Hodderscape wins eight-way auction for Kova's fantasy trilogy

Hodderscape has signed an adult romantic fantasy trilogy from Elise Kova in an eight-way auction. 

Publishing director Molly Powell acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Zoë Plant at the Bent Agency on behalf of Jenny Bent at the Bent Agency. Hodderscape will publish Arcana Academy, the first book in the series, simultaneously with Del Rey in the US in 2025. Rights have also been sold in Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Italy and Spain. 

Kova founded her own publishing imprint — Silver Wing Press — in 2015 to publish her debut Air Awakens. She is also known for her Married to Magic series, the A Trial of Sorcerers series and the Golden Guard trilogy, all published by Silver Wing Press. Arcana Academy will follow a woman whose involvement in forbidden tarot magic is "only half as dangerous as her surprise engagement to an enigmatic prince who wants to use her skills to claim the most powerful magic of all". 

Powell said: "As a long-time mega-fan of Elise Kova’s writing, the opportunity to publish her at Hodderscape was an absolute no-brainer. Elise is a stunning voice in fantasy, who crafts unputdownable, utterly swoony stories with romances you cannot help but root for. Arcana Academy has everything I love – dark academia, sizzling forbidden love, dangerous trials, and a brilliant faction-based magic system – and I know our UK readers our going to fall for it just as hard as I have."

Kova commented: "I couldn’t be more excited to partner with Hodderscape to bring this exciting new world to all my current and future readers in the UK and Commonwealth. The team and I are already full of ideas for how to bring Arcana Academy to life."