Century wins seven-way auction for Smale's 'life-affirming' adult debut

Century has won a seven-way auction for The Cassandra Complex by Holly Smale, marking her adult debut after the success of her Geek Girl and The Valentines series. 

Senior commissioning editor Katie Loughnane acquired UK and Commonwealth rights for two books from Kate Shaw at The Shaw Agency. Rights have been sold to Mira in the US, and the book has also sold in Holland, Finland and Germany. The novel will be published in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio in May 2023 with the paperback following in 2024. 

"It’s almost exactly 13 years ago to the day that I read the opening chapters of Geek Girl, fell in love with the voice of Harriet Manners and promptly fired off an email to Holly begging to represent her," said Shaw. "Since then Holly has never ceased to amaze me but she utterly blew me away with The Cassandra Complex. It’s quite simply the most ingenious and unpredictable love story I’ve ever read featuring the most authentic and endearing protagonist, Cassandra Penelope Dankworth. I can’t wait for readers across the world to experience it.”

The Cassandra Complex has been pitched as "About Time" meets The Rosie Project, in an unconventional, "fresh, funny, life-affirming" love story following Cassandra Dankworth as she contends with the aftermath of the worst day of her life.

The synopsis reads: "Cassandra Dankworth has always had a lot to contend with, but this story opens on one of the worst days of her life: she’s dumped by her boyfriend before breakfast and fired from her PR job before lunch. Later that same day, her ex turns up at her door as if nothing happened and Cassie is too relieved to ask questions – she’s just glad her longest ever romantic relationship is back on track. But tomorrow, Cassie finds herself dumped again. By lunchtime, she’s also fired. Trapped in a time loop, Cassie has a chance to revisit the past and do things differently. But will things keep going wrong for her when she has infinite chances to get them right?" 

Loughnane commented: "I was immediately drawn to the high concept and hook of The Cassandra Complex – it is a story that plays with time in a smart and entertaining way, exploring the choices we make for ourselves, and for others, and the different paths our lives can follow based on those choices. But it’s the character and unique voice at the heart of this novel that makes it so special. Cassie is a sparkling breath of fresh air in commercial fiction, shining an important and glorious light on how we don’t all think and experience the world in the same way. Though it might not always be easy for Cassie to form connections with people, she formed a very special connection with me – in an instant – and she has left a lasting impression on us all at Century. We have ambitious plans to launch Holly’s adult debut and can’t wait to get started." 

Smale added: “Cassie is incredibly close to my heart, and we have both found the perfect home with Century. Katie has loved and believed in this book from the start, and I feel so lucky to have such a passionate, talented and creative publishing team to help bring Cassandra to life.”