine was brought up in Oxfordshire and went to a girl’s boarding school in Devon. At the age of 16 Lorraine was spotted by a model agent (the same agent who discovered Naomi Campbell) and the rest, as they say, is history.

After spending many years working and travelling in Sydney, Paris and New York, Lorraine now lives in London. She approached Darley Anderson with her football book and he signed her up on the spot.

The Girl’s Guide To Football
is the definitive guide to football especially for girls. A quick and easy reference book containing all the things you ever wanted to know about the game.

The book was snapped up by Droemer in Germany after a fiercely contested auction and they will publish in April with the title Kick It. British rights are yet to be negotiated.

ANDERSON DISCOVERS SENSATIONAL NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR


There is a dramatic new development at the Agency. Anderson read and fell in love with a ‘slush pile’ children’s novel (for 8-12 year olds) by Cathy Cassidy, a teacher living in Scotland. Anderson was convinced that he’d discovered a major, major new bestselling children’s writer so he signed her up
.

Early in 2003 Puffin UK finally emerged as the winner acquiring British and Commonwealth volume rights in DIZZY and INDIGO BLUE. Puffin fiction publisher Rebecca McNally says about Cathy Cassidy “…a very exciting addition to the Puffin list. Her writing has a brilliant warmth and immediacy to it - and she has an amazing ability to keep you absolutely in the palm of her hand until you've read the very last word of her story.”

In October Anderson sold Cathy Cassidy in America. The US publisher is Viking Children's Books. The acquiring editor, says of Cathy: "All of us at Penguin Books for Young Readers are excited to be publishing Cathy Cassidy in the US. It's rare to find such a warm, engaging, and vibrant voice for this age group."

DARLEY ANDERSON SELLS DEBUT NOVELIST SHEILA QUIGLEY TO SUSAN SANDON AT RANDOM HOUSE FOR £300,000 IN A FIERCELY CONTESTED AUCTION


Darley Anderson has closed a £300,000 two book deal for a first novel by Sheila Quigley – a grandmother of seven living on social security on a housing estate in the North East.


Sheila started work at 15 as a presser in Hepworths, a tailoring factory. She married at 18 and had three daughters: Dawn, Janice and Diane and a younger son, Michael. Recently divorced she now has seven grandchildren and every Saturday and Sunday can be found at a football match for the under tens.

Says Anderson: “Eighteen months ago I got a call from Sheila Quigley who wanted to send me a screenplay about cigarette smuggling. It was unpolished but gritty and although I didn’t think I could sell it I detected a real talent for storytelling and character. I asked her if she could write a gangster novel set in the North East. Aye, she could easily do that, she said. I worked with her editorially on a couple of drafts over a year until it was ready to submit at auction. Auctions are two a penny these days but I only go to auction when I’m absolutely certain I have a bestseller. Random House’s Susan Sandon and Harper Collins’ Lynne Drew quickly recognised Sheila’s bestseller potential and got back with bids overnight. Others also responded very quickly and positively. Everyone wanted it. There was a real battle and four people bid up to £250,000 or more but Susan eventually clinched it with Lynne Drew as the underbidder.”

Sheila is now the subject the subject of a BBC primetime full length documentary being made my Emmy Award winner Chris Terril and scheduled to be aired with UK publication in April 2004.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE AGENCY


Martina Cole has topped the hardback and now the mass market bestseller lists with
THE KNOW.

 
THE KNOW which was number one for seven weeks (including Christmas week) has now debuted as the number one fiction paperback on The Sunday Times bestseller list.

THE KNOW
was a Richard and Judy Bookclub selection in 2004 and has sold over 200,000 copies in hardback.

Next out in hardback in October is THE GRAFT which will have the biggest ever marketing spend for a Martina Cole book. So expect big things...

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