Deviant Minds shortlist announced!

We are very excited to announce the shortlist for Deviant Minds, the writing prize launched by Corvus and A.M. Heath to find a talented and previously unpublished new voice in the crime and thriller genre.

The shortlist for the Deviant Minds prize is as follows:

• HOLD YOUR TONGUE
• BLACK WOOD
• THE BORROWED BOY
• ALL OF MY PASTS
• THE UNFORGIVEN DEAD

Deviant Minds is a new writing prize open to unagented authors, with an unpublished adult crime novel or thriller. The lucky winner will be offered representation by A.M. Heath, one of the most renowned literary agencies in the UK, along with an offer of digital publication from Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books, with possible print publication to follow.

The winner will be announced on 9 July 2018.

Corvus and A.M. Heath launch Deviant Minds competition

Corvus is very excited to announce that it has joined forces with literary agency A.M. Heath to launch a new competition to find a previously unpublished crime or thriller writer.

Deviant Minds is a writing prize open to unagented authors, with an unpublished adult crime novel or thriller. The author must be born or resident in the UK or Ireland. The lucky winner will be offered representation by A.M. Heath, one of the most renowned literary agencies in the UK, along with an offer of digital publication from Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books, with possible print publication to follow.

Entrants should submit the first 10,000 words of their novel, plus a synopsis of not more than 300 words, via email to deviantminds@amheath.com. The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on 27 April. Five entries will be shortlisted, and those writers will be asked to submit their completed novel. The winner will be announced on 9 July 2018.

The judges are A.M. Heath agents Euan Thorneycroft and Oli Munson, and Corvus Editorial Director Sara O’Keeffe and Editor Susannah Hamilton.

A.M. Heath says:

‘A.M. Heath is always on the lookout for new voices and new talent, so we’re thrilled to be launching a prize that welcomes and gives opportunities to unpublished writers. We know there are great undiscovered crime and thriller writers out there – and we’re excited to read many of them over the coming months!’

Sara O’Keeffe says:

‘We are delighted to launch the Deviant Minds crime and thriller prize in conjunction with A.M. Heath and look forward to reading a vast array of stories. We hope that from Deviant Minds will spring some devilishly good fiction.’

All details and Terms and Conditions can be found on the Atlantic Books website:

• Deviant Minds information
• Terms and Conditions

The full timeline is as follows:

• Submissions open: 19 February 2018
• Submission deadline: 00:00 GMT on 27 April 2018
• Shortlist announced: 18 May 2018
• Completed novels to be submitted: 11 June 2018
• Winner announced: 9 July 2018

Atlantic acquires forgotten story of suffragette doctors of Endell Street

Atlantic Books has acquired The Suffragette Surgeons of Endell Street by Wendy Moore, the inspiring story of two pioneering suffragette doctors. Television/dramatic rights have also been acquired by the makers of Poldark and Victoria.

Wendy Moore’s book tells the forgotten story of Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson, two pioneering suffragette doctors, and life partners. In 1915 they were invited by the War Office to establish a major military hospital in Covent Garden in the heart of London. The 570-bed hospital was staffed entirely by women – including all the doctors, nurses and orderlies – who treated 32,000 returning soldiers wounded on the battlefields of Europe between 1915 and 1919.

Moore’s previous books include Wedlock: How Georgian Britain’s Worst Husband Met His Match and more recently, The Mesmerist: The Society Doctor Who Held Victorian London Spellbound.

Moore said:

“I am thrilled that Atlantic Books will be publishing my book on the Endell Street Military Hospital. This is a truly wonderful story about many inspiring women who saved the lives of countless soldiers wounded in the Great War. Known both for their professional skills and their nurturing approach, these women mended broken bodies and healed fractured minds. I feel very privileged to be able to tell their story.”

Karen Duffy, associate publisher and acquiring editor said:

“The Suffragette Surgeons of Endell Street is a landmark work in the history of medicine and an inspirational, heart-warming great British story of a great British institution. The achievement of Garrett Anderson and Murray and their passionate, principled (but unjustly forgotten) team of women is absolutely remarkable. They defied the odds, they defied the patriarchy and they fulfilled the Suffragette creed of ‘deeds not words’ in a positive and progressive way. I couldn’t be more delighted that Atlantic will be bringing Louisa and Flora’s story to readers.”

The Suffragette Surgeons of Endell Street will be a lead Atlantic hardback, publishing in Spring 2020.

‘Small Pieces’ longlisted for JQ Wingate Prize 2018

Small Pieces by Joanne Limburg has been longlisted for the 2018 Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize.

Joanne Limburg’s intensely honest account of coming to terms with her brother’s suicide was selected for this year’s 12-strong list, comprising four novels and eight works of non-fiction, covering three continents and spaning a time frame of almost a century.

