Black Library announces the return of William King
William King has signed a major new deal with the Black Library, for a trilogy based on the high elf characters Tyrion and Teclis.
Twin brothers Tyrion and Teclis are the greatest heroes of an age, and their like will never be seen again. Prince Tyrion’s skill with a blade unmatched by any living swordsmen, whilst Teclis is the most powerful mage of his generation. Set over two hundred years before the current Warhammer timeline, the new trilogy tells an origin story of these two phenomenal champions.
Head of Black Library, George Mann, said of the deal: “I’m overjoyed to be welcoming Bill King back to the Black Library, particularly with such an exciting and auspicious series. Bill has a real flair for a good story and his writing really brings the Warhammer world to life. I know people are going to adore these books.”
William King was born in Stranraer, Scotland, and is one of Black Library’s best-selling authors, with sales in excess of half a million books. He started writing for Games Workshop in 1988, and later he worked in the design studio. His swords and sorcery series Gotrek & Felix and his Space Wolf novels have become a staple in the Black Library range. His short fiction has appeared in Interzone, Zenith, and a Year’s Best SF collection. He currently lives in Prague.
The deal was conducted with agent John Jarrold, and the first novel in the trilogy will be published in 2011.
Posted: February 16th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
Charlotte Naylor joins John Jarrold Literary Agency
John Jarrold’s latest client is British fantasy writer Charlotte Naylor, who is planning a fantasy series that will appeal to readers of Trudi Canavan, Kristin Cashore and Maria V Snyder, opening with The Lady of Eslaya.
‘When I read the opening chapters, I was entranced by the immediacy and fluency of Charlotte’s prose and her young protagonist, Lily,’ said John Jarrold. ‘It reminded me of my reaction to Maggie Furey’s debut Aurian, which I acquired for Random House in the 1990s. I wanted to cheer her and shout at her at one and the same time (and occasionally give her a clip round the ear). She’s bolshy, intelligent and hugely loyal to her friends. And her story is wonderful! It’s great to see another young writer in this genre.’
Jarrold will be working editorially with the author before submitting her work to major publishers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Charlotte Naylor is twenty four years old. She has always been a keen reader of fantasy and started writing her own novels when she was thirteen. Over the years both the world and the stories have grown and developed. When she was eighteen, and back to writing the umpteenth new incarnation of The Lady of Eslaya, it suddenly started to fall into place.
Throughout her pre-university writing career Charlotte was part of an online writing group, working on what started out as a role playing game but turned into a giant, ongoing story. Members of the group took it in turns to write sections, exploring different ideas, writing styles and influences.
She did a BA hons degree in English at the University of Lincoln, where her creative writing dissertation won the Nigel Winn memorial award for ‘Best Piece of Creative Writing by a Student Studying English’. She went on to do a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University tutored by novelists Graham Joyce (who suggested she contact John Jarrold as a literary agent) and David Belbin, for which she was awarded a distinction.
After graduating from Trent she and others from the course formed a writers group which still meets up regularly to critique their work. She lives in Nottingham with her partner and two pet ferrets.
In another announcement, JJLA horror novelist Adam Nevill has a brand, spanking new website that can be seen be visiting http://www.adamlgnevill.com/newsite/. Nevill’s novel Apartment 16, published by Pan, is due out in the UK in May 2010.
Posted: February 5th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold, Trudi Canavan
Orbit UK acquire two new Philip Palmer novels
Bella Pagan, Commissioning Editor of Orbit UK, has acquired two new novels by British SF author Philip Palmer. The agent was John Jarrold, and the deal was for World rights.
These novels – the first is entitled HELLSHIP – are both due for delivery in 2010, and will see a concerted push by Orbit on both sides of the Atlantic in 2011.
Philip’s first novel, DEBATABLE SPACE, was published in 2008, with RED CLAW following earlier this year. His work has drawn praise from the Guardian, SFX magazine and many other sources, both in print and on-line. The latter novel features in the Top Twenty SF novels published in 2009 in leading genre website SF Crowsnest’s reader poll. His third SF novel, VERSION 43, comes from both Orbit UK and Orbit US in 2010.
