John Murray Press snares Preston's 'cinematic' debut in six-figure deal

John Murray Press (JMP) has snared novelist Scott Preston’s "cinematic" debut, The Borrowed Hills. 

Publishing director Nicholas Pearson pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Peter Straus at RCW in a "significant" six-figure deal. RCW have sold rights in six other territories — including Scribner in North America and Fischer Verlag in Germany — and there is already "strong" interest in screen rights, which are represented by Lucinda Prain at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates.  

The book will be JMP’s lead British debut for 2024 and publication will be supported by a major PR, marketing and retail campaign, focusing on and celebrating the regions in which the book is set. Preston participated in JMP’s three spring 2024 Proof Parties across Cheltenham, Durham and Ilkley Festivals, and is featured in its new fiction zine, Encounters, which annually showcases the list’s upcoming fiction talent. 

The Borrowed Hills will be published in hardback, trade paperback, audio and e-book on 11th April 2024. The synopsis says: "As the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease spreads across the hills of Cumbria, emptying the valleys of sheep and devastating the local community, two neighbouring farmers join forces to reverse their fortunes by rustling livestock from the south.

"But when they come under the sway of a ruthless outsider, The Borrowed Hills builds towards a savage conflict that threatens their ancient way of life. Lyrical, elemental, cinematic, Scott Preston’s debut thrillingly reimagines the American Western for the fells of northern England, a story of men and women struggling to make lives for themselves in an unyielding land."

Preston has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester and has just completed a PhD in Creative Writing at King’s College London. He said: "With The Borrowed Hills, I’m excited for readers to experience the history, folklore, and voices of the Lake District in a completely new way. The hills of Cumbria might be 5,000 miles from the Wild West, but now that John Murray Press is publishing the adventures of wayward shepherd Steve Elliman, I hope readers will find that the Western has found a new frontier in the north of England." 

Pearson added: "Scott Preston’s debut novel swept me and the whole JMP team away. It is visceral, written in a language that feels hewn from the fells, soaked in its myths and legends, the story of a Cumbrian farming community unfolding in strange and unexpected ways. We are thrilled to be launching this stunning new voice at John Murray."