Octopus snares Given's 'dark' fiction debut

Octopus imprint Brazen has secured Women Don’t Owe You Pretty author Florence Given’s fiction debut, Girlcrush, billed as “a dark feminist comedy” and backed by a major publicity campaign.

Publishing director Romilly Morgan acquired world rights from Abigail Bergstrom at Bergstrom Studio. It will be published in hardback in August 2022. “Girlcrush is set to be the queer novel everyone will be talking about," the publisher said.  

The synopsis reads: “In her debut novel, we follow Eartha on a wild, weird and seductive modern-day exploration as she commences life as an openly bisexual woman whilst also becoming a viral sensation on Wonder Land; a social media app where people project their dream selves online. But as her online self and her offline self become more and more distanced, trauma from her past comes back to haunt and destroy her present. Eartha must make a choice, which version of herself should she kill off? Girlcrush, is about getting lost in the in-between, when projecting your dream self online, can often seem better than a lifetime of being stuck in reality.” 

Octopus will launch a major publicity and marketing campaign to support Girlcrush including a tour “to bring all Florence’s readers on this fiction journey with her”, the publisher said. Waterstones will be releasing an exclusive edition including alternative cover artwork. Given will also host a Q&A on her Instagram account at 6 p.m. today (9th December) to answer questions about the book. 

Translation rights for her debut Women Don’t Owe You Pretty (Brazen) have been sold in 14 different languages so far after being signed by the Octopus imprint in 2019. The feminist memoir topped 100,000 copies through Nielsen BookScan in its first six months, accompanied by a guerrilla marketing campaign. Altogether the book has sold 170,613 copies for £1.8m outside lockdown, according to Nielsen BookScan in the UK.

Bergstrom said: “What Florence has achieved as a writer is exceptional and I could not be more excited that Brazen is launching her fiction career. Girlcrush digs deep into the duality of modern-life and lays bare the beautiful and complex realities of being a young woman in the digital age. I can't wait for the world to meet Eartha and discover how brilliantly funny and joyful this debut is.”  

Given commented: “I'm so thrilled to be working with Octopus again on my second book, Romilly is a fantastic editor who always shares and understands my vision. Venturing into fiction is a dream come true and I've written a story about a queer woman that I've always wanted to read myself – one that's hot and fun, but doesn't shy away from the darker realties of modern day life. Girlcrush is a book about the obsession women have with another, the good, the bad and the outright complicated. I can't wait for it to be published next year.”