Aaronovitch moves to Orion Fiction ahead of biggest ever publicity drive

Ben Aaronovitch, previously on Orion’s science fiction and fantasy list Gollancz, will now be published under the Orion Fiction imprint to “reflect the author’s unique audience, and to continue to grow and broaden the reach" of his bestselling series Rivers of London.  

Aaronovitch’s new novel, Amongst Our Weapons, will published on 7th April in hardback, e-book and audio read by the Laurence Olivier Award-winning Kobna Holdbrook-Smyth.  

The previous book in the Rivers of London series, False Value, became Aaronovitch’s first number one bestseller in hardback and was shortlisted for the Pageturner of the Year Award at the British Book Awards 2021. The series has sold more than two million copies worldwide, according to the publisher.  

Aaronovitch’s move to Orion Fiction will catalyse the launch of his biggest marketing and publicity campaign ever, including a multi-city tour to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and London. Refreshed author branding will accompany marketing activity to “excite Ben’s legion of fans and entice new readers on board” with incentives such as limited-edition hardback proof copies, signed copies for bookshops and social media teaser content.  

“This is a hugely exciting time for Ben’s publishing,” said publisher Emad Akhtar. “They are effortlessly original, endlessly inventive and addictively entertaining stories that show a London – and lots of other places! – that are simultaneously fantastical, yet also more rooted in real life than much of what we see in the book world. Nobody blends wit and world-building, history and mystery, and horror and humour like Aaronovitch does. So it’s perhaps no surprise that his audience is also a totally unique mix of readers from right across the literary spectrum, and we’re looking forward to using the reach of this imprint move to break down more boundaries and grow this wonderful, one-off family into something even more special.”  

John Berlyne, agent and director of the Zeno Agency, added: “It’s been a joy to see Ben’s audience and the Rivers of London world grow so much over the past 10 years – from novels to novellas to comics to board games and much more to come. This exciting new direction will help one of the most gifted and imaginative storytellers at work today reach even more readers, and that is something to celebrate.” 

Aaronovitch commented: “As a former bookseller I know that, ultimately, it’s all about reaching the readers. And, as a writer, I am excited to be published in an even more accessible and expansive way. It’s been a mad life-changing adventure over the past 10 years of the series – and this new chapter in that journey is exciting, and hopefully we’ll be able to persuade as many new people as possible to give the Rivers of London books a go.”