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Puffin strikes six-figure deal for two more from Lincoln
Puffin has bought two further titles from Beth Lincoln, author of middle-grade mystery The Swifts, in a six-figure deal.
On the eve of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, fiction publisher Ben Horslen acquired world rights in a third book in the Swifts series, plus an untitled middle-grade novel, from Zoë Plant of The Bent Agency.
Illustrated by Claire Powell, Lincoln’s debut The Swifts, which was released earlier this year, is a whimsical mystery that sees the "irrepressible" Shenanigan Swift investigating which of her eccentric relations murdered family matriarch Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude. In its sequel, A Gallery of Rogues, publishing in 2024, Shenanigan and her sisters travel to Paris, where an estranged branch of the Swift family is being targeted by a gang of thieves who turn their crimes into performance art.
Rights in the first two books have already been sold in 14 territories, including a major deal with Julie Strauss-Gabel at Dutton Children’s Books in the US, where The Swifts was an instant New York Times bestseller. Lincoln and Powell celebrated the book with their international publishers at a dinner in Bologna on the first night of this year’s Bologna fair.
Commenting on the acquisition, Lincoln said it was “an utter joy to be able to continue the story of the Swifts”. Horslen added: “I am over the moon that Beth has decided to keep telling Shenanigan’s story with Puffin. She is, quite frankly, a ridiculous talent, with an incredible ability to connect with kids both on the page and in person. With more books signed up and the promise of more international deals to come, the sky really is the limit.”
Alice Grigg, international rights director at PRH Children’s, said: “Beth is the dream storyteller and Shenanigan Swift, a girl determined to define her own destiny, is a dream hero who will resonate with middle-grade readers everywhere. With 14 publishers already signed up, we couldn’t be more excited to have more writing from Beth, and more adventures for the Swifts.”
Lincoln is a graduate of the Penguin Random House UK WriteNow programme, a nationwide campaign launched to ensure PRH’s books and authors better reflect society.
Puffin will publish the third book in the Swifts series in February 2025 in hardback and e-book.
