Dystopian debut The Space between the Stars to Pan Mac

Pan Macmillan has acquired The Space between the Stars by debut novelist Anne Corlett.

Senior commissioning editor Bella Pagan bought world rights from Lisa Eveleigh at the Richford Becklow Literary Agency.

The Space between the Stars is pitched as "an enthralling novel of love, loss and second chances" and "a dramatic road-trip across the stars". The plot follows a woman who journeys across a plague-ravaged universe to return home and find the man she once loved. Its publishers have compared it to Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven (Picador) and Michael Faber's The Book of Strange New Things (Canongate).

Pagan said: "I was utterly captivated by Jamie’s plight and her incredible journey – which is one of self-discovery as well as a hazardous push for home. Anne has an incredible talent and I can’t wait for others to discover it too."

Corlett, based in Somerset, works as a criminal solicitor and a freelance writer. She undertook an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa, where she was mentored by novelist Maggie Gee who called her "a natural writer, full of stories". Author and playwright Fay Weldon also tutored Corlett and called her "an original thinker".  

Corlett commented: "I’m really looking forward to working with Bella and the rest of the Pan Macmillan team.  I’ve been blown away by the warmth and enthusiasm that has been apparent throughout the acquisitions process."

Pan Macmillan will be publishing The Space between the Stars in late spring 2017.