Simon and Schuster Acquires Debut YA Author Clare Furniss; THE YEAR OF THE RAT Set for 2014 Release

Simon and Schuster Children's Books today announced the acquisition of debut YA author, Clare Furniss, following a flurry of interest from publishers.

Ingrid Selberg, Publisher for S&S Children's, acquired World English rights in two books from Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates, for a six-figure sum in a hotly contested eight-way auction. The deal is a global acquisition with Justin Chanda, Vice President, Books for Young Readers at S&S US.

The first novel is entitled The Year of the Rat. The Rat of the title is fifteen-year-old Pearl's name for her baby sister, who is born on the same day that her mother dies. As Pearl struggles to adjust to the new family dynamics, she discovers she's not the only one who needs to let go of the past.

Ingrid Selberg said: "We are extremely delighted to have acquired the rights to Clare Furniss's novel The Year of the Rat, which is a stunning debut. Our creative and sales team were completely united in their passion for this very moving, but also funny, story of Pearl and her family. This is genuinely a book which made us laugh and cry in the same breath. Clare is a wonderfully talented new writer and we look forwards to building her career at S&S globally."

Furniss studied at Cambridge University and worked for several years in political media relations. She now lives in Bath and is completing an MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University.

She said of the deal: "I'm so thrilled to be working with the amazing team at Simon and Schuster. Their enthusiasm, creativity and energy blew me away and their success speaks for itself. It's a debut author's dream to have an opportunity like this."

The Year of the Rat will be published globally in hardback in 2014, with the paperback edition and a second title to follow.