To date all winners and 85% of Bath Novel Award and Bath Children’s Novel Award shortlistees have accepted offers of representation with literary agents. Many have gone on to sign traditional publishing deals, including a six figure pre-empts and selection for Richard & Judy’s WHS book club. Here are some of their success stories:
2016 Runner up LAURA MARSHALL accepted representation with Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency shortly after our longlist was announced. In July 2016, Laura accepted offered a six figure pre-empt from Sphere (Little, Brown) for her psychological thriller FRIEND REQUEST. Lucy Malagoni, editorial director for Sphere Fiction said: “Friend Request is one of the most outstanding, compelling and emotionally resonant psychological thrillers I’ve read.” Friend Request was published in July 2017 and became a Sunday Times and No.1 ebook bestseller. Read: interview with Bath Novel Award 2016’s Laura Marshall
2015 Shortlistee HOLLIE OVERTON accepted a major publishing deal with Penguin Random House imprint Century for her psychological thriller, BABY DOLL. Century’s Selina Walker said: “This is commercial fiction with a capital C” and Baby Doll shot straight onto the Sunday Times bestseller list when the paperback was released in January 2017. Baby Doll was one of the eight picks for Richard & Judy’s Spring 2017 WHS Book Club and is described by Richard as “a book you won’t be able to put down.” Read: interview with Bath Novel Award shortlisted Hollie Overton
2014 Bath Novel Award winner JOANNA BARNARD accepted representation with Caskie Mushens co-founder Juliet Mushens who sent on to sell PRECOCIOUS in a four-way publishing auction. Ebury Press’s acquiring fiction director Gillian Green said: “Joanna’s debut is that Holy Grail in fiction: quality writing but with a commercial heart.” Read: interview with 2014 winner Joanna Barnard
EUGENE LAMBERT was shortlisted in 2014 for THE SIGN OF ONE, the first in a YA sci-fi trilogy about twins in a world where only one twin grows up human. Egmont acquired The Sign of One from literary agent Ben Illis. Stella Paskins, fiction publisher at Egmont said: “This is compulsive YA at its very best.” Read: interview with Bath shortlisted Eugene Lambert
Inaugural shortlistee CATHERINE BARTER accepted representation with Laura Williams at Peters Fraser & Dunlop literary agency. Catherine’s YA novel, TROUBLEMAKERS was acquired by Andersen Press for publication on 1 June 2017. Troublemakers has went on to win a Carnegie Medal 2018 nomination and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Prize 2018. Fiction editor Chloe Sackur said: “I believe Catherine is a bright new star in British YA fiction. Troublemakers is an achingly honest coming-of-age novel about family, and the politicised world we live in.” Read: interview by Prose Blog with Catherine Barter
LUCY VAN SMIT won the inaugural Bath Children’s Novel Award in 2015 with nordic noir YA thriller THE HURTING. Van Smit accepted an offer of representation from 2015 judge and literary agent Sallyanne Sweeney at Mulcahy Associates and signed a two book deal with Chicken House. The Hurting will be published on September 6th 2018. Read: interview with Children’s Novel Award winner Lucy Van Smit
Bath Novel Award 2015 winner CLARISSA GOENAWAN accepted representation with Anna Soler-Pont at Pontas International Literary & Film Agency for her literary suspense novel RAINBIRDS, which sold to Soho Press for publication in 2018. Amara Hoshijo, acquiring editor at Soho Press, said: “Clarissa’s writing is not only beautifully literary and effortlessly transportive, but capable of resonating with a wide audience.” Read: interview with Bath Novel Award winner Clarissa Goenawan
Bath Children’s Novel Award inaugural shortlistee SOPHIE CAMERON accepted representation with literary agent Hellie Ogden at Janklow & Nesbit. OUT OF THE BLUE was acquired in a fiercely-contested auction by Macmillan Children’s books and will be published in spring 2018. Rachel Petty of Macmillan said: “Out of the Blue is the kind of book that makes you stop and think about life in an entirely new light. It’s a book about grief and about finding your place in the world, when angels are falling out of another. It’s hopeful and heartfelt and completely unique – and we believe Sophie Cameron has the potential to go on to be a leading light in children’s and YA literature.”
2016 Bath Novel Award winner KIM SHERWOOD accepted representation with Susan Armstrong of Conville & Walsh literary agency. Susan said of Kim’s winning manuscript TESTAMENT: “It’s one of those very rare gems where you’re immediately enthralled by the story and the characters and the page turns itself.” Kim has recently signed a very exciting book deal, watch this space for an announcement soon. Read: interview with Bath Novel Award winner Kim Sherwood
2016 Children’s Novel Award runner up SARAH HOUSE accepted representation with Polly Nolan at The Greenhouse Literary Agency for THE MAGPIE GARDEN her realistic MG debut described by 2016 judge Julia Churchill as a “beautiful novel with real heart.” Award founder Caroline Ambrose said: “Sarah nails what it’s like to be raised in a broken family, with the message that even hopeless situations can be fixed. Our younger Junior Judges especially enjoyed the book’s themes about resilience, friendship, second chances and never losing hope.” Read the opening chapters of THE MAGPIE GARDEN
2016 Shortlistee SCOTT BAIN accepted representation with Lauren Clarke at Bell Lomax Moreton literary agency for THE GOD BULLET, his pacy YA thriller about a teenage boy hired by London’s underworld to fire dangerous curses from his high-powered sniper rifle. Lauren and Scott are currently editing The God Bullet prior to submission to publishers. Read: interview with Bath shortlisted Scott Bain on accepting representation
2016 Bath shortlisted CATHY LAYNE accepted representation with Zoe Ross at United Agents. YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL is a high end commercial novel about beauty, unrequited love and what it’s like to be outsiders in a beachy Tokyo suburb. Read: interview with Bath shortlisted Cathy Layne on accepting representation
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2015 Runner up ROBIN FALVEY accepted representation with literary agent Sarah Manning of The Bent Agency for FULMAR, a gritty, funny YA novel about a Cornish surfer who has fallen in with the wrong crowd. Read: interview with Bath Novel Award runner up Robin Falvey
Inaugural Runner-up IAN NETTLETON was signed by literary agent Susan Armstrong (Conville & Walsh) for literary thriller THE LAST MIGRATION about two brothers who set off across the Australian outback to capture a man with a case of cash. Read: interview with Bath Novel Award runner up Ian Nettleton
2016 Bath Children’s Novel Award shortlisted FIONA LONGMUIR accepted representation with Sophie Gorrell Barnes at MBA Literary Agents for THE WAITING ROOM, her YA thriller romance set in the afterlife. Read: Fiona Longmuir on her path to representation
2016 Bath Children’s Novel Award winner GARETH OSBORNE accepted representation with Julia Churchill at AM Heath Literary Agents for COGS OF CASTILLE, his MG adventure set in C19th Madrid. Read: interview with Gareth Osborne on accepting representation
2016 Bath Children’s Novel Award shortlisted Sophie Green accepted representation with Hilary Delamere at The Agency for POTKIN & STUBBS (DECEASED) her MG detective noir. Read: the opening chapter of Sophie Green’s Bath shortlisted novel
