Linwood Barclay moves to HQ in seven-figure deal

After a decade's publishing with Orion, Linwood Barclay is moving to HQ, HarperCollins, in a new three-book, seven-figure deal.

Publishing director Kate Mills bought UK and Commonwealth rights in three new titles from Helen Heller at the Helen Heller Agency, with HQ to publish the first book under contract, Elevator Pitch, in September 2019.

The crime writer has sold 2.5 million books for £13.6m, with his biggest seller No Time For Goodbye at 751,186 copies, and has published with Orion since 2007. Mills said she had been a "huge fan" of the writer since her days working there, calling him "one of the most remarkably consistent thriller writers there is".

"Every book is a masterclass is characterisation, plot and the killer twist. If you think you know what’s going on in a Linwood novel, you’re wrong, and that’s what I love about his writing," she commented. "I couldn’t be more thrilled that HQ will be Linwood’s new home in the UK, and that we’ll be able to work with our HarperCollins colleagues at Morrow in New York to build his presence internationally. The whole team at HQ is hugely excited and we’ve got a lot to look forward to."

Executive publisher Lisa Milton said: "HQ’s mission is to publish books that make readers say ‘one more chapter tonight’ or ‘I couldn’t put it down’. This perfectly describes Linwood’s novels. We could not be happier that Linwood is joining our stellar list."

HarperCollins c.e.o, Charlie Redmayne said: "It’s been terrific to see HQ achieve so much in the last two years, and I’m delighted that Linwood Barclay is now joining the list. With their passion, energy and creativity, I know HQ will be a brilliant new home for Linwood’s UK publishing and we look forward to welcoming him to HarperCollins in the very near future."

Barclay has sold 2.5 million books for £13.6m via Nielsen Bookscan's TCM in the UK, with his biggest seller No Time for Goodbye at 751,186 copies sold.