Cockleberry Bay author Nicola May moves to traditional publishing with Hodder

Bestselling self-published author Nicola May has signed with Hodder & Stoughton to publish a new character-driven series, based around a fictitious street market in Cornwall.

Commissioning editor Thorne Ryan pre-empted world English language rights in a three-book deal for The Ferry Lane Market trilogy from Lorella Belli at the Lorella Belli Literary Agency Ltd.

In the same vein as May’s Cockleberry Bay series, the trilogy is centred on a street market in the fictitious estuary town of Hartmouth in Cornwall. Each of the novels is to focus on a different lead character and feature a set of core characters from the tight-knit community in and around the market.

Slated for July 2021, the author has pitched the first in the series, Welcome to Ferry Lane Market, as "'Eat Pray Love’ meets ‘Doc Martin’”, describing its florist protagonist as a “homebird” whose grandfather encourages her “to get out there, girl” in a heart-warming and subsequently globe-trotting narrative. A two further books in the series will follow on six months apart.

The move to publish the series with Hodder–one of a host of publishers to turn down May’s debut a decade ago–marks the start of what May calls “a new chapter” in her publishing career, having successfully self-published since 2011. Of her 11 romantic comedies independently published, all have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts, and notably The Corner Shop at Cockleberry Bay was the biggest self-published fiction e-book of 2019 across the whole UK market. Her books have also been translated into eight languages and counting.

Asked why go with a traditional publisher, formidably making use of her own background in event management, marketing and PR to promote her books on Amazon KDP, May explained she is ambitious to embrace new opportunities and reach new readerships, with a big dream of hers being to climb the Sunday Times bestsellers list.

“I am excited to embrace the opportunities and support that partnering with such a prestigious traditional publishing house brings,” she told The Bookseller.

“Before they approached me, I wasn’t even thinking about going with a publisher. It was a really difficult decision and I knew I needed to look at it carefully. I think the main thing is it will be really nice to have support in the industry. I am a one-man band with my marketing, and I am looking forward to having the weight and experience of a team behind me; I am sure there are tricks up their sleeves they’re going to show me! I’m excited by the opportunity to enter markets I’ve previously struggled to get into and to bring my books to a whole new audience.”

Ryan, May’s new publisher, has vowed to “take her career to even greater heights”. She said: “Along with the rest of the publishing world, I’ve been watching Nicola storm the UK e-book market since 2018 and have been a huge fan of her feisty, true-to-life characters and emotionally honest writing ever since. It is such a privilege to be working with her… I can’t wait for readers to be introduced to the gorgeous Ferry Lane Market and its cast of brilliant characters next year.”

Welcome to Ferry Lane Market will publish in paperback, audio and e-book July 2021, to be followed by books two and three in November 2021 and April 2022 respectively.

The fourth in the bestselling Cockleberry Bay series, Christmas in Cockleberry Bay, published on Friday (13th November).