Scholastic snaps up two YA novels by Ikemoto Ghosh

Scholastic UK has snapped up world English rights to two YA novels written and illustrated by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh. 

Yasmin Morrissey, former senior commissioning editor, acquired rights from Lydia Silver at the Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency. The first book, Hyo the Hellmaker, will be published in March 2024. 

The publisher said: “Hakai Hyo is a hellmaker, able to create bespoke hells for your enemies, if you can pay the right price. As Hyo investigates the mysterious death of her friend, seeking out both vengeance and her next commission, she is drawn deep into a web of artisan hells and the havoc they can cause.” 

Ikemoto Ghosh is a British-Japanese writer. She has an MSc in Japanese Studies from the University of Oxford, with focuses on classical Japanese literature and contemporary anthropology. She was shortlisted the two times she entered the UK Manga Jiman in 2019 and 2021, a competition organised by the Embassy of Japan. 

She said: "Luck, fate and en—fateful connections—are key forces in Hyo the Hellmaker, and I felt that they were very much on my side when I met the Scholastic team. I was bowled over by their energy and enthusiasm for a Japanese fantasy mystery that was determined to not offer an expected ’Japanese’ fantasy. Hyo’s my tribute to the murder mysteries and the grumpy, sometimes nameless, gods my family have introduced to me over my life. I’m delighted to have Scholastic along for this adventure and look forward to welcoming readers to Hyo’s world!" 

Lauren Fortune, fiction publisher at Scholastic UK, added: “This is something truly special: a high-fantasy whodunnit with the most delicious concept, a main character who will create bespoke, artisan hells for your enemies if you pay the right price. Intricate, stunning world-building, beautiful writing and a gripping, twist-filled plot mark Mina as an exceptional new debut talent. Mina’s atmospheric black-and-white illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to her words.”