Cornerstone to publish new E L James novel in April

E L James has written a new novel, The Mister, “a Cinderella story for the 21st century”, with Cornerstone publishing globally in April 2019.

“The Mister is a contemporary romance set in London, Cornwall and Eastern Europe that introduces readers to the privileged and aristocratic young Englishman Maxim Trevelyan”, the synopsis reads, “as well as the mysterious, talented and beautiful Alessia Demachi, who has recently arrived in London owning little more than a dangerous and troublesome past”.

James, whose Fifty Shades of Grey series broke sales records for contemporary adult publishing, will be published worldwide in the English language on 16 April, 2019.

Susan Sandon, m.d. of Cornerstone, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada for the book in a deal struck with Valerie Hoskins of Valerie Hoskins Associates in London. The book is not part of any previous series.

Arrow Books, the Penguin Random House imprint that launched the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy in 2012, will publish James’ new novel in paperback and e-book formats, with simultaneous publication from PRH Audio.

“I’m so excited to finally get this passionate new romance out into the world,” said E L James. “It’s a Cinderella story for the 21st century. Maxim and Alessia have led me on a fascinating journey and I hope that my readers will be swept away by their thrilling and sensual tale, just as I was while writing, and that, like me, they fall in love with them.”

Selina Walker, publisher of Arrow and the author’s UK editor says: “E L James is an exceptional storyteller, and The Mister is a unique and very special novel - passionate, romantic and full of suspense.  Its characters are warm, vulnerable and utterly believable, the locations are stunningly described, and the novel itself touches upon subjects and themes that are all too relevant in today’s world.”

She added: “To say that I am excited by this publication is an understatement.”

James last book, Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian, was published in February 2018.  It was an installment in the Fifty Shades series, a retelling of 2012's Fifty Shades Darker from the perspective of Christian Grey, selling 247,592 copies. Grey, published in 2015, was the first in the trilogy as set from the point of view of Grey's point-of-view and was the author’s fourth million copy bestseller.

Altogether James has sold 12.7 million books for £57m, with Fifty Shades of Grey the bestselling book of all time (in the BookScan era) at 4.7 million copies sold. It also holds the record for longest consecutive run in the weekly number one spot, at 18 weeks, plus an extra four at the end for Fifty Shades Freed (all published by Arrow) with all figures according to Nielsen BookScan.