It's been a whirlwind few weeks as we've sold Alwyn Hamilton's magnificent debut, REBEL OF THE SANDS, in ten territories. A heated 8-publisher auction in the U.S., an equally dramatic 4-publisher auction in the U.K., pre-empts in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, and Israel, and just last week a deal in the Netherlands—I would say it's hard to believe, but being one of the lucky few who's read Alwyn's electrifying YA fantasy, I actually have no trouble at all believing that the international publishing world has fallen in love with it.
There are a few things about this book that made it strike such a nerve with publishers, I think. First, it's a sweeping, epic story, with plenty of action and political intrigue and romance and humor and tragedy. It's also got a deeply compelling main character, a strong, fearless, flawed young woman who finds her destiny in a cause so much bigger than just her own story. The setting is so rich and so detailed, familiar and foreign at the same time, and the cast is wondrously diverse—at a time when diversity in YA fiction is rightly a hot-button issue, the range of Alwyn's characters is truly refreshing. And, you know, it's just really, really good. It's the one of those books you don't ever want to stop reading, and I can't wait for readers to get their hands on it.
REBEL OF THE SANDS will be published in the U.S. by Viking/Penguin and in the U.K. by Faber & Faber. Congratulate Alwyn on Twitter at @AlwynFJH...and start counting down to REBEL OF THE SANDS' launch in February 2016!
Great job. And congrats to Alwyn!
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