Now in its 41^st year, the annual prize, worth £4,000, is awarded to the best book, fiction or non-fiction, to translate the idea of Jewishness to the general reader.

Chair of judges Toby Lichtig says:

“We are delighted to have compiled what we believe is an invigorating, diverse and thought-provoking long list, transmitting a wide range of Jewish subjects. Each of these books is well worth reading for its own unique reasons: stylistic, thematic, emotional and intellectual.

Our list includes four novels, ranging from America to Britain to Israel, past and present. Historical studies include a new survey of the Holocaust and another of Adolf Hitler’s early years of infamy; fresh light is shed on Israel’s borders and demographics, Jewish mysticism and the often-fraught (and sometimes funny) vagaries of domestic life.

The Shoah, Israel and family are recurring leitmotifs – but if there’s one overriding theme it is identity: national, cultural and psychological; its contingency, construction and mutability, the borders it builds and wilfully traverses. The Jewish experience – with its long history, complex diaspora and vexed relationship with place – is perhaps particularly well-suited to current, often ugly debates about citizenship, migration and belonging. As such, this feels like a selection of literature for our time.”

The 2018 prize winner will be announced on February 15.

Atlantic partners with Ipsos for ‘The Perils of Perception’

Atlantic Books has agreed a new corporate partnership with research giant Ipsos to produce a range of new titles exploring global beliefs and attitudes.

The first title in the series will be The Perils of Perception: Why We Get Nearly Everything Wrong by Bobby Duffy (publishing in hardback, September 2018).

The book examines why we misperceive basic facts about the world and is informed by the annual ‘Perils of Perception’ survey for Ipsos which has been carried out in over 40 countries since 2013. The project explores just how wrong we are about key social realities – from how healthy and happy we are, to the number of immigrants in our countries, to the rate of deaths by terrorism, to our financial plans.

Mike Harpley, Editorial Director for Non-Fiction, said:

“This is a significant deal for Atlantic and we are honoured to work with the team at Ipsos. We are committed to publishing a range of ground-breaking books that will change how we see the world. I am particularly excited about The Perils of Perception and I think it signals a bold new direction in the ‘smart-thinking’ genre. Bobby is a major talent and we have already received a great deal of interest in the international rights, particularly as Ipsos are eager to support foreign publications of the book in each respective territory with substantial resources.”

Duffy is the managing director of public affairs and global director of the Social Research Institute at Ipsos with offices in nearly 90 countries. He said:

“We’re delighted to be able to bring the study to even more people through our partnership with Atlantic. Some new, unseen examples of what we get wrong will be released to coincide with the book. This will be the first in a series of titles, using the unique insight available to Ipsos from gathering information of all types on how people think, feel and behave.”

The Future of New Writing: Freeman’s new issue is announced

Writing in Literary Hub, John Freeman has today announced the 29-strong lineup for the new edition of Freeman’s, entitled The Future of New Writing, which features a global list of poets, fiction writers and essayists whose work boldly paves the way of the future.

In three issues, the literary anthology from leading editor and literary critic John Freeman has gained an international following and wide acclaim: ‘fresh, provocative, engrossing’ (BBC.com), ‘impressively diverse’ (O Magazine), ‘bold, searching’ (Minneapolis Star-Tribune). Freeman‘s: The Future of New Writing departs from the series’ progression of themes. This special fourth installment instead introduces a list – to be announced just before publication – of thirty poets, essayists, novelists and short story writers from around the world who are shaping the literary conversation right now and will continue to impact it in years to come.

Drawing on recommendations from book editors, critics, translators and authors from across the globe, Freeman‘s: The Future of New Writing includes pieces from a select list of writers aged 25 to 70, from over a dozen countries and writing in almost as many languages. This will be a new kind of list, and an aesthetic manifesto for our times. Against a climate of nationalism and silo’d thinking, writers remain influenced by work from outside their region, genre and especially age group. Serious readers, this special issue celebrates, have always read this way too – and Freeman‘s: The Future of New Writing brings them an exciting view of where writing is going next.

Click here to read John’s article in Literary Hub.

Corvus to publish two new Elizabeth Buchan novels

Corvus have signed the bestselling author Elizabeth Buchan, following a hotly contested auction for her next two novels.

Buchan is the author of 15 novels, including Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Daughters (which was made into a CBS Primetime Drama), I Can’t Begin to Tell You, and The New Mrs Clifton.

Sara O’Keeffe, editorial director at Corvus said she had been a “long-time fan” of Buchan and her “wry, insightful and spirited take[s] on the lives of women” to which Will Atkinson, m.d. Atlantic Books, added the arrival of “the established and highly successful” Buchan to the Corvus list was “a milestone in what is turning out to be a wonderful journey for us”.

