News about Brad Smith, Sara Alexi, Bradt Guides and Ventura Press

Fabulous new covers for Brad Smith titles now being launched in digital format by the UK's Endeavour Press:

 

Brad's also just signed a contract for a new Carl Burns thriller to be published by Severn House next year. His first Carl Burns thriller, ROUGH JUSTICE, will be available in paperback soon.

Bradt publishers launched two new travel literature titles in June:
 

 

Andrew Fraser goes on a jaunt around ten European cities including Skopje, Girona, Brussels, Thessaloniki, Gdansk and Oslo for £144 and describes how aspiring travellers can create their own dream travel itineraries on flights that cost less than an airport latte. Uncovering the little known travel gems which you can fly to for under a tenner, it is also an often surreal, idiosyncratic and funny account of one man's adventures on the move.

John Carter, having spent half a century globetrotting during an illustrious career as a travel writer and TV presenter, seeing the world via press trips, cruise ships and Concorde, recounts the tales he couldn't tell at the time: being savaged by a duck during the Pamplona bull running, meeting Sophia Loren and drinking vodka with Walter Kissinger, sharing a small island with a bottom-biting hippo, eating scorpions on toast and taking an unplanned flying lesson.

Sara Alexi, author of the bestselling Greek Village Series of novels (17 published so far!), was interviewed in Prima magazine:

 

 

  

 

  
Portuguese rights have been sold by our co-agents Sandra Bruna Agency to SUPERFOODS by Seana Smith, originally published by Ventura Press in Australia.

 

 

While TALK LESS, LISTEN MORE by Michael Hawton, also published by Ventura in Australia, has sold more than 25,000 copies in China.

 

 

 

 

Eye Books - changing the way we see the world

Last summer, we were thrilled to see Eye Books publish JUNKIE BUDDHA. The book is Diane Esguerra's memoir of overcoming grief after the death of her son, when she makes an extraordinary journey in Peru to scatter his ashes. The book has had major national media coverage and received, as I write, 37 reviews on Amazon - all of them 5 star. 


So I'm delighted we're doing more with Eye Books. We have just licensed to Eye Books the rights to Maria Katsonis' THE GOOD GREEK GIRL, originally published to great acclaim by our Australian publisher client Ventura Press last year. 

The book is a memoir of overcoming depression, after she graduated with a Master's degree from Harvard then returned home to care for her parents, and for the UK market it will be re-titled THE MIND THIEF. Maria is a vocal advocate for mental health and a senior government executive. US and translation rights are available. 

Last but not least, we'll also be representing some exciting titles from Eye Books internationally. Alastair Humphreys is a full-time adventurer, author and motivational speaker, and the founder of the fantastic 'Night of Adventure' talks in London that raise money for Hope and Homes for Children; he now has a monstrous 32.8K followers on Twitter... His most recent book, published by William Collins, is about Microadventures, a project that earned him the title of National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.

His very first adventure was to spend four years cycling around the world, surviving mostly on jam sandwiches, and he has created a wonderful series of children's books about this. Part 1 is from Europe to Africa, Part 2 the Americas and Part 3 riding home through Asia, the last of which just came out a few months ago. They're original and fun and I love them. So on behalf of Eye Books I am representing THE BOY WHO BIKED THE WORLD to international publishers.

   

Back in the office, with lots of news!

It's been another exciting month for the agency, not least because I am settled again in my office in Megalo Horio, Tilos, after spending so much time travelling in the last year. It's very peaceful working here in the mornings, with the sound of birdsong and sheeps' bells. But the agency has been buzzing, and it's not just the bees...

