Dani Atkins wins the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the 2023 Romantic Novel Awards

Dani Atkins has won the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the 2023 Romantic Novel Awards for her compelling novel SIX DAYS. Dani was announced as winner at last night’s Romantic Novel Award ceremony at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City, with actor Peter Davison presenting.

Launched in 2015, the Romantic Novel Awards celebrate excellence in romantic fiction, and the Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award is for stories featuring a substantial thriller, suspense, mystery or crime story, alongside or fully entwined with a romantic story. Dani is already a recipient of three Romantic Novel Awards, with THIS LOVE winning the Goldsboro Romantic Book of the Year Award 2018 and the Epic Novel of the Year Award 2018, and A SKY FULL OF STARS winning the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2022.

SIX DAYS was published by Head of Zeus in the UK in hardback in April 2022 and in paperback in January 2023. It follows one love story between two people across six days.

In SIX DAYS, Gemma knows that she and Finn are destined to be together. They are soulmates. But then, on their wedding day, he never arrives at the church. Gemma is convinced Finn wouldn't abandon her like this, even though he has disappeared once before. But back then he had a reason. She feels sure something terrible has happened, but no one else is convinced. Even the police aren't concerned, telling Gemma most people who disappear usually turn up in a week... assuming they want to be found, that is.

For the next six days Gemma frantically searches for Finn, even though every shocking revelation is telling her to give up on him. Before long, even she begins to doubt her own memories of their love. How long can she hold on to her faith in Finn if everyone is telling her to let him go?

Dani is currently writing her next novel for Head of Zeus.

Praise for SIX DAYS

An Apple Books Favourite Read

‘A well-paced, good-natured and emotional novel.’ – Wendy Holden, The Daily Mail

‘A page-turner that packs a real emotional punch.’ – Zoe West, Women’s Weekly

‘Emotional and compelling.’ – Claire Frost, Fabulous Magazine

‘A tender and emotional tale, SIX DAYS will have readers frantically turning the pages to see if Gemma's faith in Finn is justified.’ – Sinead Crowley

‘Guaranteed to keep late night page-turners agog, Dani Atkins gives us a heroine who takes nothing lying down, not even being abandoned at the altar. I loved Gemma’s tenacity. Trusting the power of love is tougher than it looks, as this delicious romantic mystery proves.’ – Fiona Walker

‘This engaging and expressive relationship story examines love, trust, and resolve when a groom goes missing, leaving his bride at the altar. A gorgeous and thoughtful relationship tale with bite and intrigue as well as love and friendship. This novel takes you by the hand and expands through your thoughts as you live alongside Gemma when her fiancé fails to turn up at their wedding… Dani Atkins has the most thought-provoking pen, her words don’t just reach inside and touch my heart, they also shake emotions, hit thoughts, and leave the characters and story a part of me. I always look forward to her novels, she is such a consistent writer, though she certainly knows how to keep your feelings hovering on the edge of free-fall... This is most definitely a story about a love, it also successfully balances tension, particularly as it weaves its way towards the end. SIX DAYS is a page-turning, stimulating absolute beauty of a novel, that I can recommend heart and soul.’ – Liz Robinson, LoveReading

‘I couldn’t put it down… [a] truly captivating romantic read…It’s an emotional character-driven weepie that I absolutely adored.’ – Janet Gordon, Annabel & Grace

‘A heart-tugging romance with lovely characters.’ – The People’s Friend

About Dani Atkins
Dani Atkins was born in London, and grew up in Cockfosters, Hertfordshire. She now lives in a 350-year-old cottage with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.

Dani has been writing for fun all her life but, following the 2013 publication of her novel FRACTURED (Head of Zeus), she has made writing her full-time career. FRACTURED has since been published in sixteen languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK.

Follow Dani on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

BFLA Open Week: What happens once you’ve signed with an agent?

Written by Sian Ellis-Martin

When you’re writing your first book, it can be difficult to see past the goal of finding representation with an agent. But what comes next?! Below is a non-exhaustive list of what you can expect from working with an agent, how your book is sold to a publisher, and what happens once you have a deal. Sometimes these things happen in a slightly different order – particularly once you have a publication deal and lots of things start happening simultaneously.

Edits from your agent

Although your agent already loves your book and writing (they’ve offered you representation after all!), it will usually take a few rounds of edits to get your manuscript ready for submission to publishers. Your agent will discuss those edits with you, and you’ll likely focus on the larger, structural edits first such as plot and narrative threads, character, pacing and general structure of the book. Once you’re both happy with the work you’ve done on a larger scale, your agent will usually do a line edit of the manuscript to check for any smaller issues to do with spelling and grammar.

