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May returns to Lightning from Hodder with 'post-pandemic' rom-com
Lightning Books has acquired The Hub by Nicola May, as the author returns to the independent press from Hodder & Stoughton.
Publisher Dan Hiscocks acquired UK and North America paperback rights to the novel directly from the author. The Hub will be published in paperback and e-book in August by the Eye Books imprint.
The novel follows the fortunes of a jilted crime writer who returns from London to her roots in rural Wiltshire and rents a desk in a shared workspace in a converted barn. "It’s a fast-paced tale, peppered with humour, mystery and romance, mixing mischief with the stresses of settling back into a rural community," the synopsis states.
May is the author of 15 novels, the first nine of which were self-published. Her Devon-set rom-com The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay hit the top of the UK Kindle charts in early 2019, going on to be Amazon’s third-bestselling novel of that year, according to the publisher. Lightning stepped in to publish a new paperback edition, with May retaining e-book rights, and struck similar deals for three bestselling sequels. Lightning more recently acquired paperback rights to May’s self-published backlist. It republished Working It Out and Let Love Win in 2021 and will publish new editions of The School Gates and Love Me Tinder in September 2022.
"The past couple of years have seen a big a shift to remote working, plus lots of new people moving to the countryside," May said. "I myself work out of a hub at Ascot racecourse, and this new-style workplace is a fantastic location for a romantic social comedy which I hope will capture the post-pandemic zeitgeist. I’m delighted to be returning to Lightning Books to publish The Hub. They helped my writing career flourish and they offer me flexibility and control of my work, as well as a direct and friendly relationship."
Hiscocks added: "May achieved extraordinary success against all the odds with her Cockleberry Bay series. It was a privilege for us to join her on that journey, and we’re overjoyed that she has chosen us to publish The Hub."