As a result of discussions at London Book Fair, a deal has just been signed for Canadian author Brad Smith's new novel, tentatively entitled ROUGH JUSTICE, with Severn House. We're excited as it's the first time he's been published in the UK. We're also on the brink of signing a three-book deal for digital editions of his previous novels with another publisher. Stay tuned.

http://www.bradsmithbooks.com/

Steven Gauge appeared on Sky Sports with two members of his rugby team who feature in his book, and announced that tickets have gone on sale for the stage version of MY LIFE AS A HOOKER in September.

http://stevengauge.blogspot.gr/

Ian Moore, after the success of A LA MOD and C'EST MODNIFIQUE, has been asked to speak at the France Show (held at London Olympia) next January. He is currently working on a debut crime novel set in France. I love his new website, too...

http://ianmoore.info/

Samantha Verant's SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS has been sold in three new territories, Latvia, Hungary and Poland, thanks to her US publisher Sourcebooks. Now returned to France from a very successful book signing at Barnes and Noble in Santa Monica, she has reached the exciting stage of being almost ready with a new book proposal, in spite of having broken a finger...

http://www.samanthaverant.com/

Bradt Travel Guides have launched a new anthology, TO OLDLY GO, with stories from adventurous travellers aged 60-plus, and the competition for entries is open until mid-June. I'll be editing it as well as selling the rights - though I don't get to judge the entries! The book will be launched in September.

http://www.bradtguides.com/articles/cat/news-competitions/post/to-oldly-go-competition

Jane Curry Publishing have announced they are re-branding to Ventura Press as they join forces with Simon & Schuster Australia to take the book sales to the next level.

http://www.janecurrypublishing.com.au/jcp-joins-forces-simon-schuster-australia-rebrand-ventura-press/

And we have started working with co-agents Prava i Prevodi to promote the agency's books across Eastern Europe. 

Thanks, folks: authors, publishers, freelancers and readers! The office assistant isn't much help with checking contracts or reading manuscripts but she ensures I get out for a break regularly...

A great start to 2015 for the agency

Exciting things have been happening - it's been a great start to 2015 for the agency!


Firstly, we have not one, not two, but three international deals for Jane Curry Publishing titles. MIDLIFE MANIFESTO: A Toolkit to Plan the Rest of Your Life by Jane Mathews has sold in the US and Korea, and parenting book TALK LESS, LISTEN MORE by Michael Hawton has sold in China.


Next up, we have found a very enthusiastic North American publisher for Ants Bolingbroke-Kent's book A SHORT RIDE IN THE JUNGLE, which this week reached the number one spot in Asia and motorcycles on Amazon in the UK.


And in the UK, Eye Books are preparing for publication of JUNKIE BUDDHA by Diane Esguerra, about the death of her son from a heroin overdose and her journey to scatter his ashes at Machu Picchu. Sandie Shaw, the singer, psychotherapist and Buddhist says it is 'an inspiring and uplifting book about finding infinite value in profound loss'. The book is due to be out in late summer.

What else? Samantha Verant's book SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS has now been sold by her US publisher Sourcebooks into Italy and Greece to add to the growing list of countries captivated by the love story, which has just been launched in Bulgarian with this beautiful cover...

Ian 'Mod' Moore will be performing at the Bradford Literature Festival. Author Tony Parsons says his latest book C'EST MODNIFIQUE is 'easily the best Englishman abroad memoir since Gerald Durrell was in short trousers'.

Finally, we've started working with a new co-agent in Spain, to add to our co-agents in Germany, Korea, Italy and China.

More information on all the above to be found here:

http://www.midlifemanifesto.com.au/
http://www.samanthaverant.com/
http://www.janecurrypublishing.com.au/
http://michaelhawton.com/
http://www.theitinerant.co.uk/
http://theforgivenessproject.com/visitor/diane-esguerras-experience-of-losing-her-only-child/

Books to Enhance Life

I'm delighted to announce my latest international rights client, Jane Curry Publishing. JCP is an Australian independent publisher with a simple, glorious motto: 'Books to Enhance Life'.

I visited Jane and Jasmine in the office in Paddington, Sydney, and came away with a stack of beautiful books. The list is mainly practical non-fiction, developing also into gift, literary and children titles. I know these books will have international appeal, and can't wait to start introducing them to my contacts.

http://www.janecurrypublishing.com.au/