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Author and journalist Lucy Vine has swapped Orion for Simon & Schuster UK following the publisher’s acquisition of latest novel Seven Exes in a two-book deal.
Molly Crawford, commissioning editor for fiction, acquired world all language rights at auction from Diana Beaumont at Marjacq Scripts. S&S UK will publish Seven Exes as a paperback original in May 2023.
The novel follows central character Esther, who is bemoaning her terrible love life when she comes across an old magazine. Seeking comfort – and a laugh – she turns to the dating advice. There she finds an article that claims there are seven people each woman will date before finding the one. The problem is Esther has already burnt through each of these archetypes. Perhaps the one has already got away? Deciding she must have left her true love in the reject pile, Esther contacts each of her exes. She starts with her first love, an obvious candidate, before realising it’s not as simple as she hoped it would be.
"To say I’m excited about this would be an understatement," said Crawford. "Lucy Vine has long been one of my favourite authors and I’m thrilled that she’s chosen S&S to launch this next stage in her career. Lucy has an enviable talent for capturing the remarkable everyday moments of womanhood and celebrating their joy and hilarity. Seven Exes is no different – it’s the perfect mix of romantic promise with an irresistible undercurrent of humour and friendship. Rom-coms and female-led fiction is really having a moment and it feels like the perfect time to relaunch Lucy into the space."
Vine’s books with Orion include Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet? and Bad Choices. Her books have been translated into 11 languages, with Hot Mess optioned for a TV series in America. She has been nominated twice for the Comedy Women In Print Award and is also host of the podcast and live event series "The Hot Mess Clubhouse", celebrating funny women. Her journalism has appeared in Grazia, Stylist, Heat, Fabulous, New, Now, Marie Claire, Glamour Online, Cosmopolitan, the Daily Telegraph, Sun and Mirror.
"I only have clichés to describe the way I feel about signing with the truly-brilliant S&S – I’m over the moon," she said. "It’s a dream come true! I’m the luckiest gal in the world! And now I’m worried I just sound sarcastic. Honestly though, I’m unbelievably thrilled and excited to be working alongside such an incredible group of people. Molly has been a dream to work with on Seven Exes and I can’t wait for people to read it. None of the above clichés are in it, I promise."
Beaumont added: "I am delighted to be working with Molly and the wider team at S&S, who were not only passionate about Seven Exes but also very strategic about how they will take it to market. Lucy is such a funny and talented writer, beloved by readers as well as her peers, so I can’t wait to see this delightfully high-concept romantic comedy reach the widest possible audience."