HarperFiction wins 'sweeping' historical novels from Barbara Erskine

HarperFiction has acquired two "sweeping" historical fiction novels from Barbara Erskine. 

Kimberley Young, formerly managing director at HarperFiction, bought world English-language rights from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. Editorial director Belinda Toor has taken on publishing Erskine following Young’s departure last year.

The first book in the new deal, The Story Spinner, will publish in hardback, e-book and audio in August 2024. Described as a time-slip set in the Welsh countryside, readers are introduced to novelist Cadi Jones as she is researching her latest project – the story of a Welsh queen who has been lost to the pages of time. 

The synopsis continues: "As Cadi writes, she stumbles across an undiscovered chapter of history, one that takes the reader to Roman Britain, Arthur’s Legend and even the Holy Grail."

Erskine’s second novel in the contract, The Valley of Ravens, is set to publish in hardback, e-book and audio in 2026.

Toor said of the deal: "Barbara is an expert storyteller, and her novels are timeless. She has been delighting readers for decades and The Story Spinner promises to deliver all that readers love from her previous work and more. It’s brimming with rich historical detail and flavour, characters you champion from the first page, and a ghostly connection to the past that has become Barbara’s trademark. I couldn’t be more thrilled to work with such a master of the craft."

Erskine commented: "I’m so pleased to be heading off once more into the past with the wonderful HarperCollins team. The Story Spinner has been enormously exciting to write, and I hope my readers find it as compelling and intriguing as I did. I can’t wait to see it out there."

Dixon added: "Barbara Erskine herself is a story spinner par excellence, and we all loved this story, right from Barbara’s first mention. The arrival of the manuscript was a moment of great excitement and the vivid characters and dual past-and-present worlds soon cast their totally absorbing spell. We can’t wait for legions of readers around the world to experience that Erskine magic again too."

Erskine is the author of 16 novels, eight of which have reached the Sunday Times top 10, and three short-story collections.