Angry Robot signs sci-fi debut from 'bright new star' Woolf

Angry Robot Books has signed Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock, a "hugely entertaining" debut novel from Maud Woolf.

Simon Spanton, editor, acquired world English-language rights from Lina Langlee at the North Literary Agency in a two-way auction. German rights were pre-empted by Tor (Fischer) and Saga Egmont won audio rights in a three-way auction. The book will be published on 9th January 2024. 

"I knew I would offer Maud representation after reading the opening scene of Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock alone," said Langlee. "It is a sharp and thought-provoking debut that manages to be both cool and incredibly tender in equal measure. When Simon emailed—a mere three hours after submission—to say that he found the book arresting, I knew we were on to a good thing." 

Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock is a "fun, dark and satirical" science-fiction novel set in a world where a celebrity elite have access to technology that allows them to make perfect copies of themselves, known as Portraits. The novel follows washed-up movie star Lulabelle Rock who hires a clone of herself to kill the other 12 versions. 

Spanton said: "Lulabelle Rock hooked me from the very first scene. And everything they did, every dilemma they faced, every choice they made kept me on that hook all the way to the end. It’s rare enough for an author’s SF book to encapsulate and explore its central concept with the sure and light touch that Maud brings to her debut. For that debut to be as entertaining and as tight as Maud’s is really special." 

Woolf added: "I couldn’t be happier to have signed with Angry Robot whose mastery of the weird and wonderful makes them the ideal home for my debut novel. I didn’t actually set out to write about destiny and death or even tarot cards and clones; the truth is Lulabelle walked into my head one day, pulled up a chaise lounge and refused to leave. I could never have accomplished this kind of exorcism without the guidance of my literary agent, Lina Langlee, who helped spin my tangled thoughts into something I’m so excited to share with the world."