More crime fiction splatterings

According to the Bookseller and from the London Book Fair Patrick Janson- Smith at Harper Collins imprint Blue Door has won the battle to sign Swedish trilogy by Anders de la Motte. The three linked books are entitled Geim, Buzz and Bubble.

Congratulations go to all the nominees shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn prize and especially to Donna Condon senior commissioning editor at Piatkus, Little, Brown and Bethan Jones, head of Yellow Jersey Press/crime fiction and senior publicity manager at Chatto and Windus, Harvill Secker and Square Peg.  The award recognises promise among women in the industry who have worked in publishing in the UK for up to seven years, and is sponsored by the Society of Young Publishers and administered by BookTrust.  The winner of the £1,000 prize will be announced on 9th May at the Free Word Centre in north London.

In more news from the Bookseller Selina Walker has acquired for Random House imprint Hammer Books “long short stories with a paranormal twist” by Melvin Burgess, Julie Myerson and Sophie Hannah, and each are scheduled for 2013 publication.

In what is seen as a surprising move, Amazon (via their  Thomas & Mercer imprint) have bought a 10-year license for North American rights to the entire series of Ian Fleming's James Bond books in both print and e-book form from the summer.

Orion have acquired two novels from CWA Gold Dagger winner Robert Wilson.  The first title, Capital Punishment, opens a new crime series featuring Charles Boxer, ex-army, ex-police with a speciality in kidnap and rescue.  He is hired to find Alyshia D’Cruz, the kidnapped daughter of an Indian billionaire.  Capital Punishment is due to be published in January 2013.  Shots blogged here about the filming of his Javier Falcón books.

In more rights news, Harvill Secker senior crime editor Alison Hennessey has acquired Black Chalk by Christopher J Yates, a psychological thriller set in New York and Oxford University.  In the intimidating surroundings of Oxford University a group of six friends begin to play a game – an elaborate variation on truth or dare played in escalating rounds, in which losers had to perform mildly embarrassing tasks as consequences. But the game quickly assumed a life of its own: the stakes grew higher, and the consequences more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results.  Now, years later, one player, who believed he had fled the Game long ago, discovers that it is far from over. Black Chalk will be published in spring 2014.