Doubleday swoons over ‘fun and escapist’ new novel by Sittenfeld

Doubleday has revealed Romantic Comedy, a “fun and escapist” new novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. 

Jane Lawson, editorial director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Romantic Comedy from Fiona Baird at WME on behalf of Claudia Ballard in an earlier deal. Doubleday will publish on 12th April 2023.  

The book follows a TV script writer who thinks she’s over romance, until an unlikely love interest upends all her assumptions. The publisher said Romantic Comedy “is a humorous, confronting and often tender novel”. 

Lawson said: “Curtis loves to slide behind the scenes of institutions, from US presidential wives (American Wife and Rodham) to established private schools for the rich (Prep) and now the legendary American TV comedy show ‘Saturday Night Live’, which inspires the setting of her new book – a piercing and often hilarious love story with a twist. A Curtis novel is a much-anticipated event and Transworld will leave no stone unturned to make Romantic Comedy the highly acclaimed, irresistible top ten Sunday Times bestseller it deserves to be. We will be inviting Curtis to the UK for a packed schedule of media and bookseller events, supported by an extensive and innovative campaign.” 

Sittenfeld added: “I really wanted to write a fun, escapist novel full of humour and, yes, romance. I loved doing research on comedians and their world and imagining the courtship of my characters. I’ve also loved working with Transworld for well over a decade and can’t imagine a smarter publisher to share my fiction with a UK audience.”