Your book goes on submission

While you’re editing your manuscript, your agent will be doing all sorts of things in the background in preparation for submitting your work to publishers. Agents and the rights team will be pitching your book to editors when they can – at day-to-day meetings and at book fairs. Closer to submission time, your agent will draw up a list of editors that they plan to submit your work to and, once the manuscript is ready, they’ll send it out via email along with a submission letter.

As well as trying to secure a print deal, your agent will also be actively trying to sell other rights in your work, such as audio, radio, film and television (if these rights are covered by your agency agreement). If you write short stories, they may also be able to help you with submitting those stories to prizes and short story publications too. For more information on rights, see Roya’s piece from Open Week 2022.

Waiting

We often see news of overnight book deals, publishers pre-empting books for seven figures and hotly contested auctions with multiple publishers and massive advances. Sometimes books sell that way, and it’s really exciting when they do! But it’s not always the reality of the book selling and buying process, and sometimes you’ll wait a while before you hear that an editor is interested in acquiring your book. That’s completely normal – editors often have bigger reading piles than they have time to get to, and more hoops to jump through than your agent would have had when they signed you – but it can understandably be a frustrating and worrying time. Rest assured that your agent is on top of things, continuing to pitch your book, and will update you when they have news.

Agreeing a deal to sell the book

There are also multiple ways for an offer to come about. You might receive offers from multiple publishers, which means your book will be sold at auction. You might receive a pre-empt offer, which is where a publisher makes an offer but sets a deadline by which that offer will expire (this is usually an attempt to take the manuscript off the table and avoid an auction situation), or you might receive one offer.

There are also lots of variables within an offer itself, including how many books the publisher is offering for, advance level, royalties, bonuses and subsidiary rights splits. These main terms will be outlined at offer stage.

Your agent will be ready to handle any outcome of the selling process and will explain the ins and outs of each offer to you to ensure that you are equipped with all the knowledge you need to make the decision that feels best for you.

There’s always a chance that your book unfortunately does not sell, and your agent will be able to discuss a plan for next steps with you. You can read Isobel’s Open Week 2022 article here if you’d like to know more about how publishing is sometimes a long road to success.

Publisher contract

Once you’ve agreed a deal with your new publisher, your agent will negotiate the full contract with them. Contracts are usually based on a boilerplate – a template of agreed wording – between the agency and the publisher but if this is the first deal the agent has done with that publisher, they will need to negotiate the boilerplate first, which may take a little longer.

To find out more about the money side of your publishing deal, take a look at Juliet’s Demystifying Money piece from Open Week 2022.

Edits from your editor

While your agent is negotiating the contract, your editor will start to write up their editorial thoughts – yes, more edits! This will follow a similar pattern to the edits you undertook with your agent; first, the larger, structural edits, and then, once those edits are complete, your book will be passed on to the copyeditor and/or proof-reader who will check for any inconsistences, factual inaccuracies or spelling and grammar errors. You’ll be asked to check and approve the edited manuscript.

Proofs

Sometimes (but not always) a publisher will produce proofs of your book. Proofs are an early hard copy of your book – it may not have the final cover or be the very final text – which are sent out to early readers for review. This includes other authors, book bloggers and reviewers for newspapers, magazines and websites. It’s a good idea to have a think about whose hands you’d like to get the book into and to share that with your publisher when proof discussions are happening.

Choosing a cover

Alongside your edits, you’ll also engage in conversations about the book cover. Although a publisher usually makes the final decision on your book cover, they’re always happy to hear your thoughts and ideas too, and will usually seek your approval before they go ahead. This can be a really fun and exciting part of the publication process! Don’t forget to discuss the cover options with your agent who will have valuable insight too.

Marketing, publicity and promotion

Your editor will usually set up a meeting between you, your agent and the publishing team working on your book, including the marketing and publicity professionals tasked with looking after your book. In this meeting, they’ll outline their plans for promoting the book before, during and after publication. It’s also an opportunity for the publisher to outline what might be expected of you in the lead up to and around publication – this could include events, signings, social media posts or any other promotional activity.

Around this time and in the lead up to publication, your agent will ask the publisher about numbers: how many books have been ordered by the main retailers? What level are pre-orders at?

Publication

The big day has arrived! Your book will be in the bookstores (and possibly supermarkets) and available to buy online too.

After publication

In the weeks after publication, your publisher will update you and your agent on the sales of your book and any post-publication reviews that you might receive.

If you agreed a multi-book deal, you’ll probably already be writing your next book but if not, you and your agent will have a plan for selling the next one!

BFLA Open Week: Top Tips On Signing With An Agent - What to Ask About, Look For And Expect

Written by Kate Burke

• When querying agents, please let them know if you have had an offer of representation or are taking meetings with other agents. Once you have signed with an agent, do let any other agents in the mix know. It’s a courtesy that all agents appreciate!

