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Macmillan Children's Books snaps up Atlas Six author's YA debut in multi-book deal
Macmillan Children’s Books has signed a multi-book deal including the YA debut by Alexene Farol Follmuth, author of TikTok hit The Atlas Six under the pen name Olivie Blake.
YA book My Mechanical Romance, is billed as an “unfailingly witty and honest exploration of both first love, and the challenges that girls of colour face in STEM”.
UK and Commonwealth rights were bought by publisher Samantha Smith from Rachel Richardson at Watson, Little who was representing US publisher Holiday House. My Mechanical Romance will be published on 23rd June 2022.
Pan Macmillan’s Tor imprint published The Atlas Six in March 2022 and recently announced a new deal with the author for the previously self-published Alone With You in the Ether.
The synopsis for Farol Follmuth’s YA debut explains: “Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building romance, and the message is clear: girls belong in STEM. Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel – and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn’t seem to like her either.
“Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognises Bel as a potential asset – until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realise they’ve made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made each other and the team better.”
Smith described the novel as “a pitch perfect exploration of young women in STEM with a swoon-worthy, opposites-attract romance at its centre”. Farol Follmuth’s second YA novel will publish in 2023.
Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, m.d. of Macmillan Children’s Books, said: “We are delighted to complete Olivie’s relationship with Pan Macmillan and welcome Alexene to Macmillan Children’s Books to publish her YA debut here in the UK. Alexene has created an irresistible tale that is not only a love story between Mateo and Bel, but a love letter to women in STEM. It is sure to follow The Atlas Six as her next viral hit.”
My Mechanical Romance will be launched with a “wide-reaching” marketing campaign to engage fans of YA and The Atlas Six, using Pan Macmillan’s new TikTok account and the YA Literature Convention in July as key touchpoints.
