Raven Books pre-empts commercial and literary super leads by Whyte and Strachan

Raven Books has snared books by Nicola Whyte and Richard Strachan in two "major" pre-empts. The titles will be the publisher’s commercial and literary super leads for 2025.

Therese Keating, senior commissioning editor, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in 10 Marchfield Square and one further novel by Whyte in a "significant six-figure deal" with Jason Bartholomew at The Bks Agency, for publication in spring as Raven Books’ commercial super lead debut.

The synopsis for the book, which represents the imprint’s move into new areas of the genre, says: "10 Marchfield Square follows shy cleaner Audrey and failing crime writer Lewis as they investigate the murder of one of their neighbours in London’s smallest residential square and discover that, while everyone in this close-knit community may know each other’s business, they don’t necessarily know their secrets."

Alison Hennessy, publishing director, commented: "We have such ambitious growth plans for Raven Books, and I’m delighted to see Therese taking our publishing into new areas of the market with this major acquisition for the list. Nicola Whyte is an incredible writer and I am so excited to be publishing her as a commercial debut in 2025."

Keating added: "Witty, twisty and the perfect mix of light and dark,10 Marchfield Square captivated me straight away. As well as a sharp and surprising mystery it is a love letter to community and unlikely bonds – the square is a safe haven in an often unkind world and Nicola makes you feel deeply the importance of defending that. I’m delighted to welcome her to the list."

The author, Whyte, has been longlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize and Mslexia Prize, and shortlisted for this year’s Comedy Women in Print. 10 Marchfield Square was named first runner-up in the 2023 Daily Mail First Novel Prize. She commented: "Therese’s enthusiasm for the book and its characters has been palpable from the moment she read it, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to work with her and the team at Bloomsbury to bring Marchfield into the world."

Moreover Hennessey pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in Hound Point and a second unnamed historical novel by Richard Strachan from Sam Edenborough at the Greyhound Literary Agency.

The synopsis for Strachan’s book, which will be the imprint’s literary super lead for the first half of 2025, says: "Hound Point, inspired by a legend dating back to the days of the Crusades, opens in Scotland in the last terrible months of the First World War, in a grand house now requisitioned by the government as an emergency hospital.

"Widowed Esther, a volunteer nurse, encounters a patient troubled by a mysterious injury he gained in battle and a young man who soon becomes dangerously obsessed with the dark history of the house he has inherited nearby."

Hennessey added: "Richard Strachan will further cement our reputation as the home for some of the best, most compulsive historical fiction around. I fell for Hound Point from the start, it’s exactly the kind of immersive, unsettling, evocative story I love to read and to publish: frightening but incredibly moving, beautifully written and so ambitious. When the team here and I met Richard and talked more about his debut and his plans for future books, we all knew he was the perfect author for our list."

Strachan’s short fiction has been published in various magazines including The Dark and Interzone, and by Galley Beggar Press in its digital singles list. He said: "Raven Books were literally at the top of my list of publishers I hoped would be interested in Hound Point. They have an incredible list of haunting, evocative fiction, and that they are actually going to be publishing my book is something I still can’t quite believe. I cannot wait for people to have the chance to read it."