Fantasy Book Review interviewed John Jarrold in September 2009:
John Jarrold interview (September 2009)
John Jarrold is a name that is respected throughout the publishing world. Working predominantly with new and established science fiction and fantasy authors, John uses his extensive knowledge and skills to help guide writers on the road to publication. Amongst those full of praise for his work are [...]
Posted: December 21st, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
Two-book deal with Gollancz for Jaine Fenn
Jo Fletcher, Associate Publisher of Gollancz, has acquired two new novels by British SF author Jaine Fenn. The agent was John Jarrold, and the deal was for World rights.
An interview with John Jarrold on Fantasy Book Review
These novels, titled BRINGER OF LIGHT and QUEEN OF NOWHERE, are due for delivery in 2010 and 2011 respectively and will be published under the name J N Fenn, as will all the author’s future novels.
Fenn’s first novel, PRINCIPLES OF ANGELS, was published to critical success by Gollancz in 2008, with CONSORTS OF HEAVEN following this year and GUARDIANS OF PARADISE forthcoming in 2010.
Jaine Fenn studied Linguistics and Astronomy at university. Fenn has had several short stories published in various magazines and anthologies. Her debut novel, Principles of Angels was published in June 2008 and is the first in a series of linked novels. Her second novel, Consorts of Heaven, was published in June 2009.
Posted: November 26th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
US rights to Jasper Kent’s vampire novels purchased by Pyr
Helen Edwards, Rights Director at Transworld UK, has sold US rights for the first two historical vampire novels by UK novelist Jasper Kent.
World rights in the novels, which open with Jasper’s debut Twelve (the second-highest-selling trade paperback debut novel right across UK publishing in 2009), were acquired by Simon Taylor from John Jarrold in 2008. The sequel, Thirteen Years Later, will appear in the UK in March 2010.
"I’m thrilled to be welcoming Jasper Kent into the Pyr fold," said editorial director Lou Anders. ‘Twelve is a magnificent blend of a historical novel and a dark fantasy novel that could appeal equally to readers both in and out of genre. Jasper is a skilled storyteller, whose compelling prose had me hooked from his opening chapter. The book is "un-put-downable. I love that he has brought back a real sense of threat and danger to the classic monsters, something that has been lacking with too many vampires lately. I cannot wait to spring this on US readers."
"Jasper and I are delighted with this deal, and looking forward to working with Lou and his colleagues. Pyr is a terrific company, who publish many of my favourite authors, and Lou’s enthusiasm has to be seen to be believed!" John Jarrold.
Fantasy Book Review said of Twelve:
"Jasper Kent shows admirable restraint when it comes to the gruesome; there are moments in the book that genuinely make you squirm uncomfortably but it is the scarcity that makes them so effective. If an author dishes out the gore from page one then the reader becomes desensitised and the horrific becomes mundane. The author has an obvious passion for the subjects within his story and he has created an effortless and enjoyable read. The average reader will not possess a wide knowledge of Russian history and Twelve will lead to them carrying out further research on this most fascinating of countries. I personally would have liked for there to have been more tension and for the book to have ended rather differently but there can no denying that Twelve is a great read and a breath of fresh air to more than one genre. Twelve is an educational, entertaining and dark historical fantasy novel."
Read the full review
Jasper Kent has spent almost twenty years working as a software consultant both in the UK and Europe, whilst working on both fiction and music. He has co written several musicals, including The Promised Land, written and performed to mark the 3000th anniversary of the foundation of Jerusalem and Remember! Remember!, the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot.
Posted: October 30th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Jasper Kent, John Jarrold
Goldmann Verlag purchase German rights to The Demi-Monde
Nicole Geismann of Goldmann Verlag, part of the Random House Group, has acquired German rights in the first two books of The Demi-Monde, a science fiction quartet by debut author Rod Rees. Nick Johnston of Quercus acquired World rights in the books from agent John Jarrold in September.
