S&S UK wins 'heated' four-way auction for Gill's 'extraordinary' verse novel

Simon & Schuster UK has won a “heated” four-way auction for Hekate and two more books by Nikita Gill. 

Charlotte Trumble, commissioning editor for adult fiction, bought UK and Commonwealth rights in a three-book deal from Nicola Chang at David Higham Associates. Hekate, the first novel in a loosely connected trilogy about the Greek goddesses of the Underworld, will be published in hardback in autumn 2025. 

Hekate is billed as “an extraordinary verse novel and a poignant reimagining of the life of the goddess of witches, crossroads and necromancy”. The novel follows its eponymous heroine as she grows from being a refugee child of war, setting out to discover what happened to her parents and heal from the trauma of her separation from them, to stepping into her true power as a woman and a goddess.  

Hekate will be a lead title for Simon & Schuster UK in 2025 and a major launch on the publisher’s new science fiction and fantasy list, with the aim of building on Gill’s readership and bringing her work to wider audiences. 

Trumble said: “As soon as Hekate landed in my inbox I fell head-over-heels with the book and the goddess herself. I’m convinced that Hekate, the refugee child turned all-powerful goddess of witchcraft and necromancy, will be everyone’s new favourite deity after reading! Nikita’s ability to write poetry which combines strong social observations with compelling, fantastical stories is unparalleled, and Hekate is no exception. The whole team at S&S UK was immediately behind this project: we have huge ambition for Nikita, and we are ecstatic that she chose us to be the publisher for these very special novels.” 

Gill added: “Writing Hekate was a labour of deep love, the story of a goddess that I have found hope in for years and years. I am so delighted to be working with the wonderful team at Simon & Schuster UK on this book, the first of a whole series in which each book is a work of my heart. Charlotte is such a passionate editor and I am deeply grateful to my agent Nicola Chang and her assistant Sophia Rahim for making this dream deal happen. My work could not be in better hands and I just cannot wait for readers to meet Hekate!”