• Before signing with an agent, do feel free to ask questions about the agent and their client list, and about the wider agency/ team (ie, who handles translation and film & tv rights) or, if the agency doesn't have these departments, ask who handles their translation and media rights. These are valuable rights, often key to an author’s income, so fine to probe about who will be handling them and what the submission plan is for your book in that area.

• Take your time before signing with an agent. An agent should never impose a deadline an author or put you under pressure to sign. If they want to work with a client, they'll wait for them to make an informed decision. There is no hurry!

• Look through the proposed agency/client agreement first before signing. Feel free to ask questions before signing anything. Don’t move forward with an agent without an agreement – this should be a mutual commitment and there should be something in writing to confirm it!

• Never pay an agent. We work on commission only! An agent should never ask you for any money up front.

• Have a call, Zoom or meeting with an agent before signing with them to discuss the editorial process and next steps (working together on shaping your project and getting it ready for submission etc). Be wary of agents who don't edit! Even if your project/work/manuscript is really polished, an agent should work closely with you on getting it ready for submission to publishers. This is how the professional relationship between the two of you develops and it also shows that they’re invested in selling it.

THE DARK FLOOD by Deon Meyer nominated for a Barry Award

We are delighted that THE DARK FLOOD by Deon Meyer has been nominated for the Barry Awards in the Best Mystery or Crime Novel category.

The nominees are chosen by the editorial board of Deadly Pleasures magazine, with winners voted by the readers of Deadly Pleasures.

The winners are to be announced at the Opening Ceremonies of Bouchercon-San Diego on 31 August 2023.

The other titles nominated in the category are THE ACCOMPLICE by Steve Cavanagh, DESERT STAR by Michael Connelly, SHIFTY’S BOYS by Chris Offutt, SECRET IDENTITY by Alex Segura and CITY ON FIRE by Don Winslow.

THE DARK FLOOD was published by Grove Atlantic in North America and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK in 2022, translated by K. L. Seegers. This followed publication in Afrikaans by Human & Rousseau in 2020, where it was an instant No. 1 bestseller. It was shortlisted for the South African Adult Fiction Book Award 2021 and the ATKV Thriller Prize 2021 and won Best in Translation at the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2022. Translation rights in THE DARK FLOOD have been sold in five further territories, though overall Deon’s books are sold in many more languages.

THE DARK FLOOD by Deon Meyer

One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it's all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.

One last chance. Stellenbosch is beautiful, but its economy has been ruined by one man. Jasper Boonstra and his gigantic corporate fraud have crashed the local property market, just when estate agent Sandra Steenberg desperately needs a big sale. Bringing up twins and supporting her academic husband, she is facing disaster. Then she gets a call. From Jasper Boonstra, fraudster, sexual predator and owner of a superb property worth millions, even now.

For Sandra, the stakes are high and about to get way higher.

For Benny Griessel, clinging to sobriety and the relationship that saved his life, the truth about Callie can only lead to more trouble.

Praise for THE DARK FLOOD

‘In Meyer’s stellar seventh thriller featuring South African police detective Benny Griessel… Meyer adds a Madoff-like financial fraudster and a homicide as he toggles between story lines and keeps things moving toward the wholly satisfying conclusion. This is the best work yet from this gifted author.’ – Publishers Weekly

‘A well-crafted blend of suspense, culture, and humor.’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘Deon Meyer’s Benny Griessel novels, featuring a detective in an elite crime squad in Cape Town, are a joy to read… Meyer has become an outstanding chronicler of South Africa’s corruption.’ – Joan Smith, The Sunday Times

‘Meyer handles the complicated plot with panache, bringing in both men’s private problems and relationships to create plenty of warmth.’ – Patrick Graney, Literary Review

‘A fine mix of suspense, action, political intrigue and personal revelation’ – Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

About Deon Meyer

Deon Meyer is an internationally bestselling and prizewinning author, who was awarded France’s highest arts honour, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) in 2021. He writes in Afrikaans and his South African publisher Human & Rousseau has sold more than 600,000 Afrikaans copies of his novels. Rights in his titles are sold in 30 territories and 28 languages and many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, with a couple currently in production. Acclaimed 6-part series TRACKERS was broadcast in South Africa in 2019, with a stellar South African cast and went on to appear on channels and streamers around the world.

Deon’s books have been awarded many prizes around the world: the Deutsche Krimi Prize in Germany, the ATKV Prize in South Africa, and Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Le Prix Mystère de la Critique in France. COBRA was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger, THIRTEEN HOURS was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA International Dagger, and HEART OF THE HUNTER, was longlisted for the 2005 IMPAC Prize and selected as one of Chicago Tribune’s ‘10 best mysteries and thrillers of 2004’. THE DARK FLOOD was a Number One bestseller in South Africa in both English and Afrikaans. It was shortlisted for the South African Adult Fiction Book Award 2021 and the ATKV Thriller Prize 2021 and won Best in Translation at the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2022.

