Ware joins S&S UK with 'unputdownable' novel in two-book deal

Simon & Schuster UK has signed an “unputdownable” new book from internationally bestselling author Ruth Ware in a two-book deal.

C.e.o. and publisher Ian Chapman and adult publishing division m.d. Suzanne Baboneau acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Eve White at the Eve White Literary Agency. Alison Callahan, vice-president and executive editor at S&S US’ Scout Press imprint, is Ware’s long-time US publisher and this new deal brings the author's English-language publishing under one global roof. Simon & Schuster UK will publish the first book in the deal, The It Girl, in August 2022.

Author of six novels, Ruth Ware has sold more than six million copies worldwide and is published in 44 territories, according to the publisher. Through Nielsen BookScan UK she has sold 294,890 print books  for £1.65m, with 2015 debut In a Dark, Dark Wood (Vintage) her bestseller on 80,719 copies sold in paperback.

She said: “The It Girl was a joy to write and represents a return to a subject I'm endlessly fascinated by: the pressures and intricacies of a passionately intense female friendship. I can't wait for Suzanne and her brilliant team to bring April and Hannah's story to readers around the world.”

White added: “The It Girl is yet another unputdownable novel from Ruth Ware and I am thrilled that she will be published by Suzanne, Ian and the great team at S&S UK. They will join their colleagues at S&S US and Canada, who have had enormous success with Ruth, to form a powerhouse for Ruth’s English-language publishing. I am so excited about this new chapter of Ruth's publishing journey.”

Suzanne Baboneau added: “How far someone will go to ensure that the past stays buried is at the heart of The It Girl, set in Oxford and Edinburgh. A new novel by this most brilliant of writers is always an immense joy to read. There is no place you want to be other than deep in its pages, heart beginning to beat ever faster as you turn them, feeling unsettled, uneasy, then fearful, frightened, utterly gripped. We have long been in awe of Ruth’s triumphs with Scout Press in the US and in Canada, and to become an integral part of her global publishing is a wondrous opportunity. Ruth joins our stellar cast of crime writers and we have the highest of ambitions for her.”