deep, deep thoughts...

JJLA titles for December...

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:38:39 GMT

December 1

ARTEMIS, PHILIP PALMER (ORBIT UK/US) SF NOVEL, PBK. FIRST WORLD PUBLICATION

December 8

BLOOD OF AENARION ,WILLIAM KING (BLACK LIBRARY UK/US). WARHAMMER FANTASY NOVEL, HBK. FIRST WORLD PUBLICATION

December 27

THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER, ROD REES (WILLIAM MORROW US) SF NOVEL, TPB.* FIRST US PUBLICATION

New World Rights Deal With Tor UK for Mark Charan Newton

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:09:07 GMT

Bella Pagan, Senior Commissioning Editor at Tor UK, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, has acquired world rights to the first two volumes of a fantasy series by Mark Charan Newton. The agent was John Jarrold.

The first book in a series provisionally titled DRAKENFELD introduces the eponymous hero, an investigator. The series is set in a fantasy world, but will appeal to fans of historical mysteries. In this opening volume, Lucan Drakenfeld is called home after the death of his father – but is immediately thrown into the investigation of a royal death. He also finds that his father’s demise is not as clear-cut as it at first appears…

Pagan said ‘Mark writes compulsive adventures set in utterly convincing new worlds – he’s a terrific writer. I couldn’t ask for a better start to my new position at Tor UK than this first deal’.

Tor UK have successfully published three fantasy novels by Mark in the Legends of the Red Sun series since 2009, with a fourth to appear in the summer of 2012. They have been strongly acclaimed by China Miéville, Peter F Hamilton and reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

The first book in the new series will be published in 2014.

For more information about Mark, see his website markcnewton.com or follow him on twitter @MarkCN.

Contact John Jarrold or Chloe Healy for further details:

Chloe Healy: e-mail: c.healy@macmillan.co.uk phone: 020 7014 6000 twitter: @UKTor
John Jarrold: e-mail: j.jarrold@btinternet.com phone: 01522 510544

Japanese Rights Deal for Hannu Rajaniemi

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:35:21 GMT

Pippa Wright, Rights Manager at Orion, has sold Japanese rights to highly-praised SF debut THE QUANTUM THIEF by Finnish science fiction novelist resident in Scotland, Hannu Rajaniemi, to Hayakawa via sub-agent Miko Yamanouchi from Japan Uni.

World rights in THE QUANTUM THIEF, plus two further books, were acquired pre-emptively by Simon Spanton of Gollancz (who published in September 2010 and have sold over 16,500 trade paperbacks, 1,500 hardbacks and over 4,000 e-books) from agent John Jarrold for a high five-figure sum in pounds sterling, on the basis of one chapter. Rights have also been sold in the USA, Germany, Spain, Turkey and Finland.

Hayakawa also recently acquired Japanese rights to Hannu’s highly-praised story HIS MASTER’S VOICE for their SF Magazine.

Solaris Acquire HELIX Sequel by Eric Brown

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:10:01 GMT

Jonathan Oliver, commissioning editor of Solaris Books, has acquired the sequel to HELIX by Eric Brown, which was published by the company in 2007 and has reprinted ever since, selling regularly. HELIX WARS will be delivered in the spring of 2012, for an autumn publication. The agent was John Jarrold, and the deal was for UK/US rights.

Eric explains the basis of the amazing artefact that is Helix here:

Helix is a vast spiral construct, wound around a main sequence G-type sun, and is the work of an ancient alien race known only as the Builders.
The helix resembles a spiral staircase made up of eight 'twists', four above the sun and four below. Each twist or circle consists of well over two thousand 'sections' or worlds, amounting to some ten thousand worlds. Each one is approximately forty thousand miles wide, with an ocean in between. Each 'planet' is barrel-shaped and rotates on a lateral, equatorial axis, like a bead on a string, and each has its own unique atmosphere and duration of rotation. The arms of the helix at the top and bottom, being further away from the sun, are polar in make-up; those closer to the sun are more clement.
The alien races of the helix number some six thousand, at varying levels of technological accomplishment.

Contact John Jarrold or Jonathan Oliver for further details.

John Jarrold - e-mail: j.jarrold@btinternet.com phone: 01522 510544
Jonathan Oliver – e-mail: jonathan.oliver@rebellion.co.uk phone: 01865 797014

Turkish Rights Deal for Rod Rees

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:02:02 GMT

Flora McMichael, Rights Manager at Quercus, has sold Turkish rights in DEMI-MONDE: WINTER by UK novelist Rod Rees to Inkilap.

World rights in Rod’s four-book DEMI-MONDE series were acquired pre-emptively by Quercus (who published the first volume successfully in January 2011, and in paperback in September) from agent John Jarrold for a major advance in 2009. Rights have now been sold in ten territories, also including the US, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Italy.

THE DEMI-MONDE is set in a wonderfully imagined virtual world – the Demi-Monde of the title. 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. There is a fascinating website at www.thedemi-monde.com

JJLA titles for November 2011

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 06:53:23 GMT

NOVEMBER 1

THE QUANTUM THIEF – HANNU RAJANIEMI (GOLLANCZ UK) SF NOVEL, PBK.