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TIEPOLO BLUE by James Cahill on Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award longlist

We are delighted that TIEPOLO BLUE by James Cahill has been longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award.

The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award was established in 1954, making it the longest-running UK prize for debut fiction and, except for the James Tait Black and the Hawthornden, the oldest literary prize in Britain. Past winners include Gail Honeyman, Jackie Kay and the late Gilbert Adair, also a Blake Friedmann client.

The other titles on this year’s longlist are: TO FILL A YELLOW HOUSE by Sussie Anie, THE DICTATOR’S WIFE by Freya Berry, MY NAME IS YIP by Paddy Crewe, EDGWARE ROAD by Yasmin Cordery-Khan, LITTLE BOXES by Cecilia Knapp, WHEN WE WERE BIRDS by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, BLACK BUTTERFLIES by Priscilla Morris, I’M A FAN by Sheena Patel, MOONLIGHT AND THE PEARLER’S DAUGHTER by Lizzie Pook, THE WHALEBONE THEATRE by Joanna Quinn and NO COUNTRY FOR GIRLS by Emma Styles.

Lucy Popescu, the chair of the judging panel, said: ‘We are delighted to announce our longlist of 12 debut novelists tackling a fascinating diversity of subjects. These compelling novels explore art and privilege, war, loss, blackmail and theft as well as love, desire, obsession and the pursuit of power. We visit several UK locations and are transported to the American frontier, Australia, Trinidad, Eastern Europe and the siege of Sarajevo.’

The shortlist for this year’s prize will be announced on 20 March, with the winner being revealed at the National Liberal Club on 24 May.

TIEPOLO BLUE follows the unravelling of revered art historian Donald Lamb. Freed from the constraints of academia, it looks like the anarchic contemporary art scene of 1990s London might be his salvation, but he soon suffers an earth-shattering fall from grace that leaves him questioning everyone and everything.

TIEPOLO BLUE was published in hardback by Sceptre in June 2022 to great acclaim. It attracted widespread praise, including from Patrick Gale and Stephen Fry (the latter describing it as ‘The best novel I have read for ages’), and was also included in the BBC’s and Times Literary Supplement’s ‘Best of 2022’ lists. It will be published in paperback on 27 April 2023.

James is currently writing his second novel, THE VIOLET HOUR, which will be published in hardback by Sceptre in Summer 2024. Set in New York, London and Switzerland, the novel reveals the secret history of a reclusive artist, a monomaniacal collector, and the art dealer caught between them.

Praise for TIEPOLO BLUE

‘The spirit of E.M. Forster is alive and well in James Cahill. The same palpating of damaged moral tissue, the same psychological canniness, the same gently invoked erudition, the same exactitude and eloquence – except Cahill is able to explore forbidden themes that Forster feared to touch on except posthumously’ – Edmund White

‘The best novel I have read for ages. My heart was constantly in my throat as I read… There is so much to enjoy, to contemplate, to wonder at, and to be lost in.’ – Stephen Fry

‘Imagine if Hollinghurst and Murdoch collaborated on a witty update of DEATH IN VENICE and you'll see the appeal of James Cahill's assured debut.’ – Patrick Gale

‘The last debut novel I read that had this much talent buzzing around inside it was Alan Hollinghurst’s THE SWIMMING-POOL LIBRARY.’ – Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

‘Beautifully captures disorientation, tenderness and heat without tipping into excess…an electric new novel written by an author skilled in the evocation of vertiginous, heightened emotion.’ – Michael Donkor, The Guardian, ‘Book of the Day’

‘The plot is propulsive, though the crafted ambience of unease simultaneously destabilizes the reader at every turn. The prose is fluid and precise but the tone equivocal, bathos merging into pathos, tragedy into farce and back again… Oscar Wilde’s paradoxes – about the relationship between art and life, illusion and reality, true and false selves – lie half submerged throughout this bravura debut, but so does the vulnerability of Thomas Mann’s Gustav von Aschenbach… It is the moments when rawness and confusion burst to the surface that prevent this witty yet unnerving book from being too clever.’ – Lucasta Miller, Times Literary Supplement

About James Cahill

Picture Credit: Darren Wheeler

James Cahill was born in London. Over the past decade, he has worked in the art world and academia, combining writing and research with a role at a leading contemporary art gallery.

His writing on art has appeared in publications including The Burlington Magazine, The Times Literary Supplement, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The London Review of Books. He was the lead author and consulting editor of FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN (Phaidon, 2018), a survey of classical myth in art from antiquity to the present day. He was the co-curator of ‘The Classical Now’, an exhibition at King’s College London (March-April 2018), examining the relationships between ancient, modern and contemporary art.

He is currently a Research Fellow in Classics at King’s College London.

Follow James on Twitter and Instagram