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Manilla Press pre-empts Solomons’ feminist retelling of Romeo and Juliet for six figures
Manilla Press, the literary imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has snared Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons, along with a second novel, in a “speedy” six-figure pre-empt.
Sophie Orme, publishing director for Zaffre and Manilla Press, acquired world all-language rights from Susan Armstrong at C&W. Rights have already been acquired by Sourcebooks in the US and pre-empted by DTV in Germany, and it is under offer in Italy and Brazil, with more deals expected soon.
Fair Rosaline will be published in the UK and Ireland in August 2023 in hardback, audio and e-book.
The publisher describes the book as “an extraordinary feminist retelling of ’Romeo and Juliet’ from the point of view of Rosaline, the woman Romeo loved first. Was Romeo really a hero, or was the greatest ever love story a lie?”
Solomons’ second novel with Manilla Press will be another piece of historical fiction inspired by Shakespeare’s plays—this time centred around Cleopatra.
Solomons said: “I’m so thrilled to be working with Sophie Orme and the brilliant team at Manilla Press. I’ve been bowled over by their enthusiasm for my vision of Rosaline and ‘dark Romeo’ and I feel incredibly lucky to be collaborating with them on this and future books.”
Natasha Solomons is the author of six novels, including Mr Rosenblum’s List, The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and The Gallery of Vanished Husbands (all Sceptre). Her novels have been translated into 17 languages.
Orme said: “Fair Rosaline is an exceptional piece of historical fiction that I haven’t stopped talking about since the moment I opened the submission email.
“Fierce, feminist and completely captivating, it takes everything you think you know about one of the most famous love stories of all time, ’Romeo and Juliet’, and turns it on its head. Natasha’s storytelling is irresistible—this book grips like a thriller—and I cannot wait for readers to meet Rosaline, her incredible heroine.”
