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Philippa Gregory completes her HarperCollins return with three-book global deal
HarperCollins inked a “major” global acquisition of three historical novels from Philippa Gregory to publish with HC UK, US and Australia—and in translation across seven of the company’s international outposts.
The world rights deal was conducted between Kate Elton, m.d. of adult commercial publishing at HC UK group, and Zahra Glibbery at Vivat Publishing. HC UK’s general-fiction publisher Lynne Drew and Rachel Kahan, v.p. of William Morrow and executive editor, will be Gregory’s anglophone editors.
The first novel, Boleyn Traitor, centres on Jane Parker (later Boleyn), sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn, whose evidence led to two Tudor queens being sent to the scaffold for adultery. It will publish in October 2025 in the English-language markets and in translation with HC companies in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Brazil, Czechia and Poland.
Gregory said: “It has been a long-held ambition to explore the character and extraordinary life of Jane Boleyn–whose evidence sent her husband George and sister-in-law Queen Anne to their deaths. Historians for centuries have puzzled as to why Jane should have betrayed her own husband at the peak of his success. After years of research, I think I understand why she was driven to destroy him.”
The book marks the full return of Gregory to HC, with whom she spent the early part of her career. For much of the past two decades Gregory was at Simon & Schuster UK. Gregory first came back to HC in 2023 when Arabella Pike at William Collins signed her to a multi-book deal which began with her non-fiction work, Normal Women.
HC UK c.e.o. Charlie Redmayne called Gregory “a wonderful writer who has built a loyal following through her brilliant and empathetic storytelling and seemingly limitless historical knowledge. It’s long been my ambition to see her come home to HarperCollins and I am delighted we have achieved that, not just here in the UK but globally too”.
The Gregory deal also marks the latest in HC’s bid to sign big-brand commercial authors to world English language and translation deals, which it has previously done with the likes of Karin Slaughter and Jeffrey Archer.
Chantal Restivo-Alessi, HC’s chief digital officer and its c.e.o. of international foreign language, said: “We are very excited to be able to publish Philippa in partnership with our UK colleagues across so many international markets. She has so many fans that are eagerly awaiting the next instalment of her vivid, and historically detailed, storytelling and we are certain we will be able to find new fans too.”
