Nosy Crow snaps up Bath Spa graduate's debut

Nosy Crow has bought two books from a Bath Spa University MA graduate in a pre-empt providing “cross company excitement and a clear publishing vision” within 48 hours of submission.

Kirsty Applebaum’s first novel, The Middler, won the 2016 United Agents Prize for Most Promising Writing for Young People, and will be published next year “accompanied by an ambitious marketing and PR campaign”.

The children’s indie publisher’s head of fiction, Kirsty Stansfield, bought world rights from Nancy Miles at the Miles Stott Agency.

The Middler is a “gripping story” aimed at nine to 12-year-olds featuring forbidden friendship, loyalty and betrayal set in a near-future world.

Stansfield described the quality of writing by Winchester-based Applebaum as “superb”. She said: “I was immediately drawn into Maggie’s world and wanted to know all about her, and the quiet menace underpinning everything.”

Kate Wilson, m.d at Nosy Crow said: “It had me at the first page – such a great voice. It’s unusual to find such perfectly-pitched middle-grade fiction, and I think it has real international potential.”

Applebaum, who recently graduated from the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University, said: “The whole team has embraced the world of the book and they all love Maggie, Jed and Trig as much as I do. I'm very excited to be working with such a friendly, energetic and innovative publisher.”

Miles said she knew she had found something special after reading the "first three lines of The Middler. 

She added: "I knew I'd found something special. I also knew we'd found the right home for Kirsty and her debut when the team at Nosy Crow leapt into action within 48 hours of submission with wholesale, cross company excitement and a clear publishing vision for Maggie and her world.”