McDermid Moves to Little Brown UK

As reported this morning over at BookBrunch:

Val McDermid has left HarperCollins after 17 years and gone to David

Shelley at Sphere/Little, Brown. The two-book deal, for an undisclosed

sum, ends the author’s long working relationship with the much-admired

Julia Wisdom, whom she followed from Gollancz to what was then Collins.

McDermid’s

agent, Jane Gregory, emphasised to BookBrunch that she and McDermid had

no complaints about Wisdom, “who is fantastic”. But Gregory felt that

the HarperCollins structure was not always helpful in achieving the

best possible sales. She said that she had spoken to HC CEO Victoria

Barnsley about her views.

Observers have suggested that HC does not fully exploit Trade MD Amanda Ridout’s experience of running sales departments.

“This

is a discussion we’ve been having for about three years,” Gregory

continued. “Val’s numbers aren’t where they should be – she’s always

winning prizes and she’s all over television.” It appears that HCUK

pushed to conclude a new contract in the early summer, but Gregory

delayed until its performance with McDermid’s latest novel, A Darker Domain,

could be assessed. Clearly that has disappointed, and in a move that

Gregory admits is “very hard for Val” she is leaving HCUK for pastures

new “[but] we feel that Little, Brown will make her the bestseller she

deserves to be.”

Ironically, McDermid left her US publisher St. Martin’s after many years to join up with HarperCollins, starting in February with the American publication of A DARKER DOMAIN. The new UK deal (for UK/Commonwealth) starts next year with a new Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novel.