Century and Del Rey pre-empt 'utterly compelling' fantasy debut by Törzs

Century publisher Selina Walker and Del Rey senior editor Sam Bradbury have pre-empted Emma Törzs' debut novel Ink Blood Mirror Magic, to be published as a lead title on the Century list in July 2023. 

The deal for British Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, was made with Matilda Forbes Watson at WME. North American rights were acquired by Jessica Williams at William Morrow, via Claudia Ballard. Rights have also sold at auction in Brazil to Planeta, in France to Denoel, to Germany's Piper, Italy's Mondadori, Romania's Bookzone and to Urano in a pre-empt for Spain and Latin America. 

The novel will tell the story of two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s collection of rare and dangerous magical books. When their father dies suddenly, they must work together to unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them, secrets that span centuries and continents, and which someone wants to use for their own nefarious purposes. 

"I knew as soon as I read the first page that this novel was going to be really special," Walker said. "Ancient books, secret libraries, spells written in blood and herbs, and a dark mysterious, utterly compelling world where books have the power to save – or kill you – I wanted to acquire it immediately! I shared it with my colleague, Sam Bradbury, whose experience and deep love of the fantasy genre is second to none, and we both agreed that Ink Blood Mirror Magic had the sort of universal genre-busting appeal that would benefit from being published on the Century list. I am full of admiration for all that Emma Törzs has achieved in this, her first novel, and cannot wait to introduce it to the widest readership possible in 2023."

Bradbury added: "I have been searching for a book like this for my entire career. It’s a true category killer that encompasses all the things I love – incredible world-building, a thrilling plot and an emotional heart so visceral you can almost feel it beating. It felt like I held my breath until the very last page. I’m delighted to be working closely with Selina Walker on this incredibly special publication, and honoured to be working with the immensely talented Emma Törzs. With Century’s stellar track record of event publishing, and Del Rey’s unique knowledge of the fantasy genre, we’re excited to bring this book to both a genre and wider commercial fiction audience."

Törzs commented: "I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Selina and Sam at Century and Del Rey, both of whom have published some of my own favourite novels over the years!"