Headline nets trilogy from 'supremely talented' Young

Headline has signed a three-book deal with "absolute powerhouse" Glenda Young, beginning with The Toffee Factory Girls.

Editorial director Kate Byrne acquired world English rights from Caroline Sheldon at the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency. The first instalment will be published in 2024 with Secrets of the Toffee Factory Girls in 2025 and Celebrations for the Toffee Factory Girls in 2026.

"Glenda Young is a writer whose talents I believe will take her to the very pinnacle of success," said Sheldon. "’Woman’s Hour’ described her books as ’real sagas with female characters right at the heart’ and with over 300,000 Glenda Young novels now sold it is no surprise the army of fans for her novels is ever-growing."

Young has published seven Ryhope-set sagas with Headline beginning with Belle of the Back Streets as well as two books in the Helen Dexter cosy crime series including Murder at the Seaview Hotel. Young’s crime series was shortlisted for the best new crime series in the New Kid on the Block Award, part of the Dead Good Reader Awards, at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2022. 

Young commented: "I’m over the moon to have signed another contract with Headline and can’t wait to tell my readers about the new trilogy. I’d like to thank Headline for all of their support and their confidence in me, especially my editor Kate Byrne, who has been with me every step of the way and I continue to learn a lot from her. I’m very excited to get stuck in (excuse the pun!) and write about the women who worked at a northeast toffee factory during the First World War." 

Byrne added: "Glenda is a supremely talented storyteller and an absolute powerhouse of an author, with an immense gift for capturing character, locale and historical period. It’s been so satisfying and inspiring to work with her over the past five years, and I’m enormously excited about the potential the future holds with her beautifully engaging proposal for The Toffee Factory Girls series, which promises to deliver all the elements her readers love her for. We are extremely proud to be her publisher at Headline and thrilled to be continuing to work with her to deliver more of her wonderful stories to current fans and new readers over the years to come."