‘The Demi-Monde is based on a very intriguing idea. Rod Rees has created a world which fascinated me from the beginning. Although this is fiction it seemed in many respects more than real. The story, the wonderful characters and the hilarious dark humour won me over instantly. I haven’t read a more imaginative novel in a long time!’ said Nicole Geismann
‘This is a great first rights sale so soon after the initial deal,’ said the author’s agent, John Jarrold. ‘Nicole and Goldmann are terrific publishers and Rod and I both look forward to seeing their editions. Congratulations to Daniel Bouquet, Quercus’ Head of Rights, for sorting this out so rapidly.’
The first book in the series, titled The Demi-Monde: Winter,will be published by Quercus in January 2011.
Fantasy Book Review interviewed John Jarrold in September 2009.
Posted: October 17th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
Paul Kearney signs two-book deal and Joseph D’Lacey joins the John Jarrold Literary Agency
Jonathan Oliver, commissioning editor of Solaris Books, has acquired two new novels by Paul Kearney, set on the same world as his successful Solaris novel The Ten Thousand. The agent was John Jarrold, and the deal was for UK/US rights.
These novels, entitled Corvus and Kings of Morning, are due for delivery in 2010 and early 2011 respectively.
“The immediacy of Paul’s prose and characterisation always puts me in mind of David Gemmell, who I was lucky enough to publish in the mid-1990s,” said John Jarrold. “With The Ten Thousand he has created a world ripe for re-visiting. Can’t wait to read these books! And I’m very pleased to have concluded my first deal with Jon Oliver and the ‘new’ Solaris.”
Joseph D’Lacey, author of the highly-praised ecological horror novels Meat and The Garbage Man, has become the latest client of the John Jarrold Literary Agency. He won the British Fantasy Society’s Best Newcomer Award at the British Fantasy Convention earlier this month.
D’Lacey’s novels have drawn praise from both sides of the Atlantic. John Jarrold said: “His BFS award is truly merited. He’s a very special author, who can make the reader care about characters with whom we might not immediately find much in common. And the pace and intensity of his story-telling, which draws you in irresistibly, is remarkable.”
Jarrold will be discussing future novels from Joseph D’Lacey with publishers in London and New York.
Fantasy Book Review interviewed John Jarrold in September 2009.
Posted: September 29th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
Chris Beckett and Rod Rees sign new book deals
John Jarrold, whom we interviewed recently, has been busy concluding deals on behalf of his clients.
Firstly, Nicolas Cheetham has paid a good five-figure sum for a two novels by award-winning UK writer Chris Beckett, for the Corvus imprint of Grove Atlantic.
The first book in this deal, The Holy Machine, will be published in 2010 – Corvus acquired World Rights excluding the USA, where it has been published by Prime. The second novel is being discussed by Beckett and Nicolas Cheetham, and has been acquired for World rights.
Beckett won the prestigious Edge Hill Story Award earlier this year for his SF collection The Turing Test, published by small press Elastic, beating off literary collections by Booker Prize-winner Anne Enright, Whitbread winner Ali Smith and other literary lions.
‘I’m so delighted for Chris,’ said John Jarrold. “He’s one of the most thoughtful writers involved in SF. He invents wonderful concepts, but it’s all about the characters, the people. After winning a major literary prize earlier this year – the judges said they didn’t know they liked SF until they read his stories – this is a great move forwards. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke.”
Nicolas Cheetham said ‘With all the imagination, zest and style of Chris’s award-winning short stories, The Holy Machine is a must read first novel. Chris proves that literary fiction and science fiction can be one and same.’
Secondly, Nick Johnston of Quercus has paid a significant advance for a four-book series by UK novelist Rod Rees. The pre-emptive deal is for World Rights.
