Pan Macmillan acquires standalone Peter James thriller

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Peter James' standalone thriller ABSOLUTE PROOF, only his second to be written since he began his bestselling Roy Grace series, has been acquired by Pan Macmillan. Publishing director Wayne Brookes bought UK and Commonwealth rights and said of James, 'Peter is a master of the plot twist and this will be a huge title for us in 2015.'

James was the first to knock E.L. James' FIFTY SHADES trilogy out of its number one position with his latest title NOT DEAD YET which became a Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller in the week it went on sale.  He had great success with his first standalone thriller PERFECT PEOPLE which was shortlisted for the prestigious Wellcome Trust Book Award in 2012. In that psychological thriller a heartbroken couple who have lost a child to a hereditary disease wish to make sure their next child will not suffer in the same way. They unwittingly enter the world of 'designer babies' and without realising it, find themselves being manipulated by an unscrupulous doctor.

Brookes said, 'PERFECT PEOPLE was a huge success in all formats for Pan Macmillan. Therefore, when Peter pitched the fabulous idea for ABSOLUTE PROOF we jumped at the chance to publish it.' 

Carole Blake said, 'Peter's first stand alone novel since starting the Roy Grace series, was a phenomenal success.  ABSOLUTE has an astounding plot, and will be a real treat for his huge fan base.

To read more about the deal, click here.

Praise for Peter James:

'He is best known for his No 1 bestselling Roy Grace crime novels, combining super-deft plotting, great characterisation and extraordinarily accurate procedure. But Peter James isn't just a superb popular writer, he's a great researcher...Now, his first stand alone novel since the extraordinary, though completely deserved, success of the Roy Grace series features all James' strengths, including his ability to capture a sense of real horror in a very real world.' -- Daily Mirror (Five star review)
'Peter James is one of the best in the world.' -- Lee Child

Praise for PERFECT PEOPLE:

'Peter James is acknowledged as being one of the top thriller writers in the UK, and his series of crime novels featuring DI Roy Grace are the best of the current genre.  But in his new novel PERFECT PEOPLE he has proved he can depart from the formula and break the mould... From the moment they meet the sinister geneticist who offers to create a new child from their cells, the pages just keep on turning themselves.  The ending is so horrifyingly scary that I was unable to sleep properly for several nights.' -- Joan Collins, The Mail on Sunday
"Brilliantly done, the emotional credibility of the characters is as good as it gets.  There's a movie in this book." -- Jeff Park, 'Front Row', BBC radio

KNIGHTLEY & SON by Rohan Gavin to Rebecca McNally of Bloomsbury

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Rebecca McNally at Bloomsbury, has acquired world rights in the first three books in Rohan Gavin's brand-new detective series, KNIGHTLEY & SON.

Bloomsbury, who will also publish in the US, plan to release the first in the series, KNIGHTLEY & SON, in July 2013, whilst Rohan is hard at work on the next two!

For more details on the deal, see the Bookseller, here.

Tony Pitts nominated for BBC Audio Drama Award

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Winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on Sunday 27 January 2013. An original radio play commissioned by Woolyback Productions for BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play, ON IT was written, directed and narrated by Tony Pitts, starring Maxine Peake and Adam Gillen. It won the Sony Gold Radio Award, Best Drama 2012 and was Radio Times Critics Choice.

Meanwhile, the second series of Tony Pitts' SHEDTOWN starts on Radio 4 at 11pm on Thursday 10th January. Commissioned by Woolyback Productions, the show is narrated by Maxine Peake and the cast includes Stephen Mangan and Ronni Ancona.

Reviews for series 2:

"If you think of radio in colour this comedy comes in shades of sepia and charcoal with the occasional bright patch of green. It's also pretty addictive, a floaty tale of people looking for new starts, picking themselves up from failed ones, seeking change and consolation." -- Radio Highlights, The Telegraph

Reviews for series 1:

"Dreamy and hilarious" -- The Observer
"It's a bit like Under Milk Wood with touches of Father Ted" -- The Telegraph

Blake Friedmann expands

Blake Friedmann are delighted to announce the creation of a new role in the agency.  Louise Brice will become Foreign Rights, Digital and Audio Manager, joining the agency on 14 January 2013.  

Louise has more than ten years of publishing experience, specifically licensing and selling subsidiary rights. Most recently Louise worked at AudioGO as Business Development Manager. Past roles include Content Acquisition Manager with Audible and Rights Manager with Atlantic Books.   

Louise said: 'My recent roles have provided me with an invaluable insight into the digital world.  I'm thrilled to be joining such a dynamic team, to be working with world class authors and to be back in the business of selling rights.'

Carole Blake and Isobel Dixon said: 'We are pleased to have found in Louise someone with exactly the right mix of experience to fill this new post.  We are looking forward to working with her as part of our team.'

In creating this new role, Blake Friedmann are entering another phase of expansion, which includes adding another book agent to the team in the near future. We look forward to working with Louise in the new year, and to seeing her take our energetic rights selling to new heights.

For more information contact Carole Blake: carole@blakefriedmann.co.uk