Alert! The world rights to South African author Miranda Sherry’s forthcoming debut novel, Black Dog Summer, have been snapped up by Laura Palmer, editorial director of the UK publishing house Head of Zeus, for a six-figure sum.
The deal was brokered by Oliver Munson of AM Heath and since the acquisition, Head of Zeus has sold pre-empted US rights to Simon & Schuster America and Canadian rights to Simon and Schuster Canada.
Head of Zeus also recently acquired the UK rights to Margie Orford’s Clare Hart series.
Black Dog Summer tells the story of a mother who is brutally murdered in a farm attack in South Africa and then watches from the heavens as her daughter tries to come to terms with her death, while dealing with the dysfunctional family members who take her in. It is being compared to Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones.
Sherry is a scriptwriter who has published short stories in the science fiction and horror magazine Something Wicked. Her Twitter profile describes her as a “writer, garden pootler, tea drinker, sky gazer and cat wrangler”.
Black Dog Summer will be published in August 2013 and it is expected to be a global bestseller.
Press release
Editorial Director Laura Palmer at Head of Zeus has pre-empted world rights to the debut novel of South African author Miranda Sherry from Oli Munson at AM Heath for a six-figure sum.
Set against the heat and dramatic landscape of a South African summer, Black Dog Summer is a gripping and emotional story about a mother who is brutally murdered in a farmstead killing and must then watch from the heavens as her traumatized daughter moves in with her aunt’s dysfunctional family.
Shortly after the acquisition US rights were pre-empted from HoZ by Sarah Branham from Atria Books at Simon and Schuster. HoZ Rights Director Helenka Fuglewicz is now managing global interest in rights for the book. HoZ will publish in e and hardback in August 2014.
Editorial Director Laura Palmer said; ‘I loved this novel for its beautiful writing, its gripping story, and its emotive themes of grief, guilt and sisterhood, all set against the mysterious and magical backdrop of South Africa. This book got under my skin and stuck there – I knew that I could not have sat by and watched someone else publish it.’
CEO Amanda Ridout said ‘This is an extraordinary debut novel which will thrill and inspire readers everywhere. We look forward to making it a global bestseller next year with all our international publishing partners.’
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Image courtesy Miranda Sherry on Twitter