Coronet signs self-published hit Spalding

Hodder & Stoughton imprint Coronet has acquired three books by previously self-published Kindle bestseller Nick Spalding, in a six-figure deal through Jon Elek at A P Watt.

Senior commissioning editor Charlotte Hardman bought British Commonwealth rights including Canada and exclusive Europe in the novels, two of which Spalding has already published, Love...From Both Sides and Love...And Sleepless Nights, in a longer format with around 30,000 extra words, and a third new book in the Love...series.

Coronet will publish in e-book first, starting this month with Love...From Both Sides released in e-book on 25th October, with its paperback release following on 17th January 2013, and Love...And Sleepless Nights following in e-book on 8th November and in paperback in June 2013. Love...Under Different Skies will be published in both e-book and paperback in 2013.

Hardman said: "I've very excited to be working with Nick. He is a very funny and sensitive storyteller whose honest, down-to-earth plots had me laughing out loud from the very first page."

Spalding said: "Self-publishing has been an amazing experience for me. I've sold an awful lot of books in the past year and earned myself an ever-growing fan base of fantastic people. But I've done all I can on my own, so I'm delighted to now be working with Hodder & Stoughton on the publication of all three Love...books. I couldn't ask for a better working relationship in terms of advancing my writing career and getting my books into the hands of as many readers as possible."