NOVEMBER 10

STONEWIELDER – IAN CAMERON ESSLEMONT (BANTAM UK) FANTASY NOVEL, PBK.

Second Major US Deal for Curtis Jobling's WEREWORLD series

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:38:48 GMT

Kendra Levin at Penguin has acquired US rights to Curtis Jobling's WEREWORLD books 3 & 4 from Zosia Knopp, Rights Director at Puffin UK in a major deal.

Puffin acquired World rights from John Jarrold at John Jarrold Literary Agency.

‘Curtis and I are both delighted about this deal,’ said John Jarrold. ‘Considering that Penguin US only published the first volume this month and still have the second awaiting publication, to acquire the third and fourth books in the series in a major deal this early shows huge enthusiasm and commitment.’

WEREWORLD follows the story of Drew, a shepherd’s son, as he comes of age and discovers he’s the last of the long line of Werewolves, and rightful (yet reluctant) ruler of the land of Lyssia, where shape-shifting ‘Werelords’ reign. Drew is chased across the Seven Realms by the agents of the king, encountering an ever-expanding cast of both benign and fearsome Werelords along the way. The first two volumes in the epic fantasy series are already published by Puffin UK, with two more to follow in 2012.

Curtis Jobling designed the Bafta winning BOB THE BUILDER and is also the creator of FRANKENSTEIN’S CAT, the BBC's hit children’s animation series based upon his book of the same name. His latest animated creation, RAA RAA THE NOISY LION, can be seen on CBeebies presently. In addition he has numerous shows in development with Disney, the BBC and others.

His website is at: http://www.curtisjobling.com.

Film option deal for Adam Nevill

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:53:04 GMT

Stillking Films have optioned Adam Nevill’s horror novel THE RITUAL. Published in the U.K. in 2011 by Macmillan UK, the book will be published in the U.S. by St Martin’s Press in 2012.

The novel is a contemporary horror tale that follows four men hiking in the northern European forests and the hellish things they discover there…

The deal was brokered by the Gotham Group in Los Angeles, representing the John Jarrold Literary Agency. Stillking Films have produced many major films including CASINO ROYALE, THE ILLUSIONIST, FROM HELL and THE BOURNE IDENTITY.

Forbidden Planet london signing

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:57:19 GMT

News of a forthcoming signing for three Tor UK/Macmillan authors including agency clients Adam Nevill and Mark Charan Newton at FP London:

http://forbiddenplanet.com/events/2011/10/15/triple-signing-fp-london/

StarShipSofa interview...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:25:06 GMT

I recently did a podcast interview for StarShipSofa, which is now live:

http://sofanauts.com/podcast/john-jarrold-interview

Mark Charan Newton website

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:30:27 GMT

As you'll see, agency client Mark Charan Newton's site has had a wash and brush-up:

http://markcnewton.com/2011/09/01/on-with-the-show/

German deal for Ian Whates' THE NOISE WITHIN

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:37:25 GMT

Anja Schleicher at Heyne has acquired German rights in SF novel THE NOISE WITHIN by Ian Whates from Julia Krischak of Thomas Schlueck GmbH, representing the John Jarrold Literary Agency. The book was published in the UK and US by Solaris in 2010, and has been highly praised:

‘There’s a lot to enjoy here: the characters, the action, a rogue AI starship, and spooky alien technology… I read it straight through...' –Neal Asher

‘Unreasonably enjoyable. 24 meets Starship Troopers. If you read Reynolds, Hamilton, Banks – read this…’ –Stephen Baxter

‘The Noise Within is an A+ for me and the series it debuts has a very high potential and I expect it to develop to be among the best space opera series around.’ –Fantasy Book Critic

JJLA titles for September 2011

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:16:33 GMT

SEPTEMBER 8

DEAD ISLAND – MARK MORRIS (BANTAM/CORGI UK) HORROR GAME TIE-IN, PBK. FIRST WORLD PUBLICATION

SEPTEMBER 20

WEREWORLD – CURTIS JOBLING (PUFFIN US) YA DARK FANTASY, PBK. FIRST US PUBLICATION

SEPTEMBER 29

THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER – ROD REES (QUERCUS UK) SF NOVEL, PBK.

HOUSE OF DOORS – CHAZ BRENCHLEY (SEVERN HOUSE UK/US) HORROR NOVEL, HBK. FIRST WORLD PUBLICATION

Writers' Retreat

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:14:59 GMT

Recently back from the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School, where I’ve been giving talks, interviewing Iain Banks on stage and having 1-2-1s with new writers. I met Katherine Parris there, who runs this writers’ retreat (and farmhouse B&B) in Brittany, which was recommended to me by several Swanwick regulars:

http://www.thewriteretreat.com/

Guardian review for Philip Palmer

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:55:26 GMT

A great review of Philip Palmer’s new SF novel HELL SHIP in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/04/eric-brown-science-fiction-book-reviews