Sphere buys ‘unputdownable’ true crime debut from Bustle editor Leach

Sphere has snapped up The Elissas, an “unputdownable” true crime debut from Bustle editor Samantha Leach. 

Tig Wallace, senior commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Rachel Clements of Abner Stein, on behalf of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The Elissas, which the publisher says is attracting “significant” film and TV interest, was published by Hachette globally in e-book and audio on 6th June, in tandem with Grand Central Publishing in the United States.

The UK paperback will follow on 6th July on Sphere’s true crime list. The synopsis reads: “In The Elissas, Samantha Leach takes readers through an incredible true story, beginning with her childhood best friend, Elissa. After getting into trouble together, Elissa was sent into the Troubled Teen Industry: a network of unregulated programmes in the US, meant to reform wealthy, wayward youths. A few years later, she was dead. Samantha went on Elissa’s social media profiles and noticed memorial messages from two girls called Alyssa and Alissa.

“Both signed off their message with ‘Save Our Souls’ – a phrase that Elissa had tattooed on her ribs. Samantha learned that they were Elissa’s closest friends at the school, sharing both her name and penchant for partying, with drugs and alcohol having become their norm. But too soon, Alyssa and Alissa were also dead. Samantha sets out to discover what happened to the Elissas and the truth behind the Troubled Teen Industry.”

Wallace said: “I’m on the lookout for the very best true crime for the Sphere non-fiction list and I was hooked from the moment I heard the premise of this book, then blown away by Samantha’s writing. An incredible true story that reads like the most gripping fiction, while poignantly bringing to life the friendships at the book’s heart, this is a must-read for true crime fans and crossover mystery readers alike. We are thrilled to welcome Samantha to Sphere and to publish alongside our sister company.”

Leach said: “It’s such an honour to be working with Tig and the whole team at Sphere to bring The Elissas to the UK. I can’t wait for British readers to fall as in love with these vital, vibrant young women as I did.”