Rights sale to Penguin Australia!

I am delighted to announce that The Pericles Commission and its follow-on book have been acquired by Penguin Australia

Yay me!

I'm especially overjoyed because now, when I walk into my local bookstore, I'll see my book!

It also means I'll have to stop at every bookstore I pass to see if the book's there and sign every copy I come across. Which will cause the store owner to ask why am I scribbling in his merchandise. Then when he doesn't believe me he'll call the police and I'll be arrested.

So now I'm published by St Martin's Press in the US, and Penguin in Australia & New Zealand. It might seem a paradox that two publishers who are competitors will actually cooperate on a book, but that's the way the system works.

The acquiring senior editor at Penguin is Belinda Byrne, about which I am happy indeed because Belinda is a lovely person. I met Belinda for the first time a couple of months ago over lunch and I've been jumping up and down wanting to announce this ever since. Penguin HQ is in Melbourne and I'm in Sydney, so I still don't have an editor in the same place as me, but it's close enough I can pop down to meet the nice people at Penguin.

The Pericles Commission will be out in Australia & New Zealand in January 2011

Yay!