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JM Originals signs books by Casey and Bratton with covers designed by students
Entering its ninth year, JM Originals, an imprint of John Murray, has announced two titles for 2023, each with a cover designed by students at Liverpool John Moores University.
Becky Walsh, senior commissioning editor at John Murray Press, acquired world rights to debut novel She That Lay Silent-Like Upon Our Shore by Brendan Casey from Matthew Turner at Rogers, Coleridge & White.
Scheduled for publication on 22nd June, it is described as “a cunning fable about humanity’s relationship with the natural world, crisis and religion", which Anne Enright has called "an act of pure imagination".
Kate Craigie, senior editor, acquired world rights, excluding US and Canada, to debut non-fiction Stronger Than Death: Hart Crane’s Last Year in Mexico by Francesca Bratton from Leslie Gardner at Artellus.
Part memoir, part biography, it is the story of modernist poet Hart Crane’s final year in Mexico; the story of his mother’s grief after his death; and an exploration of the power of poetry amid the author’s own struggles with mental illness. Abigail Scruby, parental leave cover for Craigie, will publish Stronger than Death on 6th July.
John Murray chose the covers from a shortlist of submissions from students after initially doing so for titles in 2022. The winning cover designers were Kenzi Murphy (Stronger Than Death) and Lana Pendleton (She That Lay...). Walsh said: “After the success of our first collaboration with the students of John Moores University in 2022, we were delighted to be able to work with them again this year. The combination of bold editorial acquisition and unique cover interpretations make our 2023 JM Originals’ some of our most exciting to date and we can’t wait for readers to discover and enjoy them.”