The series is titled The Demi-Monde and is set in a wonderfully imagined virtual world. Originally conceived by the US military as a training ground for their troops in the twenty-first century facing street fighting and enemies who use guerrilla tactics, rather than modern technology-based armies, the Demi-Monde was created by the world’s first quantum computer. Young singer Ella Thomas is sent there to rescue a VIP (she ticks all the boxes to blend into the world, which has a late-Victorian technology base) and discovers the world and its thirty million inhabitants, or ‘avatars’, are all too real. Especially those who run the world’s city-states, based on famous human monsters such as Reinhard Heydrich, Shaka Zulu, Empress Wu, Godfrey de Bouillon, Selim the Grim and Lavrentii Beria, with whom the world was seeded to make it more of a test…and that is only the beginning. The first volume will be published in 2011. There is already a fascinating website at www.thedemi-monde.com
“Rod’s imagination and invention are quite outstanding,” said John Jarrold. “His characters leap off the page and his storylines fascinated me. This went out to mainstream publishers, as well as SF editors, since it has huge crossover potential to people who don’t necessarily think of themselves as ‘SF readers’, fans of films like The Matrix and the novels of Michael Crichton. Nick and his colleagues obviously felt the same, because within seventy-two hours of this project being submitted to major publishers in London and New York, he rang me with a wonderful pre-emptive offer. After discussion we came to terms, and I’m delighted to do my first deal with him, and with Quercus. Congratulations to Nick – and to those, including David North, Jon Riley and Ron Beard, who backed him so positively and strongly.”
Nick Johnston added: “In The Demi-Monde Rod Rees has created one of the most deliriously exciting worlds that I have encountered in fiction. It is an utterly believable place where anything goes and some of history’s most fascinating figures and cruellest tyrants rub shoulders with an almost extravagantly lifelike cast of characters. The fact that he uses this to explore some of life’s deepest dilemmas and suffuses it all with such a rich vein of humour is just the icing on the cake.”
Posted: September 21st, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
John Jarrold interview (September 2009)
John Jarrold is a name that is respected throughout the publishing world. Working predominantly with new and established science fiction and fantasy authors, John uses his extensive knowledge and skills to help guide writers on the road to publication. Amongst those full of praise for his work are Michael Moorcock, Guy Gavriel Kay, Ian R MacLeod and Christopher Fowler. John very kindly spoke to Fantasy Book Review in September 2009.
John’s website: JohnJarrold.co.uk.
You have an obvious passion for books and the written word. Can you remember the exact moment when you first fell under their spell?
I owe a great deal to my parents. They gave me a love of reading, so that by 7 I had a reading age of 11. I devoured books from an early age – fiction and non-fiction. And since I worked in public libraries from 1972 onwards, before joining publishing in January 1988, books have been my life for over thirty-five years.
Has a manuscript ever landed on your desk and, within a short time of reading led you say, “Wow, this is magnificent”? (or words to that effect!)
It’s what one lives for! As a publisher, I never forget seeing the typescript of Ken MacLeod’s debut, The Star Fraction. I knew from two pages in that is was truly wonderful, and that I was going to publish it – which I did in 1995, to coincide with the Glasgow world SF convention. as an agent, that buzz is vital, so I can pass the enthusiasm on to prospective publishers.
How should an author present their book to a literary agent and what help should they expect to receive if taken on?
Read the agent’s submission guidelines on their website and comply with them. If they ask for the first three chapters and a synopsis, that is what you should send. Don’t think ‘oh, but my best writing is in chapters 9, 17, and 35, so I’ll send them.’ Don’t send artwork, which can take ages to download and is a waste of time. The words matter, nothing else. And research the agents who deal with your area of fiction or non-fiction before you approach them. You’d be amazed by the number of submissions I receive from authors of romance novels or non-fiction self-help books (for example) – despite the fact that it specifically says on the home page of my website that I only deal with SF and fantasy. I’m afraid I just delete those submissions now. I can’t afford to waste time pointing out the obvious. You are expecting an agent to deal with you professionally. Extend them the same courtesy. As an agent, you act as sounding board, cheerleader, business advisor, contracts guru, editor, sometimes a shoulder to cry on and you fast-track work to the correct publishers, with whom you have long-term working relationships…amongst many other things!
