|
Our latest signing…
THE BOOK: A novel called Red Tears
THE AUTHOR: Joanna Kenrick
How did the book come to your attention?
Through an industry contact.
Genre: Teenage novel.
What's it about?
It is a shocking, extremely well-researched novel about Emily, 16, who self harms. Emily – a normal and confident teenager on the surface – finds herself under mounting pressure as she enters her final GCSE year and she resorts to self harm to relieve some of the pressure: ‘the pain is good; it helps me focus’. It is a very moving read and meticulously researched.
Unique selling points
It is the first British book for teenagers to deal with this issue which afflicts thousands of young people in the UK.
Why do you like it?
It’s brilliantly written. One of the most moving manuscripts I had read in a long time. When the manuscript arrived, I wanted to read it that day. I took it to a coffee shop to get away from the phone and emails and was in tears by the end of it. I could hardly believe what I’d just read from a debut author. I felt that I really knew Emily and had a real insight into what drives people to self harm. This is a difficult subject area and a competitive area of publishing, but Joanna had absolutely pulled it off with amazing aplomb. I knew that I wanted to work with Joanna and contacted her straightaway for a meeting over lunch. By the end of the day, she was my client.
What are your plans?
It has been published by Faber & Faber. I told the book’s editor about it during a meeting at the Bologna Book Fair. She sounded very keen and so I submitted the book immediately on our return. The editor received the book on a Friday and called me on a Monday to make an offer. She then fast tracked it for publication and it was on the shelves in just over six months. It doesn’t often happen like this, but when it does, you just know as an agent that you’ve found the very best marriage of author to editor. All books must be published with passion and belief and Jo’s editor has an unflinching belief in this book which is why I have high hopes for the Branford Boase award; this is for a debut novel and aims to recognise the importance of the collaboration between editor and author and so is awarded to both. I have no doubt that this book will garner other accolades in the 2007 round up and will be on the shelves for a very long time.
|
|
|
