UCLan to relaunch Somper’s Vampirates series

UCLan Publishing, part of the University of Central Lancashire, is republishing the Vampirates series by Justin Somper.

The publisher acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to six books, originally published by Simon & Schuster, from Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown.

The first three titles in the series—Demons of the Ocean, Tide of Terror and Blood Captain—will be released in March 2020, with a new cover and additional content. Somper will also take part in a national author tour. 

The next three books will follow in 2021.

Debbie Williams (pictured with Somper), director of UCLan Publishing, said: “We are extremely excited to be publishing this fantastic series. UCLan Publishing has really exploded this year. We are known for our innovative approach and are the only student-led publishing house in the world.I was a massive fan of Vampirates from the very beginning – so getting to relaunch it is a dream come true for me.”

According to UCLan, the original series was published in 35 countries and the first title, Demons of the Ocean, sold more than 100,000 copies in the UK and Ireland after being published in 2005.