Sellars' zombie-infested Waterstones novel snared by Northodox

Mike Sellars’ horror novel, featuring a zombie-infested Waterstones store, has gone to northern independent press Northodox. 

Northodox commissioning editor Ted O'Connor signed world English language rights for Hyenas from Clare Coombes of the Liverpool Literary Agency.

Coombes said: "I had to sign this as our first horror book as it's an amazing and surprisingly moving read — with sympathetic characters, a zombie-fighting militia led by a Beatles obsessive, and a relatable protagonist Jay guiding us through a post-apocalyptic city, helped by The Book Club, a group of seven previously illiterate survivors." 

O'Connor commented: "The book has such a vivid sense of place and appreciation for the horror genre, flipping tropes and cliches on their head with joyous abandon. The opening chapter explodes on the page with a gruff Irish pirate harpooning a zombie in a Waterstones, need I say more?" 

Sellars said: "I’m delighted Hyenas has been picked up by Northodox Press. It’s very much a Liverpool book, a Northern book, and to have a publisher who sees that as a virtue to be promoted is fantastic. I’ve been reading horror since I was a child, and writing it since I was a teenager, so Hyenas is a gruesome, unflinching affair but, because of its Liverpudlian cast of characters, a sardonic sense of humour inevitably creeps in.” 

He added: "The main ‘concept’ behind Hyenas means the subject of the pleasure and necessity of reading feature strongly. So, writing it was a great opportunity to combine three of my favourite things: Liverpool, books and scary monsters." 

Sellars has previously independently published several titles and contributed to various anthologies, specialising in horror themes.