The Night Before, The Night Before Christmas is a Bestseller!
November 2018
The Night Before, The Night Before Christmas, the beautiful Christmas picture book illustrated by rising star Claire Powell, is a UK bestseller!
Set to be the Christmas book of 2018, Waterstones have called it 'a classic in the making' and selected it as one of their Top 10 Christmas Reads of 2018.
Claire has also recently been nominated for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award for her work on The Night Before, The Night Before Christmas.
Huge congratulations to Claire!
Open Submissions Month Starts Today
November 2018
We are thrilled to announce that our open submissions month for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic authors starts today (1st November) and will run until 30th November. This is open for Picture Book, Middle Grade and YA writers, and writers will have the chance to win feedback from our incredible partnering authors. See our submissions page for more information, and follow #DACBaccess for tips, advice and insight.
Deirdre Sullivan Receives her Second White Raven
October 2018
Congratulations to Deirdre Sullivan, whose collection of feminist fairytales, Tangleweed and Brine, is a White Raven for 2018.
White Raven books are recommended by the International Youth Library and Deidre is among 200 authors from 59 countries whose books have been chosen for this. The catalogue for the White Raven books for 2018 will be launched at Frankfurt Book Fair and exhibited at Bologna Book Fair in 2019.
Helen Grant on panel at Dublin Ghost Story Festival
July 2018
Helen Grant recently appeared alongside Joyce Carol Oates, Reggie Oliver, Andrew Michael Hurley and other authors of eerie fiction at the second ever Dublin Ghost Story Festival. Helen appeared on three panels discussing supernatural fiction. She also read from her latest novel Ghost, which was published in February by Fledgling Press.
Photo by Diala EL Atat.
Tangleweed & Brine wins CBI Book of the Year!
May 2018
Deirdre Sullivan, rising star in YA fiction, has won the CBI Book of the Year Award 2018 for her dark, feminist fairytale collection Tangleweed & Brine.
The judges said, "This remarkable book is a significant and timely contribution to Irish young-adult literature and feminist literature for young people. Deirdre Sullivan's simultaneously rich, delicate and stark text is powerfully enhanced by Karen Vaughan's haunting black and white illustrations.
Combining the timeless allure of dark fantasy with subversive explorations of female embodiment and systems of women's suffering and triumphs, this incisive, exquisite collection promises an enthralling and unsettling experience."
Congratulations, Deirdre!
Kim Slater's The Boy Who Lied out now
May 2018
How can a liar uncover the truth?
The fourth novel from multi-award-winning Kim Slater is published today by Macmillian Children's Books!
The Boy Who Lied is a sensitive and engaging novel about brotherhood, hardship and being yourself.
Congratulations, Kim!
The Endless King is published today
March 2018
The final novel in Dave Rudden's epic Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, The Endless King, is published today!
This award-winning series is not to be missed, for adults and children alike. Sharp, funny and filled with action, it is particularly good for kids who might be too young for Buffy but are already outwitting you. Don't just take our word for it, see below:
'Clever, dark and fun..wonderful style, reminded me of Douglas Adams' - R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Point Horror series.
Be sure to pick up two copies, one for you one for your kid, here.
Congratulations Dave!
Ghost by Helen Grant - a Gothic novel you won't want to miss
February 2018
Critically-acclaimed Helen Grant's chilling new novel Ghost is published by Fledgling Press today!
It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Augusta, a girl who has been kept in isolation, a secret from the world...and herself. Dark, gripping and mysterious Ghost is a Gothic tale of first love, terrible secrets and brutal truths.
Here's what readers are saying:
'It is easy to tell you that it's a superb book, beautifully written and with a tense and gripping storyline that draws you in and then keep you engaged to the very end.' - Undiscovered Scotland
'This is a beautifully written book. Not that I’d expect anything else from Helen Grant.' - Book Witch
'Highly propulsive, incredibly seductive. A masterclass in how to develop intrigue and heighten tension. I loved it.'- CJ Skuse, author of SWEETPEA
7 Agency Authors Nominated for Awards
November 2018
The Darley Anderson Agency and Darley Anderson Children's Book Agency has a total of 7 authors nominated for awards.
