HarperFiction signs Hodder editor's debut

In her first major acquisition in her new role, HarperFiction publishing director Kimberley Young has won an auction for a debut novel by 27-year-old Hodder editor Lucy Foley.

Young bought UK and Commonwealth rights in Foley's The Book of Lost and Found and one other novel for a six-figure sum from agent Cathryn Summerhayes at WME.

The underbidders were Headline and Little, Brown.

The novel is described as "lyrical, compulsive and haunting", "the heartbreaking tale of loves lost and decades of regret, a story of life broken by wars, and how the dark secrets in your past can resonate through your future", as a young woman who has been adopted goes on a quest to discover the truth of her parentage.

Young said the HarperFiction commercial women's fiction list "is studded with superstars so it takes something more than special to join the list." She said: "The Book of Lost and Found has that magic, because I know that in Lucy we've found not only a stand-out book but an author who is destined to be a star."

Summerhayes is also fielding four offers for the book in Germany, two in Italy, and one in Brazil, with discussions underway with editors in the US.

The Book of Lost and Found is planned for UK publication in early 2015.

Young joined HarperFiction last October from Harlequin UK and has been responsible for big brand women’s fiction authors including Josephine Cox, Tilly Bagshawe, Barbara Erskine, Kimberley Chambers and R&J picks Amanda Brooke and Lucy Clarke. She has also overseen the launch of digital-first romance imprint, HarperImpulse.