Simon & Schuster UK triumphs in three-way auction for Linda Wilgus' The Sea Child

Simon & Schuster UK has triumphed in a three-way auction for UK and Commonwealth rights to The Sea Child by Linda Wilgus.  

Clare Hey, publishing director for adult fiction, concluded the deal with Madeleine Milburn at the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. Simon & Schuster UK will publish in hardback, e-book and audiobook in 2025. 

Rights have sold at auction in Germany and in pre-empts in France (Charleston/Leduc), Norway (H Aschehoug and Co), Finland (Otava) and Spain (Planeta). 

The Sea Child is billed as “a love story with a touch of magic and folklore set against the wilderness of the Cornish coast”.

The synopsis says: “It was a grey and misty morning when she appeared on the Cornish shore. A girl of only four years old, soaking wet, unable to speak. With no one to claim her, rumours started to swirl and the villagers began to believe she was brought from the sea, the daughter of mystical sea creatures. 

“Now, newly widowed, she returns to the village to start a new life and as she settles into life in Cornwall, she feels the sea calling to her to come back home. Then one night, she discovers Jack Carlyon, an injured smuggler, in her home and allows him to stay to recover. They cannot be together – she is a child of the sea and he is a man of the land – but so begins a love story that will push them both to the edge of their hearts…”

Hey said: “I fell for the world of The Sea Child from the very first scene and then was swept into its magic and its beautiful love story. Readers who love stories with a little magic and a little folklore will fall for its charms.” 

Milburn added: “This is a timeless universal love story that has resonated with publishers around the world illustrated by their fervent desire to publish internationally. We’ve had pre-empts from a string of international publishers, and counting!” 

Wilgus also commented: "During a recent stay in Cornwall I fell in love with the landscape and the rich history and folklore of the area. I could imagine the call of the sea, as well as picture the smugglers from ages past and the story of The Sea Child grew from there. I’m excited the book has found its home with Simon & Schuster UK."