Catherine Ryan Howard moves to Transworld in six-way auction for two thrillers

Transworld has triumphed in a six-way auction for Catherine Ryan Howard’s next two thrillers.  

Frankie Gray, publisher, and Imogen Nelson, commissioning editor, bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Sara O’Keeffe at Aevitas Creative Management. The first novel, as yet untitled, will be a lead publication for Transworld imprint Bantam, and will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in summer 2023. 

The author’s previous novels have been published by Atlantic, with Run Time released by Corvus in August. 

Gray said: “I have been a fan of Catherine’s work since her phenomenal debut, Distress Signals (Atlantic) and have watched in awe as she has honed her craft, with knockout thriller after knockout thriller. She writes with such originality and verve, pushing the boundaries of the genre with each new book. We will match Catherine’s own ambition and drive as a writer with our publication strategy for her coming books with us, and our intention is to make her a brand name in the UK and around the world. The entire Transworld team are thrilled and honoured that we are to be Catherine’s new publisher – we can’t wait to get started.” 

Nelson added: “Catherine is an immensely talented writer and we are so delighted to be welcoming her to Transworld. Her thrillers are meticulously plotted, twisty and incredibly gripping, and they always offer a playful and inventive edge that excites me both as a reader and as an editor. Catherine’s next book promises to be every bit as original, creative and compelling as we’ve come to expect from her, and we are so looking forward to beginning our publishing journey together.” 

Ryan Howard said she was “beyond thrilled” to work with the Transworld team. “They’ve already wowed me with their passion, insight and ambition, and we’re just getting started. And this is all thanks to Sara O’Keeffe, who has now changed my writing life twice: first as an editor when she pre-empted my debut, and now with this, as my agent. I’ve always felt very lucky that I get to do my dream job, but I feel especially so today.” 

O’Keeffe said: “I have worked with Catherine from the very beginning of her career. I have been in awe of her writing talent from the outset and it is beyond thrilling to see her career go from strength to strength. I have no doubt that in Transworld, with their extraordinary heritage as thriller publishers, Catherine has found the perfect home.”