Press Release: Deals Done
Usborne Plans Rapid Expansion Of Its Teen Offering With Host Of New Acquisitions
Posted at 9:56AM Monday 06 Sep 2010
Usborne is expanding its teen offering with a host of new acquistions. Fiction Director Megan Larkin has been on a buying spree in response to the rapturous reception received by Usborne debut teen title Angel (published on the 1st October) and on the back of the rapid growth of the commercial teen fiction market. In a flurry of recent deals Megan has bought six new titles (including two debuts) from four talented authors for teens. Megan Larkin, Usborne Fiction Director, said of her recent clutch of acquistions: " When we bought L.A.Weatherly's stunning YA trilogy, Angel, we saw it as the launchpad for a new range of teen and YA titles on the Usborne fiction list, and we've had a wonderful time over the past few months picking the best new teen fiction from around the world to create a wide range of books to appeal to different readers. We're delighted to follow on from the rave reviews we've had for Angel with another stunning supernatural romance, Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon, quite simply the best we've read. And we've found two more exciting new authors who are set to be great stars: Paula Rawsthorne's debut, The Truth about Celia Frost is an intense, psychological thriller full of twists and turns; and Jack Heath (Money Run and Hit List) is a young writer already a huge hit in his native Australia - we're sure all adrenaline junkies here will love his turbo-powered writing too. For lovers of costume drama and historical fiction, Pauline Francis follows up the success of Raven Queen, about England's Nine Day Queen, Lady Jane Grey, with a sumptuous new novel Traitor's Kiss about a formative period in the young life of Elizabeth I." Usborne will be publishing 7 teen titles next year (Angel Fire and Angel Fever, Dead Beautiful, The Truth About Celia Frost, Money Run, Traitor's Kiss and Jordan Stryker II: Cyber Storm) and the Usborne fiction department is continuing to commission for next year and beyond, and aiming at 8 - 10 teen/YA titles per year. Usborne's new digital division plans to publish simultaneous ebook editions for all these teen titles, across all platforms including Kindle, iBook and epub versions. About the titles: UK rights to Dead Beautiful by US author Yvonne Woon were bought from Molly Kong at Hyperion and it is due to be published April 2011. Paranormal romance meets murder mystery in this compelling debut set in an elite American boarding school, where the undead are the star pupils. World English rights to The Truth about Celia Frost, Paula Rawsthorne's debut, were acquired from Jo Unwin at Conville and Walsh and it will be published October 2011. Startling plot twists and turns abound in this stunning teen thriller about a girl discovering the disturbing truth about her past. The Truth about Celia Frost is not only a gripping thriller but also a touching rite of passage about a girl's relationship with her mother and confronts thought-provoking issues about medical research and the good of the individual vs. society. A deal for a second untitled teen novel has already been made, due for 2012 publication. Paula Rawsthorne is one of the winners of the Undiscovered Voices 2010 competition and the 2004 winner of BBC's 'Get Writing' competition and Usborne are thrilled to have won this assured debut novel and know they have discovered an exciting new voice in teen fiction. UK rights for Money Run, due for publication July 2011, and Hit List, due January 2012, were bought from Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown UK. Two adrenalin-fuelled and highly addictive teen action adventures from a rising star writer, Jack Heath. Smart, slick and explosive, this is teen crime fiction at its best with two teenage thieves battling corrupt governments, ruthless corporations and rogue assassins. World rights of Traitor's Kiss by Pauline Francis were aquired from Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan. Traitor's Kiss is an enthralling, richly evocative tale of life at the turbulent court of the Tudors, and a fascinating rites of passage story of England's future queen. The book explores the most important period (1547) in the young life of England's most famous queen, when a scandal threatened to destroy her and shows what made Elizabeth I the women she became. Pauline Francis is "Philippa Gregory for young readers." Megan Larkin concluded: "As with the rest of Usborne fiction, our teen titles focus on high concept books with huge entertainment value and top quality writing; action adventure, psychological thrillers, murder mystery, historical romance. We're not entering the field of heavy teen issues, unless they're enlivened with other elements such as the suspense and mystery in The Truth About Celia Frost."
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