“I am over the moon to be able to publish Elizabeth Buchan,” said O’Keeffe. “I’ve been a long-time fan of her work for many years, gobbling up her wry, insightful and spirited take on the lives of women. It wasn’t that long ago I could be found snuggling under a duvet, reading The Second Wife! I’m thrilled to be able to publish this talented and lovely writer and look forward to working with the whole Corvus team to launch another bestseller.”

Buchan, also a co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival, said:

“I have been bowled over by the Corvus welcome and look forward to being published by Sara and by such a smart, professional and dedicated team.”

Corvus will publish the first of Buchan’s new novels in early 2019, in hardback, trade paperback and e-book, with a paperback to follow later in the year.

Corvus bags ‘compulsive’ thriller in ‘fiercely fought’ auction

Corvus has acquired the rights to Jar of Hearts, and a second untitled novel, by Jennifer Hillier in a hotly contested and fiercely fought auction.

A chillingly compelling tale of murder, betrayal and the terrible secrets of the past that live on despite all attempts to silence them, Jar of Hearts focuses on the fall-out from a single night, 20 years before the story starts…

Geo’s world has come crashing down; Calvin, her ex-boyfriend, has been revealed as the deadly serial killer the Sweetbay Strangler. Geo is convicted, devastatingly, of helping him to cover up a long-unsolved murder – that of her best friend, Angela.

Aged 35, Geo is released from prison to try and start over. But while Geo did her time, Calvin escaped from custody and went on the run. And now someone has started killing people, using the same markers as the old murders… Everyone thinks they know the truth, but everything turns on what really happened that tragic night almost 20 years ago. As dark secrets are revealed, uncovering more buried deep within, is it too late for anyone, Geo included, to survive the truth?

Editor Susannah Hamilton said:

‘Page-turning and completely compulsive, Jar of Hearts had me at page one and never let go. An utterly addictive, immersive read. I loved it!’

Author Jennifer Hillier said:

‘I am delighted to be working with the wonderful team at Corvus to bring Jar of Hearts to the UK market. I’ve never been more excited to release a book, and I was absolutely thrilled when I got the news that Corvus would be publishing Jar of Hearts in the UK. Thank you for believing in this book.’

Will Atkinson, Managing Director of Atlantic, declared that it is ‘such a gripping and exciting read! Jar of Hearts deserves to be a bestseller in the UK and beyond – and we will fight tooth-and-nail to make that happen.’

Corvus will publish Jar of Hearts in June 2018, with a paperback to follow later that year.

Atlantic to publish Lib Dem leaders Cable and Swinson

Atlantic Books is proud to be publishing books by both the newly appointed Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable and the new Deputy Leader Jo Swinson in the next twelve months.

Atlantic has already published three works of non-fiction by Cable: the Sunday Times bestselling The Storm (2009) and its follow-up After the Storm (2015), and his memoir Free Radical (2010). On 7 September this year Atlantic’s Corvus imprint will publish his debut novel, Open Arms. The political thriller circles from Whitehall to the slums of Mumbai. Cable’s sweeping tale combines unrivalled political detail with international intrigue, desire, and the quest for power.

In February 2018, Atlantic will publish Equal Power by Jo Swinson, an exploration of why power is the root of gender inequality and a practical call-to-arms that challenges that persistent inequality and makes the case that everyone has the power to create change.

Will Atkinson, Managing Director of Atlantic Books, says:

“It’s no coincidence that the two most senior members of the Liberal Democrats are being published by Atlantic. We have a strong heritage of publishing books by high-profile figures from across the political spectrum including Alistair Darling and David Willetts, as well as recent political commentary by Steve Richards and P. J. O’Rourke. We’re proud of our record in this area, and look forward to publishing both Open Arms and Equal Power in the next year.”

Dyer and McInnes triumph at the Society of Authors’ annual awards

Atlantic authors David Dyer and Martin McInnes both received prestigious prizes at last night’s Society of Authors’ awards ceremony.

David Dyer was awarded the £4,000 McKitterick Prize (given to an author over the age of 40 for a debut novel) for The Midnight Watch. The novel was hailed by the judges as “an extraordinarily compelling exploration of guilt and responsibility”.

Meanwhile Martin McInnes received the £5,000 Somerset Maugham Award (designed to help young writers under 35 to enrich their work through foreign travel) for Infinite Ground, in which the author is said to “draw us into an eerie hallucinatory world”.

The complete awards (totalling £94,000, and including the Betty Trask Prize) were handed out at an event at the Army & Navy Club in London on Tuesday 20th June to authors including debuts by writers under 35, poetry, fiction, historical biography.