HCG to publish Oseman’s online graphic novel

Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) has acquired world rights to Heartstopper, a graphic novel by Alice Oseman that was first published as a webcomic.

Heartstopper is an LGBTQ+ love story about Nick and Charlie, two teenagers at an all-boys grammar school in Kent. Oseman has been creating and publishing the comic on two online platforms, Tumblr and Tapas, since September 2016, and has more than 60,000 subscribers.

Earlier this year Oseman launched a Kickstarter to fund a limited run of a Heartstopper print edition. The campaign hit its target within just two hours of going live and ultimately achieved almost £60,000 of funding.  

HCG will print another run of physical copies after Rachel Wade, senior commissioning editor, struck a deal with Oseman’s agent, Claire Wilson at RCW.

Oseman said: “I’m supremely excited that Heartstopper is to be published by Hachette Children’s Group. What began as nothing more than a small passion project has grown into something bigger than I ever anticipated. Rachel and the team at Hachette have shown tremendous enthusiasm and a strong technical understanding of my comic work since early this year and I am confident that Heartstopper could not be finding a more suitable home. While the comic will forever remain free-to-read online, I hope that in joining with a publisher, I will be able to bring physical copies of Heartstopper to readers on a much grander scale than I could ever accomplish alone.

HCG will publish Volume 1 in paperback in February 2019, followed by Volume 2 in July 2019, under the Hodder Children’s imprint.