Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Jane Smiley changes publisher for family trilogy


Jane Smiley has moved to Pan Macmillan's Mantle imprint from Faber & Faber for a new trilogy.
Mantle publisher Maria Rejt acquired UK and Commonwealth rights for a "good six figures" from Caspian Dennis at the Abner Stein Agency on behalf of Molly Friedrich in New York.

The three novels, set in America, are said to be loosely titled The Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga.
Some Luck is the first novel in the series, which follows the “evolving fortunes of the Langdon family, whilst casting a panoramic eye on America during a time of monumental change”.

Rejt said: “This trilogy, which opens in 1920, and ends at midnight on December 31st 2019, chronicles the lives lived in one remarkable family in an ever-changing world, and completely beguiles us with stories of their achievements and dreams, disappointments and triumphs; it is a reading experience which I know will resonate with me for many years.”
Friedrich said the trilogy was “ferociously ambitious” and that she was “thrilled that Maria and Mantle will be properly introducing it into such a vital market”.

Smiley won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for A Thousand Acres (HarperPerennial) and in recent years has been published in the UK by Faber & Faber, with novels including Ten Days in the Hills (2008) and Private Life (2010).

Among her other books is the 2001 Orange Prize shortlisted Horse Heaven (Faber & Faber).
Some Luck will be published on 6th November, with the second book of the trilogy, Early Warning, following in spring 2015.
The third novel will be published in autumn next year.
Each of the books will be published in hardback, with Picador paperback editions scheduled for spring 2015, autumn 2015 and spring 2016.

Smiley’s books have sold 155,654 copies through Nielsen BookScan, including 8,710 copies for her latest novel Private Life.

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