HarperCollins partners with Nestlé’s Quality Street on factory-set novel

HarperCollins UK will next month publish a novel inspired by Quality Street after signing a publishing partnership with the Nestlé brand.

The Quality Street Girls, by chocolate historian Penny Thorpe, is set in the Quality Street Halifax factory during the 1930s and was inspired by the factor and its workers. The story follows the lives of a group of girls who work in the factory over one Christmas that “they will never forget”.

Senior commissioning editor Kate Bradley acquired world rights through Jemima Forrester at David Higham Associates in a two-book deal endorsed by the Quality Street brand. Nestlé will support the book through marketing and publicity via its social media channels.

“HarperCollins are thrilled to be working with such a historic brand,” said Bradley. “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Quality Street and everyone knows it’s the first sign of Christmas approaching. The book will be the perfect gift over the festive season. As well as being a chocolate historian par excellence, Penny is a superb storyteller who has perfectly captured the essence of what it meant to be a Quality Street girl.’

A Nestlé spokesperson said: “We’re delighted to be working with HarperCollins to celebrate the heritage of this much-loved brand. We’re proud to have been making Quality Street in Halifax since 1936 and Penny Thorpe’s story captures some of the magic of the factory. We’ve given Penny unprecedented access to our historical archives during her research for her novel and we hope that our consumers enjoy this behind the scenes look at working life in a toffee factory in the 1930s.”

The Quality Street Girls will be published on 14th November.