Publishing Deal - Katarzyna Bonda

I received a press release today from Hodder re their purchase of four titles from Polish crime writer, Katarzyna Bonda:

Hodder & Stoughton is delighted to announce the acquisition of four novels by Katarzyna Bonda, who has been described as the queen of Polish crime writing. She is currently the biggest-selling female author in Poland, acclaimed by readers and reviewers alike.

The books were acquired by Nick Sayers from Sandra Sawicka at Marjacq Scripts. The first book Girl at Midnight has sold over 180,000 copies in Poland and the second has recently topped the bestseller list there also, selling over 50,000 copies since publication in April. Hodder plans to begin publishing in early 2017.

Nick Sayers said: ‘I don’t read Polish but I was intrigued by the very strong story in the English synopsis – a double timeframe narrative reaching back to the time of Solidarity from a present-day murder case, with a strong female protagonist and lots of twists to the plot. Then I was lucky to have a colleague in Joanna Kaliszewska who read the books in the original language and absolutely loved them, so we decided to get involved. It’s very exciting. Katarzyna is a former journalist with a great eye for what makes a story work. In the year of The Girl in the Spider’s Web, no-one can doubt that readers enjoy crime in translation and I think they will be fascinated by these novels.’

Sandra Sawicka said: ‘I’ve been looking for a Polish writer to bring to the UK for quite some time, and when I stumbled upon Girl at Midnight, I knew this had to be it. Bonda is a world-class storyteller, with a strong, fresh voice which pulls you in immediately. I think to many readers the setting will feel familiar and exotic at the same time, which is the beauty of translated fiction. Katarzyna is thrilled at the thought of being published in the UK. To have such an amazing publisher as Hodder on board – we could not ask for a better chance to introduce the series to the international audience.’