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Puffin has acquired Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent, marking the 20th Anniversary of Terry Pratchett’s first Tiffany Aching novel The Wee Free Men and the first time Rhianna Pratchett has contributed to her father’s body of literary work for children.
Puffin publisher Jane Griffiths acquired world rights from Jon Wood at RCW, on behalf of the Pratchett Estate. Scheduled to be published in October 2023 and set in Pratchett’s Discworld universe, Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch is described as “a must-have” for any Pratchett fan and has new illustrations from Paul Kidby.
The Tiffany Aching series has already generated over 2.7 million sales worldwide, according to the publisher, which will also be re-issuing the Tiffany Aching series with new cover artwork from illustrator Leo Nickolls. Fan-favourite Indira Varma will be returning to narrate the audiobooks.
The book will be an illustrated and practical guide to being a witch in Discworld, “covering everything you’ve ever wanted to know from telling the bees to magical cheese, from dealing with elves to making deals with demons, from tending flocks to fending off forces from other worlds".
Puffin added: “This beautiful and practical guide has been compiled by Tiffany Aching herself, including snippets of remembered wisdom from Granny Aching alongside notes from Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, Miss Tick, and Rob Anybody who offer their own unique perspectives on all things witchcraft. Whether you’re a herbologist or a headologist, this book will inspire and empower new witches and seasoned practitioners alike."
Pratchett said: “When most fathers shuffle away to the great shed in the beyond, their kids inherit things like their LP collection, a carefully curated selection of humorous postcards or a dicky bladder. I inherited a world. Knowing what I could (and should) do with that world has been a constant internal debate.
“Growing up with a shepherdess grandmother, bottle-feeding lambs and being dressed in woolly jumpers so thick they could stand up by themselves made the Tiffany Aching series a natural starting place. I’ve always been particularly drawn to the witches books where some of Dad’s best loved and most colourful characters reside alongside shades of my own family members. Channelling the wit and wisdom of Discworld’s witches with Gabrielle has been a wonderful, life-affirming and occasionally tear-filled adventure. And definitely much better than the Pratchett bladder.”
Kent commented: “The Disc and its inhabitants mean so much to so very many people and, in this guide, Rhianna and I hope to have captured the essence and voices of the characters we have all grown to love as we explore what it means to be a witch in their world.”
Griffiths added: “Puffin is incredibly proud to be the home of Terry Pratchett’s incredible children’s books and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have such an exciting new piece of Discworld publishing for the 20th anniversary year of Tiffany Aching. Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch is going to be a must-have for Terry Pratchett fans everywhere as Rhianna and Gabrielle take readers to the heart of Discworld and uncover the secrets of what it really takes to be a witch in this incredible world, all brought to life by new full-colour illustrations from the amazingly talented Paul Kidby.”