Orion Fiction bags 10 books from self-published TikTok sensation Hastings for six figures 

Orion Fiction has signed 10 books by Jessa Hastings, whose self-published Magnolia Parks romance series went viral on TikTok this year.

Editor Celia Killen acquired world rights excluding North America from the author in a six-figure deal against several other publishers.

Ahead of Frankfurt Book Fair, Hastings’ books have already been subject to pre-empts and multi-book offers in several territories.

Killen said: “Jessa Hastings has created the most addictive, exciting romance series we’ve seen for a long time and it’s no wonder that readers (myself included) are losing their minds over it. Magnolia Parks combines the heartache of Twilight, the delicious angst of Colleen Hoover, and the high-fashion glamour of Gossip Girl into one irresistible package – and this is just the beginning for this epic series.”

Set among the scandalous 20-somethings of high society London, the novel follows glamorous socialite Magnolia Parks and her star-crossed romance with childhood sweetheart BJ Ballantine.

The second and third books in the series have also been self-published. Daisy Haites expands on Magnolia’s world, following fellow London "It Girl" Daisy – med-student, martial-arts expert, and reluctant heiress to a criminal empire – as she navigates a friends-with-benefits relationship and wrestles with the question of whether she can ever truly live a normal life.

The third book in the series, Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home, returns to Magnolia and BJ’s perspectives. Orion Fiction says its release in July this year was “highly anticipated” by fans, whose excitement “drove a spike in online activity that brought thousands of new readers to the series”.

According to the publisher, on TikTok, there have been more than 8.4 million views of #MagnoliaParks and 6 million of #JessaHastings.

Orion will publish the first four books in the series in paperback and eBook by the end of 2022, supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign that will run throughout 2023 and beyond. Two more books in the series will be released in 2023, as well as audio editions of all published titles. Hastings is also planning a second romance series to launch in 2023, with details to be announced soon.

In the US, rights were snapped up by Christa Désir at Bloom Books, publishers of #1 bestseller E L James, as well as many bestselling TikTok favourites including Elle Kennedy, Scarlett St Clair, Lauren Asher, Ana Huang and Lucy Score.

Film and TV rights have been retained by the author, who is in discussion with several major production companies.

Hachette Group rights director Rebecca Folland said: “Our Rights team fell hard for Magnolia Parks and the incredible series Jessa Hastings has created. She’s a huge new talent in New Adult romance and has already caused a major stir on TikTok. We can’t wait to bring her irresistible stories to even more readers all over the world.”