HC swoops for BTB's Falconer set

Barbara Taylor Bradford has signed a four-book deal with HarperCollins for a new historical fiction series.

Lynne Drew, publishing director, fiction, and Kate Elton, executive publisher, fiction and non-fiction, secured UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) from Robert Bradford.

The first novel in the deal will be published in 2019. Set in Victorian London, the novels trace the rise, both professional and personal, of merchant family the Falconers, and follow their fortunes through to the Edwardian era.

Bradford said: “When you have been with a publishing house for 38 years, it’s your family. That’s how I feel about HarperCollins and those I have worked with over the years. I’m thrilled to have signed a new deal, and look forward to starting the first Falconer novel.”

HarperCollins UK c.e.o. Charlie Redmayne said: “In our 200th year, when we are celebrating the luminaries we have published and Barbara stands tall among them. That she has remained at HarperCollins for her entire career is hugely gratifying and is, I believe, the sign of a unique partnership and trust.”

Drew added: “There are few authors as brilliant at storytelling, as passionate about character and as hard-working as Barbara: her energy, dynamism, curiosity and passion produce exceptional novels. Working with Barbara is a huge privilege—I can’t wait to get started on the conversations about the Falconer family.”

With her 1979 début A Woman of Substance (Granada), Bradford “invented” the rags-to-riches family saga, Drew said. The author has shifted 1.9 million units, for more than £10m, through Nielsen BookScan since records began.