John Connolly's The Woman in the Woods, Tana French's The Witch Elm, Catherine Steadman's Something In The Water and BA Paris' Bring Me Back have all been nominated in categories for the goodreads Choice Awards 2018! You can vote for your favourite here: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2018
Dave Rudden's Twelve Angels Weeping and Deirdre Sullivan's The Mother have been nominated for the Irish Book Awards in the YA and Short Story Category repsectively: https://www.irishbookawards.irish/2018-awards/
Illustrator Claire Powell's The Night Before the Night Before Christmas has been nominated for a Kate Greenaway Prize!
Dave Rudden's TWELVE ANGELS WEEPING is out today!
October 2018
Dave Rudden's Twelve Angels Weeping is published today! A collection of twelve chilling stories about the villains of the Doctor Who universe, Dave's novel is published by Penguin Random House and is available in all good bookshops.
Congratulations Dave!
Claire Powell's Double Publication Day
July 2018
Claire Powell's star continues to be on the rise. The mega-talented illustrator has two books published today.
Can Octo find some pants to fit? Let's find out how this ends! The wonderfully original Octopants is published by Little Tiger today, written by Suzy Senior.
And join Santa as he rushes to get everything ready before Christmas Eve in this hilarious and beautifully illustrated The Night Before The Night Before Christmas. The harback illustrated which features Kes Gray as author.
The Kissing Booth on Netflix
June 2018
The Netflix adaptation of The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles, is currently one of the most watched movies in the world, according to Netflix's programming chief, Ted Sarandos.
Sarandos explained on Deadline that it was “one of the most watched movies in the world right now” and No. 4 in IMDB rankings behind tentpole releases like Deadpool 2, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Avengers: Infinity War.
In just one month, the trailer alone has racked up over 10.3 million views on YouTube and fans are already campaigning for a sequel.
Beth originally wrote the story when she was 14 and published it on Wattpad. She was an undeniable Wattpad sensation with over 1 million people reading her YA novel.
Don't miss out, be sure to head over to Netflix to watch The Kissing Booth!
The Chocolate Factory Ghost selected for The Tom Fletcher Book Club
May 2018
The outstanding middle-grade novel The Chocolate Factory Ghost by David O'Connell, illustrated by our mega-talented Claire Powell, has been selected for the Tom Fletcher Book Club!
10 books were selected for the highly coveted promotion at WHSmith. Tom Fletcher hopes that his selection of books will 'get your kids eyeballs away from those touchscreens and into some great books. I hope they'll find their imaginations fuelled by the book club books and feel inspired to start writing and creating stories themselves.'
Congratulations, Claire!
A Seven-Letter Word is a Brilliant Book!
March 2018
Kim Slater's touching second novel A Seven-Letter Word has won the Brilliant Book Award 2018!
Kim was thrilled and said, 'I’ve made no secret of the fact that the BBA is a very special award for me, as the winning book is chosen by student reading groups at Nottinghamshire and Derby schools. As a Nottinghamian, born and bred, and living only two miles from the city, it means so much that local students are enjoying my books!'
Congratulations Kim!
Tangleweed & Brine shortlisted for the CBI Book of the Year!
March 2018
The outstanding Tangleweed & Brine by super-YA-talent Deirdre Sullivan has been shortlisted for the CBI Book of the Year Award 2018!
CBI Book of the Year Awards are the leading children’s book awards in Ireland, past winners include Eoin Colfer and John Boyne.
Congratulations Deirdre!
Princess Scallywag's out today!
January 2018
The fantastic Princess Scallywag and the Brave, Brave Knight, illustrated by supertalent Claire Powell is published today.
This brilliant picture book will make unconventional princesses everywhere laugh until they snort!
The laugh-out-loud funny, subversive princess book is for girls and boys age four and up.