An author is confident that their work is as good as it can possibly be. How should they present it to a publisher?
I’d suggest going to agents first. Many publishers will no longer look at material from unagented authors. So everything I said above applies.
Do you think that the respect you have earned within the publishing world has led to manuscripts being accepted when possibly they may have been rejected from another source?
Certainly not! It’s the prose that matters, the story-telling, the characterisation, the invention. When you look at a book – as an agent or an editor – you have to think about someone walking into a bookshop on a wet Wednesday afternoon, looking for a good story to read. Hardly anyone buys a book because it’s published by a specific company (I can hear your readers disagree, but those of us who regularly read specialist websites, go to SF cons and so forth aren’t average book buyers, on whom publishers depend) – nor do publishers take on a book because it’s come from a specific agent. All publishers have better relationships with some agents than others, that’s human nature, so it may mean your submissions are looked at more quickly, but it certainly won’t mean they are taken on unless the editor is in love with them, personally and professionally, and can persuade their senior colleagues how wonderful this book and writer are. And of course I have to feel that love before I agree to represent an author – I’ve taken on just over forty clients and turned down over 6,000 submissions. But just because I love a book and can see it working commercially, that doesn’t mean it will definitely be published. Publishing is a subjective business – we aren’t just selling another can of baked beans, every SF writer, every fantasy writer, is different. Over the fifteen years I ran SFF imprints in London, I took on many books that others turned down and published them successfully – and vice versa. There are no absolutes.
Can you give us a scoop on any new, fantastic fantasy books that you think may shine brightly in the future?
Ha! Check out my client list on the website! [http://www.johnjarrold.co.uk/clients.html] I’m also a great fan of Joe Abercrombie, amongst the newer fantasy novelists.
If you were put on the spot and asked to name your favourite fantasy book of all time, what would be your immediate response?
The Lord of the Rings. It led to me joining the Tolkien Society then going to conventions, which led to reading for agents and publishers and getting my first job in publishing in 1988, running Orbit Books in London (which was a steep learning curve). I owe it all to Tolkien.
Authors are known to respond to criticism amazingly well, sometimes verging on the masochistic. Have you also found this?
Mostly, yes – though I don’t think masochism is the right word, after all an editor is trying to make the book better, so it isn’t ‘criticism’ as such. Some ‘critics’ reviews are deeply solipsistic and lacking in common sense or empathy, on the other hand. Authors are individuals, so everyone responds differently, but one certainly sees less ego in SFF than in general publishing.
You have recently read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials omnibus and George RR Martin’s A Feast of Crows – was this for business or pleasure?
I must update the ‘recently read’ list in my CV! But everything there is read first and foremost for pleasure – or because I’m interested in the subject, in non-fiction terms. Of course I want to keep up with new writers in SF, fantasy and horror – that’s being professional. But most areas of fiction and many areas of non-fiction also fascinate me. I can’t imagine ever reading in one area or genre alone.
What does the remainder of 2009 hold for John Jarrold?
Personally, a few days away in new Orleans, my favourite city, later in the year. Re-charging the batteries is very necessary. Professionally, there are new books or editions by various agency clients being published, including Philip Palmer, Stephen Hunt and Robert V S Redick, as well as books being delivered by Philip and Robert, Ian Cameron Esslemont, Suzanne McLeod, Hannu Rajaniemi and others, for publication in 2010. And the deals continue to come – I’m sure there will be some very interesting press releases on that front issuing from Chez Jarrold between now and the end of the year! Keep watching the skies.
For more information on John and his work, visit JohnJarrold.co.uk.
Posted: September 10th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: John Jarrold
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
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Competition: Win a signed copy of Graham Hancock's Entangled
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
