Orion swoops for three Bramley novels in 'major' six-figure deal

Orion has swooped for three novels from Cathy Bramley in a “major” six-figure deal.

Publisher Sam Eades acquired world English rights from Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown. The first book in the new deal will publish in early spring 2024 in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audio. 

Bramley has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide, according to the publisher, and her latest novel The Summer That Changed Us (Orion) was a Sunday Times bestseller.

Mum’s Gap Year, Bramley’s 17th novel, will be the first hardback release and is “an emotional, multi-layered story” about three lifelong friends who embark on a joint-gap year to Bali and Australia. Publication will be supported by an “ambitious and far-reaching campaign, recruiting new readers around the world and engaging Cathy’s loyal fanbase to make it her biggest bestselling novel to date”.

Bramley said: “The idea for Mum’s Gap Year has been bubbling away for a couple of years and I can’t wait to get started on it. My daughters are at the age when lots of their friends are taking gap years. I decided that it wasn’t fair that such amazing adventures should be the sole preserve of the young and so this book is my way of redressing the balance. It’s going to be the biggest and most exciting book I’ve ever written and I’m delighted that Orion share my enthusiasm for publishing it.”

Eades added: “I am delighted to be publishing three more novels from Cathy Bramley. Cathy is a born storyteller who consistently and engagingly captivates her readers with emotional novels peopled with characters so real it is as if they are sitting beside you. She is brimming with creative ideas, a champion of fellow writers and determined, which is so vital in building long-term presence as an author. We match her determination and relish the challenge of taking Cathy to new heights.”

“I am very excited about this new deal for Cathy,” said Crowley “Her emotional storytelling is a tonic for our times. Working with Sam and the Orion team is a magical collaboration.”